Vatican II Hymnal in Canada?
  • rjgrigaitisrjgrigaitis
    Posts: 46
    I was looking at the Vatican II Hymnal on the Watershed website, and I was very impressed. The only problem it that, I assume, it uses the NAB for the readings, whereas here in Canada we used a revised NRSV-CE translation. Is anyone working on a similar hymnal that can be use in Canada, perhaps everything except the readings?
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    This is a quote from Paul_D:

    Clarification -- the psalm collection by Novalis is not the official Canadian psalter. It is a product of a commercial publisher (Novalis), not the CCCB. It uses the officially-approved NRSV texts, but the musical settings were commissioned by and are copyright by Novalis. The CCCB is working on a collection of psalms for the NRSV lectionary, but it is still a work in progress. Until such time, the only official CCCB musical psalter would be that contained in CBW III (i.e. the outgoing-Grail translation). Any budding composers who are writing settings of NRSV psalms from the Canadian lectionary would do well to send the best of their efforts to the CCCB for consideration.


    It can be found in the comment thread here:http://www.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/comment/70301#Comment_70301

    I don't know if anyone else is working on anything other than the above.
  • FerociterRomanus
    Posts: 1
    I can speak with some experience on this matter. I am working closely with CCW to facilitate the use and distribution of the Vatican II hymnal in Canada. At my home parish in Ontario we have just completed the first parish deployment of the hymnal in Canada. Not only was it well received by all, but the project was actually revenue POSITIVE for the parish, and will over the years save the parish thousands of dollars a year. Anyone in Canada thinking about deploying the hymnal in their parish can contact CCW, and they will put you in touch with me.

    To address concerns about the translation: There are MANY parishes in Canada that use the American lectionary. While it is within the competence of a national conference of bishops to produce a standard lectionary for their territory and they may propose it to their bishop-members for use in their dioceses, they cannot prohibit a bishop from allowing the use of another lectionary that has the approval of the Holy See in his diocese. This type of decision IS within the competence and at the discretion of the ordinary, as guardian of the Sacred Liturgy in the territory entrusted to him. This happens on a regular basis in languages other than English. The lectionary used for Italian masses in Canada is usually the one produced by the Italian conference, but is CERTAINLY not one produced by the CCCB. This hold for most non-English Lectionaries.

    While the standard lectionary in Canada uses the NRSV texts, a parish may use an alternative english lectionary approved by the Holy See with the consent of their ordinary. This consent could be manifest on several levels, depending on the disposition of the particular bishop. In all cases the ordinary himself should be asked before changing to a liturgical lectionary that, while approved by the Holy See, is not the norm for the diocese. I have not yet seen a case where an ordinary has forbid it, but I have seen a few examples where they were told to switch back to the CCCB lectionary when the bishop comes around or for televised events. Even if it is known in an occult manner that the ordinary tacitly approves of or tolerates the use of the American lectionary, he should out of deference and respect for his office be discretely consulted before its LITURGICAL use.

    This all being said, above I refer to the lectionary WHICH IS READ FROM LITURGICALLY BY THE LECTORS AND DEACON/PRIEST. What the pastor of a parish puts in the pews for people to read from is not governed by a general or even particular (as far as I am aware)law, and if it is a text that is approved by the Holy See, I cannot fathom even the most liberal bishop objecting to it being in the pews for the edification of the people. A hymnal, ANY hymnal, is NOT A LITURGICAL BOOK as the law envisions such.

    If the "lector" at mass reads from the NRSV translation and the people follow the NAB translation in the V2hymnal, as we are doing until our order of a large sized American lectionary and book of Gospels arrives, the texts are close enough that there will not be any confusion. We have been doing this for a while now, and we are a large parish, with 750 copies of the hymnal in the pews. No parishioner (and we are a LARGE parish) has complained about the readings.

    Given the leeway permitted by liturgical law regarding the so-called responsorial psalm, and that parish musicians commonly go way beyond (and inappropriately so) what the laws that pertain to this, lax as they are, permit, at our parish we have had no problem with the Psalms being sung or recited directly from the hymnal.

    I hope this provides some clarity regarding the situation in Canada, and if anyone would like further advice with regards to a concrete situation, I would be more than happy to help. Corpus Christi Watershed can put you in touch with me.
    Thanked by 4CHGiffen PMulholland Ragueneau Aristotle Esguerra
  • Paul_D
    Posts: 133
    Personally, I would avoid a hymnal that incorporated a foreign lectionary. You’re asking everyone to get used to not following the readings in the book (because of translation differences), and to pay for all those extra pages of useless text. I suggest you see what is available from England, Wales, and Ireland – at least they will spell words like “ardour” correctly!!!

    Over many years of visiting Canadian parishes, I have never once encountered anyone using an American lectionary. Perhaps it happens in a few border towns. America uses the NAB, while the rest of the English-speaking world uses the NRSV – what’s with that, anyway? The NAB may not survive into another generation.

    I can’t for the life of me understand why an ordinary would permit the use of a foreign lectionary for an average parish. I hope it is due to some pastoral concession like a foreign military base or cross-border chaplaincy or whatever, and not just because you want to use a foreign hymn book. Why would you set your parish apart from the local church in this way? I’m baffled.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    Not only was it well received by all, but the project was actually revenue POSITIVE for the parish


    For those who might not understand, another way to put this is that selling the V2H to the parishioners (who got to dedicate copies to their friends and loved ones) actually ended up MAKING MONEY for the parish. Laus Deo.
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