I found it interesting that it PF Ford's file quotes the GIRM 105; Music in Catholic Worship §13 said: “How the people are invited to join in a particular song may be as important as the choice of the song itself.”

My pastor does not want anything other than the name and number of the hymn to be announced. He does not want the Communion Hymn announce. They are posted on the board. Obviously I will not go against my pastor's wishes, but I am interested at the leeway implied in the above quote.

At one time the liturgical fad was for cantors to enthusiastically encourage and request assembly singing. Some cantors' shtick and arm movements to be encouraging were ridiculous and off-putting. Now the most recent liturgical fad is that the cantor shouldn't invite people to sing, especially not with words such as, "Please join us in singing," because it implicitly communicates that the choir are performers and the primary liturgical actors, relegating the assembly to observers who might want to join the primary actors in their activity if they feel like it. It also turns something that should be expected (assembly singing) into a request, meaning it's not expected. An announcement and invitation are also completely unnecessary. There are hymnals or handouts, there are lyrics projected (yuck), there are numbers displayed. People have been going to Mass for years and know how it works. Nobody is going to say to himself, "Oh, do they expect us or want us to join in the singing?" in the absence of an explicit invitation. They don't need to be asked to sing every song, every week, month after month, year after year. The people know how it works.

If any sort of announcement is necessary, title and number should suffice. People know it's the entrance/gathering song, so no need to say it is. People know its the preparation/offertory song, so no need to say it is. People know it's the Communion song and they know it's the recessional. No need to say what they are.

Title and number. That suffices. In some cases, even that much is an unnecessary intrusion into the liturgy's solemnity and flow.

What is completely inappropriate is the sort of nonsense such as the cantor saying, "Good morning, Church! We all know this song really well so join us in singing the gathering song, 'All Are Welcome,' as we lift up our voices in joyful praise to our awesome God! Let's now stand and sing!!"

Paul Ford's handout omitted the remarks made by the priest: "Do we have any visitors with us today? Oh, great! Where are you from? [Insert off-the-cuff remark by the priest about the visitors' home town, such as referring to football teams or weather or distance travelled. Then insert good-natured and warm laughter, especially if the preceding remark was sarcastic.] Do we have any other visitors? [Continue until every visitor has been acknowledged.]"

Gosh, how I hate when a priest does that at the beginning of Mass. It's even worse when the task is assigned to the cantor/announcer during pre-Mass announcements.

I usually say " OUR Entrance hymn is..." trying to imply that participation is expected without cajoling, etc. as mentioned above. I did notice that the hymn number board was hard to see from the back of my church. CharlesW, I will have to measure the height of our numbers! I haven't sat in the back for a long time, but I must confess I slinked in a minute late this weekend as I was a mere parishioner this time.

At another Mass in my parish, they announce "songs" not hymns.

Good morning. Please remember to silence your devices. Now, before we begin our celebration, please turn to greet people in each pew and rise as we greet our presider, Fr. Jambalaya......

Here, many local churches simply print Orders of Worship which either have the score in them or contain a reference to the number in the hymnal where the score for the particular music being sung can be located. Ergo, no need to announce anything.

Lights come up. Introit. Sacistry bell. Then the organ starts. During Lent: lights up, bell, and the introit plays its proper role. IMHO cantors are for singing, not talking. This opinion is not a judgment, just an opinion.

I have never been in a parish where on a typical Sunday, there is a printed Order of Service, so that rules that out for most places. Maybe no announcement is best, but practically speaking, I think announcing the hymns in a way that does not call attention to oneself isn't so bad. It signals the congregation that singing is part of their role. We had one cantor who announced the hymns so dramatically, I expected him to finish with "Let's get ready to RUMBLLLLLLE!" That is why our pastor got so specific what should be said and I give him credit for that.

If you sing choral anthems and you don't have an order of service printed up, how do the PIP know when to join in and when to "actively" listen? If announcing vs. not announcing hymns is the biggest controversy we have, we are not that bad off.

What MarkB said. All this announcing and treating people like they've never been to mass before (with the mentality of a not-so-bright third-grader) is a holdover from the 1960s when changes were happening every week. How can there be a reason to tell people to stand up at the beginning of mass when at least 90% of the people there have been doing that very thing for years?

And welcoming people to their own parish is weird when you think about it. I realize there may be some visitors there, but just let the mass be the mass without a lot of explanation, directions, and hand-waving. People might just figure it out if you give them the chance to think.

Oh wow! Just wow! Now you are expecting people to think?!?!?!? These are the same people who forget what to do for the rest of the Mass when a Sequence is added. Or sprinkling with Holy Water.

I know. It was a naughty thing of me to say. My son once suggested we buy a 'race car'. I told him sure, but we'd never drive it faster than 25mph.

I love Wagner operas. Someone once called them six hours of delicious agony. But I would agree that taking the music out of a theater setting is not the same as watching and hearing it at the same time.