I don’t know of any comparable disposables to S&S. I know if the pastor likes the disposables, then there’s OCP, but that’s a considerable drop in quality content-wise.

Does the pastor object to S&S because it’s more traditional?

Unfortunately, if the new pastor is saying these things out loud, it's unlikely he will be persuaded otherwise. I don't know your role in the music program (if any) and you do not need to specify here, but if you are in some position within that ministry, I suggest looking elsewhere to provide your services.

Hi, Rosie!

Speaking strictly about missals: S&S missal is certainly one of the most, if not the most, traditional missals that I know of, maybe other than the Ignatius Pew Missal.

However, if your pastor isn't interested in something quite that traditional, then I have one idea.

OCP has said that 2026 will be a big revision for their Heritage Missal, which will become available pretty soon. This has always been considered a more compact version of their popular Breaking Bread missal; someone I know used to call it Breaking Bread Lite. Ha!

However, in the last few years, they have changed its brand. They have been promoting it alongside quotes from Sacrosanctum Concilium, have been showcasing its latin and chant, have added Meinrad Psalm Tones, have added Missa de Angelis, and more. And they said at their annual webinar last year that 2026 will see an even bigger shift. I guess we will see...their webinar is toward the end of May.

I bring this up because perhaps this will serve your parish well. A fairly mainstream missal with more and more traditional things being added. Perhaps this is a middle ground between you and your pastor. Just my thoughts!! :)

Thank you, RC! That sounds promising!
Thank you, davido! I’ll check it out!

I’ll check it out! Thank you!

We have the Ignatius Pew Missal here. While it's an annual disposable (as opposed to quarterly), it's got many quality hymns and Mass Ordinary settings. There are Psalms composed by Fr. Weber as well, both in simple form (which is included in the readings) and a little less simple form in the back of the book (the accompaniments to those can be downloaded). And if it's the mainstream "greatest hits" that your pastor is looking for, there are a few staples in there to "keep him happy."
BMP

Rosie: We had a similar situation in our parish about four years ago: we had (unfortunately) been using OCP's Breaking Bread. A new pastor, very interested in improving the liturgy, changed to Ignatius Pew Missal. Then, about a year later, he was transferred to a much larger parish and replaced. The new pastor got rid of Ignatius Pew Missal and reverted back to OCP. That pastor was only here for about a year also, and again we have a new pastor who does seem to be interested in improving the quality of the liturgy. (Yes, four pastors in four years--a sign of the times.) The Music Director has been given authority to pick out a new missalette, and I believe this person is seriously considering Ignatius Pew Missal. Unfortunately, as Brian points, out it does contain some "greatest hits" like Gentle Woman but most of it is pretty good.

If I were selecting a hymnal only, it would be A Catholic Book of Hymns (Sacred Music Library, Noel Jones).

Does the missal need to contain hymns? If not, how about the Jogues missal? It's quite lovely and contains Latin and English, and all the propers. Hardcover.

It could be either way - "Unfortunately..." or "Fortunately... as yours truly points out." ;)
"Unfortunately" in the fact that there *are* some of the mainstream "greatest hits" in the Ignatius. I counted maybe five or six out of 200+, not counting the Taize stuff (I could go either way with Taize, and I don't mind the two Deiss selections included).
"Fortunately" in the fact that there are *only* five or six out of 200+, as opposed to more than half, maybe close to three quarters of the music in your typical OCP/GIA book.
As for the "greatest hits" in Ignatius, I avoid them like the plague and focus on the much higher concentration of good selections there.
BMP

"Unfortunately" in the fact that there *are* some of the mainstream "greatest hits" in the Ignatius. I counted maybe five or six out of 200+, not counting the Taize stuff (I could go either way with Taize, and I don't mind the two Deiss selections included).
As for the "greatest hits" in Ignatius, I avoid them like the plague and focus on the much higher concentration of good selections there.

I looked up the index out of curiousity... the "greatest hits" collection is pretty much every funeral I play! Is it a generational thing? Like, will we eventually age out of that era of music?

We do use the Ignatius Pew Missal...and our pastor has forbidden us to use the very tunes you mention!

I'm always a bit worried when something gets "forbidden", but I can see why he did!

My children are similar ages to yours, @davido , and they will definitely have no attachment to the churchy folk hits of the late 20th Century

We have been using Celebrating the Eucharist since Advent 2013, alongside Gather 3. The format and selections have been consistent throughout that time. Mostly traditional, some chant, and a few of the usual "greatest hits" thrown in for measure. During covid, this was all we used (Gather 3 was stashed away for awhile). If I got a "do-over", I would have absolutely chosen CTE again. Same can't be said for Gather, but that's for another thread.