Acclamations at the readings, and intentions for the Universal Prayer
  • PLTT
    Posts: 150
    Is there any rubrical justification that would allow the following practices?

    (a) At the end of a (spoken) reading, for someone other than the lector to sing "The Word of the Lord"?

    (b) For someone other than the person reading the intentions for the Prayer of the Faithful to sing "Let us pray to the Lord/Be pleased to hear us/etc." ? (I know this is commonly done for Masses in Rome at which the Holy Father presides, but I'm wondering if there is some text to back it up)

  • johnmann
    Posts: 175
    (a) Lectionary 18: "At the conclusion of the other readings, This is the word of the Lord may be sung, even by someone other than the reader;"

    (b) Don't know of any rubrics but allowed in Sing to the Lord 37.
    Thanked by 1PLTT
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,413
    This seems absolutely bizarre to me.
    It is part and parcel of the lector's reading to announce its source and its conclusion.
    What is the point of it?

    This would never be done at Walsingham.
  • PLTT
    Posts: 150
    I acknowledge its 'bizzare' nature - however, the point is to attempt to get people used to the idea of the readings as sung - the (sensible) suggestion was made to start with the dialogues, in the same way as the Gospel dialogues are often sung but the text read.

    However, many of the readers object that they can not sing the conclusion (simple as it is.....there is no convincing some people) and that will probably sway the the Powers-that-Be who are not terribly familiar or enthusiastic about the increased singing. If, on the other hand, a member of the choir could "fill-in" for the sung bits, that would remove one big set of objections....the hope would be that eventually people would get so used to the tune that the readers would end up doing it themselves.
  • PLTT
    Posts: 150
    Thank you johnmann...... I looked in the GIRM (which seemed to say "no"), the Ordo Cantus Missae and even the Graduale- but for some reason, it didn't occur to me to look in the most obvious place!
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,215
    While there are examples given for the Universal Prayer, there is little in the relevant documents that actually regulates its structure.
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