Funeral standards in the form of a pew booklet?
  • AngelaRAngelaR
    Posts: 309
    I was talking to my new pastor today, and he proposed the idea of setting forth funeral guidelines in the form of a booklet for the pew. This booklet would include all the GOOD funeral hymns and conveniently admit the bad ones, contain all the GOOD readings for a funeral, and include all the prayers and responses for the whole Mass. Many people come to funerals who never attend Sunday Mass, and would benefit from such a resource. Has anyone put together something like this, or would they consider doing it?
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,175
    What a good idea!!
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,183
    If you select the hymns and put the text together, then all you need is someone to typeset the whole thing (words and music).
  • Pancho
    Posts: 27
    I agree, it does sound like a good idea. You could do the same thing for weddings, or even for First Communions and Confirmations, which you could then bring out a couple of times a year, every year.
  • marajoymarajoy
    Posts: 781
    (are there "bad readings" for a funeral?) ;-)
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 946
    At my last assignment, we used weekly "worship aids" for the Sunday Masses, and I was able to implement the same type of thing for funerals, as well. I would have a different one for each liturgical season (allowing me to use seasonal music even at funerals), and if there was a special request from the family, we would just depart from the guide at that point. It worked rather well.
  • AngelaRAngelaR
    Posts: 309
    Mara, no, there aren't any "bad readings", but there may be some that are more or less appropriate. :)
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    Not a bad idea at all. Maybe in 100 years we'll have whittled our way back to the Requiem. :)
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    Has anyone put together an effort for this? I'm putting a booklet together and I would like to see what's been done in this area (if anything).
  • benedictgal
    Posts: 798
    This would really help out. In fact, I have pondering such a task myself.
  • JacobFlahertyJacobFlaherty
    Posts: 329
    Curiously, my pastor asked me to do this very thing two weeks ago. I am nearly finished with two of three parts of it. I will share tomorrow when I get back to my work computer.

    Thanked by 1Aristotle Esguerra
  • hilluminar
    Posts: 120
    There is a great list of Readings and Gospels to use for funerals in the back of the Gregorian Missal by the Monks of Solesmes. I use the texts out of the Vatican II Weekday Missal for the Propers.
    Thanked by 1Aristotle Esguerra
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    At the risk of overkill, the booklet that I'm putting together currently includes English translations of:

    • spoken Introits and Communions from the Roman Missal
    • sung Introits, Offertories, and Communions from the Roman Gradual and Simple Gradual (and recommended verses)
    • Hymnal-based Responsorial Psalms suitable for the Introit, Offertory, and Communion processions (at our churches we currently have Gather Comprehensive I and RitualSong
    • refrains for Responsorial Psalms from the Lectionary for Mass (no verses) and Graduals from the Roman Gradual*
    • verses for Gospel Acclamations from the Lectionary
    • alleluias and tracts from the Roman Gradual*
    • Song of Farewell
    • acceptable hymns to substitute for the propers

    There will be a catechetical foreword on the the importance of recovering an awareness of the nature of the Mass in general and the Funeral Mass in particular, as well as catechesis sprinkled throughout.

    *These options from the chant books will likely appear in an appendix.
    Thanked by 1JacobFlaherty
  • JacobFlahertyJacobFlaherty
    Posts: 329
    Please let us (and even me personally) know when this is done. My work is far less advanced than this. I'm still quite new to Sibelius and I don't know how to create or use any chant programs. Is anything like a 'Chant Software' or a 'Chant Composition/Arrangement' course going to be offered at the Colloquium?
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    I should have made clearer that the booklet I'm compiling only includes texts(no plans for notation at the moment); sorry about that.

    And I'm pretty sure there will be a "Chant Software" course offered at Colloquium.
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    Update on this project:

    I've tentatively titled this booklet "The Sacred Texts of the Mass of Christian Burial" and am currently compiling a Frequently Asked Questions section. Please feel free to share some of the questions you have fielded repeatedly.
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    Here's a few questions/concepts that I've heard asked in the past:

    -Questions about why all souls don't necessarily go to heaven (very sensitive topic here...)
    -Generic questions about the liturgy
    -(if applicable) Why do we use latin in the liturgy, in particular, the ordinary chants of the Mass

    I'm sure there's more that I can't think of right now
  • ryandryand
    Posts: 1,640
    Buh! I wish I could attend Colloquium this year! I'd gladly teach a chant software course! Ah!
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