And I should add, Don, that the seasonal antiphons can be used as congregational refrains after the proper chant is sung by the schola. In fact, I've been doing this for the past several weeks now with great success. You could begin by singing any setting of the proper text, such as the Gregorian setting in the Graduale Romanum, and then follow it with a seasonal antiphon that the people may join in on if they wish. It's a lot better than singing any number of the usual Communion hymns and songs that we hear all to often in parishes across the country today!

That's right. Ordo Cantus Missae gives this permission in art. 3. Any proper antiphon from a given season may be sung anywhere during that season.

The better path is to sing the proper proper, of course, but this permission can be very useful during transitions or for the purposes of training a congregation.

Is it preferable to choose one and stick with it for a few weeks then change to a new one. Or would it be better to say pick two or three on a rotation.
Right now I am singing the communion SEP with the choir and cantor but the congregation does not sing along. So I would agree that doing an easier one and repeating if often might encourage more singing.

Does anyone know: is there a projected date for when the organ accompaniments will be completed for the Lumen Christi Missal?

@Don: There are many ways to approach this. If your goal is congregational singing of propers you have to give people something that is achievable, for sure. Simpler settings and much repetition will probably offer the most success at first.

@DanielC: There is no projected completion date for organ accompaniments, but settings will begin to be posted online very soon.

@Bach: The LCM uses the new translation of the Roman Missal as its foundation. This is the translation that SEP *should* have used, but the decision was made (mostly beyond my control) to use the Gregorian Missal texts, despite my desire to use approved texts. There certainly won't be an edition of the LCM with SEP translations, but I can do better than that. Look for the Lumen Christi Gradual next, which will be SEP 2.0, and all in full accord with the Lumen Christi Missal. Stay tuned!

Hey folks, help this dense guy out: I'm trying to figure out how I can start singing the psalms from this book, but since the psalm verses aren't pointed, how can I do that? I know that there are tone systems on page 1086... but am I missing some formula to apply those to the psalm verses?

Ryan, I'm leaning toward new melodies.

Adam,

Do you have a timeline on the Gradual? I was thinking of buying my choir the Missal, but maybe to wait for the gradual now?

I received my copy a few days ago. The book cover/binding is of high quality. The design is very tasteful and dignified--worthy to be placed in a church. The content, print size (of the text), and music is splendid. The Psalm antiphons are singable on first hearing and have that "Gregorian" sound. A concern/complaint is the size of the page numbers. I know this is a missal and not a hymnal, but larger, bolder print for the page numbers would be useful. This is especially true where the liturgy of the day does not start at the top of the page. Randomly, I have given the book to various people and said, find page # such and such. Every person, including the pastor, had difficulty finding the spot; every person mentioned the difficulty in flipping pages and trying to read the small print for the page number. In a future printing, this might be something to consider. The other concern/criticism is the English/Latin layout of the mass. There are just too many pages to flip. I would prefer to just have the English mass all by itself. Also, rather than the OF Latin mass, why not have a separate section for the EF? I think that it is nice to have all the mass settings, but to reduce the size of the book, I would just prefer to have the ICEL chants. That would be sufficient. A few older members of the parish mentioned that the book was too big to hold. In spite of what I have just written, make no mistake about it.: This is a significant publication of the highest importance.

Since my first response, I've increased my "survey". This afternoon, 6 out of 6 people were able to find the page number with no problem! :) A solution would be to "train" the congregation how to use the book. This would be especially true of the first Sunday vigil (Saturday) Mass. The people at that mass would have the responsibility of putting "the ribbon" at the right spot. Also, I would put the "page number" on the top of the hymn board--in red. EVERYONE said they would be proud to have such a book in the pew. "It would show more respect for the Word of God etc...."

Another suggestion would be to put the longer mass prayers--the Confiteor, the Gloria, the Creed--on the inside of the front cover for quick reference.

Every musician/liturgist needs to see this book.

Regarding the EF, I would just want the Ordinary of the Mass.

Thank you for the added feedback, Joseph Michael. I now recall how large the numbers are in conventional "missalettes". Pretty large, so I could see how people might gawk at first at these page number sizes. These numbers, though, are on par for a book like the Mundelein Psalter, etc., though I concede that they could use to be a bit larger.

I'm glad that most are favorable toward the book!

May I use some of your quotes above for an upcoming Chant Cafe post, "first reactions"?

Just got my copy this afternoon. Initial impression: VERY classy publication. Exemplary of the noble simplicity and dignity of the Sacred Liturgy. It happens that the Psalm responses for Holy Week and the Easter Vigil are those which we have been singing for the past three years, so the parishioners know them already. That is a definite plus.

The negative that struck me upon paging through it: were we to replace our present hymnal (Worship, Third Edition) with this volume, it would be difficult to get everyone on the same page (literally!) for the readings. As we print an Order of Worship with all the music every Sunday, the main reason we keep a book in the pews is for the readings. With Worship3, we print, and post on the hymnboard, a hymnal number for the Liturgy of the Word. Were we to publish a page number, the page numbers in the LCM are small and insignificant enough that people, especially the older folks, would get lost and stay lost throughout Mass. A further concern is that the Liturgy of the Word for each Sunday does not begin at the top of a page. In my 25 years' experience, parishioners do not come to Mass already knowing what Sunday it is today - most learn that by being informed after they arrive. I can understand this because when I was growing up Catholic, I was in the same boat, and knew almost nothing of the Liturgical Year until I was hired as a Catholic music director fresh out of state college and was forced to learn. I didn't even know what the 3-year cycle was. I look at this from the standpoint of Catholics - good, faithful people, doing their best - who are not liturgy geeks like me. They don't know. They wouldn't know where to look in the book. They don't know whether we're in Year A, B or C. They need a number posted so they can find it. A big, easy to see number. In a future printing, it would be great if this could be the Lectionary number, but I don't how practical that would be from an editorial standpoint.

I hope you understand I am not griping - just observing. The book is a splendid publication and huge step forward for the reform of the Reform.

I should comment on this also:

I too would also be interested in a future edition that matches the SEP

I honestly don't believe that this would be allowed by the USCCB Secretariat for Divine Worship. The Lumen Christi Missal has been published with the authority of this agency, and has received every possible Ecclesiastical approval. A requirement of this office is to use the translations of the antiphons of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, where possible.

The Introit cycle is essentially the same between the Graduale Romanum and Roman Missal (OF), and about half of the time is so for the Communion Antiphons. If I were to include both Roman Missal antiphons and Graduale Romanum antiphons (as has been done in the LCM), there would literally be two different translations for each Entrance Antiphon for Sundays and Feasts. This would be not only bizarre, but also would really confuse the faithful, I fear.

So the Lumen Christi Missal has done the grunt work needed to harmonize English translations of the GR with the new translation of the RM. This was a long and painstaking process that received the Ecclesiastical Imprimatur of Bp. Thomas Olmsted, and has been embraced and adopted by the Association for Latin Liturgy in the U.K., a group that desires to produce a complete translation of the GR that fully integrates with the new translation of the RM for universal use throughout the English-speaking world.

This is no light issue, and the decision was not made lightly, but extremely deliberately. The antiphon translations found in the Lumen Christi Missal can form for us a foundation for textual unity moving forward as more and more composers set the texts of the proper in English, as much of the future of liturgical composition should entail.

@Jeff (aka Paul_O...)

Please hear me – I'm not saying in any way that the SEP translations are not approved for liturgical singing! This is my own book, for heaven's sake. Of course proper efforts were made to make sure that these would be licit for liturgical use.

This being said, there has been no shortage of confusion when people have heard or seen the texts of the Simple English Propers, and then compared them to the same texts (in different translation) in the new edition of the Roman Missal. The conflict between the texts of the GR and RM is maddening, and for the faithful it is perplexing and disorienting. This is why the LCM has undertaken this effort to use the new translation where possible. It's just the right thing to do, given our current situation. And because of it the faithful are put at ease. In the end, I believe that the SEP should have waited for this translation effort to take place, and then use these texts, but that would have meant two years without Simple English Propers, and history has now shown that a serious opportunity would have been lost. But, moving forward, it seems rather clear that the new translation should be taken as the basis for liturgical texts, and the Lumen Christi Missal has done just that.

Thank you Adam,

Having used the SEP since the BETA days, I have been a constant promoter of its use, but also find myself an apologist for the propers (so is anyone that does them for the OF). Not merely just for doing them, but for the obvious differences between the SEP and the RM.
I will look forward to the publication of a Gradual, but wonder aloud if you would publish the simple gradual from the LCM?
Those of us outside of the USA could use your Simple Gradual and a future Gradual that you propose.

Wonderful and important work you are doing? Thanks again for all your efforts!

I received my Lumen Christi Missal today and I echo many of the positive remarks. I ordered a single copy to replace the pulp "missalette" that I'm embarrassed to carry around.

1. The binding and typesetting are worthy. It makes me proud to hold these types of books compared to the newspaper print. This is the first thing people see, and I don't mind when they judge me with a cover like this.

2. The clear organization. It is new to think of a three year cycle, but I think that is because I am used to the seasonal pulp that has dates. There is some kind of gravitas to have the entire three-year cycle, reinforces the idea that we are in fact a "Bible-based Church." If LCM us selected at a parish, it would be best to constantly remind the people of the Sunday # and Year. Especially as we move towards the propers, we won't ever need song numbers from the OTHER texts. All practicing Catholics should be able to at least identify the year we're in.

3. A serious focus on the texts of the Mass means the propers have an equal stature to the readings. No more searching for the entrance and communion antiphons FAR away from the readings.

4. Calling the Mass Settings, "Mass Setting Fifteen" instead of "XII - Pater cuncta" is especially clever. Are people scared of Roman Numerals like they're scared of Latin because they're from Rome? Only suggestion is a large Arabic number (15) next to the text for those who'd prefer that kind of thing.

5. I REALLY REALLY like the Devotional Prayers and Various Rites and can forsee these being some of the most used pages. Those pages turn this text from great gift for first sacrament celebration, but for ANY SACRAMENTAL or R. EDUCATION PREPARATION. Very well selected. If you haven't already, all you CATECHISTS: TURN TO PAGE 1009-1011 ! ! ! or 1015 ! 1024 ! The only suggestion is to print a grey band to make it easy to find like the Order.

6. Too much to praise. I take the sales job. What's the commission?

Now for the other. May the perfect not ruin the great.

- The Order of the Mass seems overwhelming to me. Maybe I got used to the red/black simplicity of the cardstock "corrected translation". Maybe too many options? Also, where are the ICEL chants!? (Even OCP had the ICEL chants. I guess they're in the back somewhere?) Consider including those chants and contrasting those chanted ordinaries with the rest of the Order by reducing the size of the rest of the Order. For example, page 804-806 might have the dialogues MUCH smaller in size, followed by the ICEL Kyrie in bold. (Latin or English or both). Same for p. 816: Dialogue smaller, ICEL Sanctus ready for chanting. [MINOR ISSUE]

- And last that Graduale / Missal decision.

At first, I was very disappointed not to see the SEP/Gregorian Missal texts. At the end of my initial reactions, I thought: If the GR's propers are our chanted goal, why not have the English/Latin text have pride of place? (Were they even included?)

I didn't understand, how after years of propaganda pushing the GR/SEP propers, the product for which I had the biggest hope didn't toe the line.

NOW AFTER READING THIS and other THREADS, I have come to understand some of the larger issues and your rationale (no need to repost, as it's repeated a couple of times above). I'm still wondering if the sung GR/SEP text could be one of the options next to the spoken Missal text, with an emphasis on the sung text (singing is the norm for most Sunday Masses). But overall, I think you've done a good job at persuading me to trust in your choices. (I mean, all of this for someone who isn't even in a choir.)



Thank you for the work you've done, I had so much hope in this text and at the end of it all, you exceeded my expectations. (For your ethos, but for that last section in the back.)


José Francisco

Can I trade in my stop gap for the real thing? I wish it had been advertised as such. Just sayin.

I also received my copy last week and am taking a bit longer to review it.
Where I see LMC as a primary statement and "tool" to re-invigorate a Catholic ethos into the stagnant, big publisher model that would stay in the pew pockets is paired with a weekly ordo of music that is "homegrown" from parish to parish and which would be in all ways legally reproduced to satisfy parochial concerns that people used to call "themes" or "song of the day."

SpeakNSpirit, that is exactly what I want to do in our parish! We're on board and scheduled to phase out OCP's Music Issue this summer and replace with St. Michael's, and hopefully in maybe a couple more years to replace the missalettes with LCM. I was so excited by Adam's comment above where he said he was going to make a gradual to go with these. That, paired with the organ accompaniments (when those become available) should actually make this a realistic enterprise to undertake in my parish. VII hymnal is beautiful, but not practical for our parish at all (plus, I have to admit, I am a real hymn-lover - though I do understand and fully agree that the propers should be done - and I like the selection of St. Michael's much better than VII).

When the accompaniment becomes available, I wonder if it will include chords. I know this is rather controversial since it would seem to invite the use of guitars, but I argue strongly for its practicality. Most parishes, at least in my diocese, are rural and/or lack resources such as a properly trained organist, or even an organ at all. If you look at the sales of OCP's accompaniment books, I would wager that the guitar accompaniment is far more popular. I'm not saying that we should all pull out our guitars and have a Gregorian Jamboree, but that the usefulness of 'guitar' chords reaches far beyond playing the guitar.

It wouldn't take up much room at all to pop up a letter over the staff every few measures, and certainly couldn't hurt. It would simply be a charitable gesture to us lowly musicians who have full-time jobs, or otherwise occupied, but still wish to volunteer what little we have to do what little we can to contribute to the "Noble Simplicity" of the Divine Liturgy

(sorry for the rant)

now THATS a guitarist I wouldn't mind having play during the liturgy...

Virtuosic playing, certainly! As such, I'd find it distracting during the liturgy. Maybe afterwards, à la an organ postlude?

That is so true, frogman. Our music director uses her guitar to get the note for the ICEL Chants and it is rather jarring. When she and her group do regular songs, strumming is in full effect. This would really be detrimental to any hopes for chant.

I don't think that the comments were meant to be condescending. They seem to express, more than anything, an expression of angst over having to reduce everything to the level of a guitar.

While OCP may list guitar books as one of their top sellers, I would submit to you that this is probably due to the lack of parishes taking liturgical music seriously. Down here, the situation is quite bad. Strumming reduces the sacred nature of what we are supposed to sing at Mass. I would rather have no guitar music at Mass.

Unfortunately, the reality, at least down here, is that chords do attract guitarists. And, it's not classically trained, but those who strum.