Ohh, that's a great idea.

Maybe something like a missalette version of the Vatican II hymnal. I wonder how hard it would be for Jeff O (or someone else with Jeff's source files) to extract the pertinent parts from the hymnal each season, add the daily Mass antiphons, and sell them as a subscription?

Don't most folks here abhor the idea of disposable materials?

Should CMAA produce something that will need to be tossed into the dumpster every few months?

If a parish insists on using them, they insist on wasting money and paper, and they insist on a seasonal disposal of the word of God.

If the layout is similar to the VII hymnal, it will be 800 pages plus with a separate page for each hymn verse. My parish is spending a fortune on missalettes, and a hymnal is the only thing that makes good economic sense. However, there seems to be a major problem with each hymnal I have reviewed. I can see why the Protestants have gone to a giant screen in front.

If it were done, it could be done with all 3 years of readings in it and with no copyright requiring parishes to throw them out. Then after the first year, when they look at their books and notice that they're still in decent shape, they'll wonder why they were required to throw those other ones out in the past.

Matthewj, I could see a 3-year book as a viable alternative.

Providing the readings was and is still a big mistake. I have a feeling that the Sermon on the Mount would not have had quite the impact if people were reading it from tablets while Jesus spoke.

The apostles understood this and had to work very hard to put down in words what Jesus said and did. They and others wrote thousands and thousands of words (and are still doing so) to try to portray what it was like to be with Jesus.

It's time for people to learn to sit and listen to a person who has taken upon himself Holy Orders to read scripture, teach and say Mass.

It's time for priests to be like Jesus.

Cut the readings, save many trees.

Offer the new missallette with and without readings....the cost savings to parishes would make the decision easy for priests. There'd be a small stack of ones with the readings next to the hearing impaired devices.

Catholics up until the 1970's had a choice. They could buy a missal to follow the Mass or just sit and follow the Mass. They chose how actively they wished to participate.

Today all the eyes during the Mass are looking down into books while the priest is reading from the book for them. Does this make any sense? Does this focus the active attention and participation on what is transpiring during the Mass?

Do you go to a movie or play with the script in hand or do you watch, becoming part of a larger experience?

Chonak,

Parishes already have that - the magazine with choices in the back like the OCP one, so creating an alternate one that not only lays out the music but also eliminates the need for the missallette - would be greatly welcomed. And it could provide the music needed, educating them as it goes along. Great idea!

It seems the Lumen Christie Missal is all that is required: permenant, propers, order of Mass, and various settings of the ordinary. What's really needed is a good quality hymnal: Latin and vernacular, ancient and modern. All quality tunes and texts and heresy free. By seperating the Missal from the hymnal, propers receive their pride of place. A good hymnal is still needed for optional recessionals, devotions and those occasions where "option 4" is invoked.

As for e-readers in the pews: be careful what you wish for. I've speculated (half jokingly and half fearfully) that the next major development from the big-3 is the "iMass": everyone pluggs in their earbuds and tunes out...I select my favorite hymn/song, I select which homily to listen to, and I select what time Mass ends, etc. Since most of the contemporary songs focus on me anyways, it's the next logical step.

I think this is a spectacular idea. I think one of the (albeit shortsighted) reasons many parishes don't fork out the money for a permanent hymnal or missal is because of the high up-front cost (Yes, I know it would pay for itself in three years....but a lot of parishes don't think that far ahead). Another issue is the fear that, once you pay that, you're stuck with it for 10 years. A solid, orthodox subscription service that gave proper centrality to the propers, a modal setting of the responsorial psalm, and a set of theologically sound hymns is an excellent idea. However, this would be time consuming and difficult...and so many places that do provide things like the Lumen Christi Missal, the St. Michael Hymnal, or the VII Hymnal are one or two man organizations....this would be a monumental project that never ends....but boy I'd like to see it.

Frogman, et al.
I'm a strong believer in hymnals and agree that there is no substitute for a great hymnal. However, many parishes cannot afford hymnals or have to wait until the plumbing is fixed and every other maintenance issue is resolved before even approaching the idea with the Pastor.

Because so many parishes are in a holding pattern at any given time, I love this idea.
I'm a pragmatist out of necessity and believe that there is a need for something that is high quality that can both; a. compete in the missallette market and- b.function as a great temporary solution for parishes that must wait to purchase hymnals.

I think it's only logical for a publisher to offer both, actually.

And in terms of paper, I am currently wasting more paper every week doing a "worship aid" then I think would be used in a seasonal missallette.

I would be a fan of this even if it were kept very simple - or simple-ish. Just some thoughts:
1.good seasonal hymns w/excellent texts (I'm a fan of Worship Il - the texts are far more superior than Worship III - I have not perused the Vatican II hymnal, but I'm sure that's also excellent)
2. a nice array of seasonal chant
3. some nice art - like that found in the lovely Catholic Choir Book
4. an array of good ordinary settings - both chant and other
5. I guess it would have to have the readings - because without them - it will be impossible to get many pastors to subscribe (often they use them as a portable reference)
6. Avoid the tendency to put in things like: three options for the Procession for Palm Sunday - is that really necessary? I don't know.
7. It would be really helpful to include one set of chants for the priest - and the sung responses, i.e "it is right and just"
8. If there were some way to emphasize that the procession should be accompanied by the Introit - and then a hymn could be sung - I would be ecstatic
9. Maybe you could put a lovely etching of the priest saying mass 'ad orientum' (but not on the cover.)
10. Perhaps some good Spanish hymns.

I don't think this would necessarily compete with the hymnal market. Most churches have hymnals and a missallette.
The other thing that cannot be ignored, is that such a product could be extremely instructive. The potential is huge. I have to say that if we believe this sort of product is beneath certain standards, we miss a huge opportunity to influence the direction of the liturgy. Good luck, Frogman. Great idea, as always.

"I think it'd just be encouragement for more churches to stick to disposable hymnals rather than an incentive to move on a little later."

I agree. Can we please not peddle mediocrity?

Look, I think we all agree that beautiful, permanent hymnals and missals are the best way to go.

But do we really want to hold back the cause of authentic musical and liturgical renewal because we refuse to entertain this idea? Come on, folks...let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

CMAA is us.
If frogman would like to stoop, he should feel free.
If frogman needs any particular help, many of us would volunteer, and many of us would not. And many of us would really like to but are super busy and can't even manage to work on our projects.

My opinion is that it could be really useful.

My other opinion is that we won't know that until it starts to exist.

And my other opinion is a list of requests/suggestions:
-LaTeX
-LilyPond
-Gregorio
-GitHub
-GPL

Well the page-turning sound is a little cheesy.

As Adam said, the CMAA is us. It's the members. The CMAA might promote such a product, but it isn't going to create it, anymore than it created the Vatican II Hymnal, Simple English Propers, etc. If Noel wants to make it, he can go ahead. Someone can write a Chant Cafe blurb about this "great new product", and there can be a link to it on the Musica Sacra website. No one's stopping Noel from doing this, and no one will hinder its promotion.

I, however, oppose the very concept of a missalette. I would not buy such a product, written by anyone, and I would encourage my colleagues to do the same. It is mediocrity in book form. The idea of a "good misalette" is like the "benign dictator." The misalette is bad because of what it is (a disposable approach to the liturgy), just as a dictator is malicious because of what he is (an infringement upon liberty).

Perhaps it would be a better use of resources to create small, cheap pamphlets which could be inserted covertly into the pages of misalettes. All it would say is: "COST OF A HYMNAL FOR 15 YEARS: $X. COST OF MISALETTE SUBSCRIPTION FOR 15 YEARS: $Y. MONEY FROM YOUR POCKET SPENT ON THIS RESOURCE: $Z. HOW ARE YOUR PARISH COUNCIL AND PASTOR SPENDING YOUR MONEY?" Then a URL to the Vatican II Hymnal website.

Vatican II Hymnal, Jani.

Maybe persuade Magnificat to bring the propers to the front. They can copy the LC model? Magnificat + one of "our" missals ?

Maybe things are better here, but I can't think of any parishes offhand using the old "Glory & Praise" book. Maybe about 20% of parishes use a hymnal, and the rest various disposables.

Adam Schwend,

I must admit ... you've changed my mind. A missalette of good quality could be a great transitional resources for parishes that are stuck in the OCP model.

(This is a good article about how parishes get "hooked" http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4265&CFID=20760707&CFTOKEN=20160302)


So, if this were to happen, how does it happen? How are materials chosen, how is the layout determined, who does the typesetting, etc?

I would be on board to help with a project like this, with the understanding that it's just to help parishes transition to something better. Maybe once they're used to a "better" missalette after a couple of years, they'll consider something like St. Michael or VII.

I have to admit that I failed miserably into not looking at Illuminaire in depth and made assumptions about it that were greatly flawed. I misunderstood what it is intended for - thought it was for the TLM market. Great apologies, Adam B!

Based upon their website FAQ:

Q. I don’t think my parish is quite ready for the Lumen Christi Missal, but I want to get rid of our disposable missalettes and hymnal that has so many problematic hymns and songs. What can I do?

A. The Lumen Christi Missal is a richly comprehensive book that contains many of the inestimable riches of our liturgical tradition. The beauty of it, though, is that it can be implemented slowly, gradually, and pastorally into the life of your parish. Most parishes purchase seasonal missalettes for nothing more than the Lectionary readings and Daily Mass antiphons. The LCM can be introduced simply as a replacement for these–paying for itself in a few years–and in time and with catechesis the musical settings contained in it can be gradually introduced into your parish’s repertoire.

I propose that this IS the publisher who should be creating a Missalette and that we should be supporting. Without any question. I have contacted others who might be very effective in this market and have been told that they have no interest. Adam B's a future-thinker and he'd have my support - thoughts and encouragement for this, friends?

Anyone can create a missal/hymnal - but Adam's already proven he can do it in a way that makes it attractive in all ways. .

Lumen Christie seems to be the answer. I still see a need for a solid catholic hymnal. Vat. 2 or Adoremus as good as they are would never pass the selection committee. Sadly, Gather 4 would, which is why I'm stalling. Why isn't there a Catholic hymnal that offers the best traditional hymns with unaltered texts, all of jubilate Deo, as well as good quality contemporay songs and hymns (Gift of Finest Wheat?) that while not the ideal for liturgical use at least contain no theological errors or social agendae. Psalm paraphrases such as OEW would even be ok, just no Ruth Duck. After a parish makes the transition to singing propers more often than not, popular hymns could still be used as prelude / recessional and other occassions outside of Mass.

I confess that I have not yet seen a St. Michael hymnal. Is it all that?

If I walked into a parish and saw disposable missalettes filled with chant propers, traditional hymns, and latin my reaction wouldn't be "Ugh, disposable missalettes, what garbage!" I doubt any of you would think that.

I would probably get a personal subscription, just to support whichever company took the time to put a fantastic new resources together.

At first glance appears to be an excellently done Magnificat-style TLM book - very nice!

Sample Pages

Odd layout choice of visually emphasizing the English translation over the Latin original. Also the use of hieratic (Anglican-style) English betrays the link between prayers spoken in Latin at an EF and the prayers spoken in English at a vernacular OF.

Some other weird quirks here and there. But generally, an attractive publication.