The rubrics seem to suggest that if one does the proclmation then the penitential rite would be suppressed. Is that correct?

http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/xmas.pdf is titled "The Proclamation of the Birth of Christ"

Shouldn't it read "The Proclamation of the Birth of X" ??

I get discouraged when I see this sort of thing at the site of the nation's Catholic pastors.

incantu, I would be upset if we sang "X is the Alpha and Omega" indeed. X also means "treasure located here" or "sign here please" or "use this if you can't write". I am familiar with Greek "Χριστός" and the Chi-Ro representation as well, but that is NOT what drives the use of "X" in place of "Christ" in contemporary American society. When our bishops can't keep the Christ in Christmas, what can we possible expect of anybody else?

Oh, and I wasn't aware that this could be sung during Mass. I've only ever heard it sung before. It seems to me that having it done before Mass makes more sense, rather than having it follow the Greeting Rite.

Incantu,

Yes, the Solemn Proclamation of the Birth of Christ (Roman Martyrology) does replace the penitential rite. It's been done that way for decades at St. Paul Church in Cambridge.

Sorry I can't be in SF to hear your upcoming concerts.

I just noticed that last night, mj. It's because of the Church's rejection of literal creationism and other historical revisionisms (1300 BC instead of 1500 BC for the Exodus)

mjballou, I agree with you. There are some things we do not necessarily because they withstand the rigours of logic or science, but simply because they are beautiful and part of tradition.

Here is the more literal one set to the traditional tones:
http://www.archstl.org/worship/images/stories/sacred_music/christmas/xmas_vig_proc.pdf

I would add to the beginning, "Today, the 25th Day of December", however.

If someone has a copy of the 2001 or 2004 Martyrologium Romanum, they should look up this day in it and see if the text still says "5,199 days since the creation, etc.", or if it has been updated to "millions and millions of years" and so forth. If it has not been updated, that is reason enough to use the traditional version, until such time as the Church sees fit to update the martyrology to say "millions and millions of years".

Anyone with a current Martyrologium Romanum available?

here is a wonderful recording

The Proclamation should not replace the Penitential Rite unless you are sure that all present have made their ChristMass Confession! Though the USCCB instruction may be read that way, I would suggest it comes after the Kyrie and before the Gloria; the Gloria then to be accompanied by bells, fanfare, the "works" etc as at Easter Vigil.

The Holy Father is having it proclaimed with ceremony before the Mass begins - this would seem appropriate to me as a precursor to the main event.

I was just thinking about starting a thread on this... I'm glad to see this bumped up.

I greatly prefer the specific-years version. I have a copy of that somewhere in my files and could scan it if it would be useful for anyone.

I just figured out how to put the pdf here in the discussion. Here it is (I hope)

Jeffery Tucker, in a post he wrote at NLM last year, found the (2009) Vatican Edition (Latin) and a literal rendition (English) done by John Birchfield. I plan to use the English version; with about a day and a half of practice it should be doable.

Latin
English

AE

Do you have a recording of this? I gotta get this to my Deacon asap!

Aristotle--Thank you for the update from your 2009 arrangement! I was wondering if/when this would be done.

Francis--I plan to use this as an audition piece as part of my application for a position in a North Dakota church. I can send you a copy of this recording by the end of the day (hopefully).

@Ioannes Andreades:

Computing lunar dates for things is a task that people who think they like rubrics get assigned in Purgatory. That said, if we go to DivinumOfficium.com, change the date to December 24 (because the Martyrology is anticipated), click on Prime (Prima), and scroll down to the Martyrology, we are told that Christmas this year is the 30th (tricesima) day of the Moon.

(Don't ask me how that works, though, since that makes January 1 the seventh day of the Moon -- but next year's epact is 6, and I thought the epact was supposed to be the age of the moon on January 1. Also, don't ask why, after so much calculation, they settled on a system that so frequently does not correspond with the actual state of the moon. There is, after all, a new moon on December 24, which would make the 25th, strictly speaking, the 1st or 2nd day of the Moon, depending on whether you count the new moon as 0 or 1. Oh well.)

Just a note to everyone:

Earlier in this thread (way back in 2008), it was discussed that the Christmas Proclamation replaces the Penitential Rite at the Midnight Mass. In the new translation of the Missal, this appears to be no longer the case. On my copy's page 1293:

"It may also be chanted or recited before the beginning of Christmas Mass during the Night. It may not replace any part of the Mass." (emphasis mine)

Just a heads-up to everyone that there's a change in the rubric.

"It may also be chanted or recited before the beginning of Christmas Mass during the Night. It may not replace any part of the Mass." (emphasis mine)

While I am a "say the black, do the red" type of person, I could make a case for inserting the Proclamation into the Mass. Ah, the joys of options in the Ordinary Form, where one could be "creative" (sneaky?). (Hey, I have seen more egregious examples, as have others.)

From the GIRM (emphasis mine):

50. When the Entrance Chant is concluded, the Priest stands at the chair and, together with the whole gathering, signs himself with the Sign of the Cross. Then by means of the Greeting he signifies the presence of the Lord
to the assembled community. By this greeting and the people’s response, the mystery of the Church gathered together is made manifest.

After the greeting of the people, the Priest, or the Deacon, or a lay minister MAY very briefly introduce the faithful to the Mass of the day.

So, this could be inserted between the Greeting and the Penitential Rite. It is not displacing anything, since this introduction is a option. (Besides, it make a nice compliment to the "Exultet" at the Easter Vigil.)

I'm not saying; I'm just saying....

My recording of Aristotle's Christmas Proclamation

My thanks to a regular contributor to these forum for his help.

Oh yes, one more thing (yes, I know this is about 24 hours late, but whatever). As for the rubrical discussion above, I think the answer can be found right in the Missal, on page 1450, right above the music:

THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
from the Roman Martyrology
[...]
This text, The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, may be chanted or recited, most appropriately
on December 24, during the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours. It may also be chanted or
recited before the beginning of Christmas Mass during the Night. It may not replace any part of
the Mass.

The world is ending in 2012. Next year, none of it will matter. ;-)

There is no way in classical Latin to render 13,000,000,000 in a spoken way. Maybe Reggie Foster finagled a work-around at some point. In Roman numeral is possible but not with any font my computer has.

There is no way in classical Latin to render 13,000,000,000 in a spoken way.

That is doubtful, though it would presumably be awkward; but anyway there should be no problem giving the martyrology in mediaeval or late Latin, in which there are several ways to express the number, such as "tredecim billiones" (short scale) and "tredecim milliarda" (long scale).

Nevertheless, one can translate one million into Latin: decies centena milia.

Actually...ummm...err...I'm right.

And again, I tend to doubt it, even as regards, as you said, classical Latin. I can't believe that if Cicero wanted to express "thirteen billion" to Atticus he would have just had to stand there mute like an idiot; there would have been some way to do it, were it "tredecim milia milia milia," as we might have to express 13x10^27 as "thirteen billion billion billion" when we do not know that we can call it "thirteen octillion."

Moreover, as I said, "there should be no problem giving the martyrology in mediaeval or late Latin," and I include modern Latin. Just wait until the martyrology has to include some poor soul "qui necatus est cum aeroplanum eius in oceanum crashuit Pacificum."

Let's just go with the ICEL version and say "A long time ago, Jesus was born."