Lenten Requiem for a newborn baby - OF
  • acadia
    Posts: 28
    Hello. Any suggestions for Propers/music for a Lenten requiem for a newborn baby? The Mass will be OF. And English is preferred, although some Latin would be appropriate. There will be a choir, with a somewhat-experienced schola. Thank you.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    A Requiem is not quite right.

    If the newborn was baptized, then the child was a sinless Christian at the time of death and is a saint, so a Requiem would be redundant. The Mass texts would be taken from the Mass "for the funeral of a Baptized Child" (p. 1377-1378 of the Roman Missal). In the EF, I'm told that it is conventional to sing the chants of Mass IX, the Mass sung for feasts of our Lady.

    If the newborn wasn't baptized, the prayers should be from the Mass "for the funeral of a child who died before baptism" (pp. 1379-1380).

    I can post the texts here: which set is appropriate?
    Thanked by 3Incardination dad29 acadia
  • Carol
    Posts: 848
    This is so sad. I pray for this family and that the choir music will help to bring solace to this poor family.
    Thanked by 5CHGiffen Incardination Viola Casavant Organist acadia
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,370
    The Gradual p.677 does have a set of propers* for the funeral of a baptised child, though not specifically for Lent, they might provide inspiration. Of the options in the Lectionary, there is Responsorial Psalm 41 as used on the Monday of the third week in Lent. It is a pity that as the Missal antiphons are not psalm fragments, they do not invite easy expansion.
    * IN Ps17(16):15,1 ;GR Ps33(32):12,6 ;AL Ps113(112):1 ;OF Ps5:2,3a(Ps5:3,4) ;CO Ps23(22):1,2
    Thanked by 3Incardination CHGiffen acadia
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,704
    While the question is for the OF, here are the suggestions for the EF from the LMS Funeral guide,
    A Note on Funerals for Infants
    Baptised children under the ‘age of reason’ (seven years) are assumed not to have committed actual (personal) sin; it is therefore not necessary to pray for their release from Purgatory. The Requiem Mass is not said for them; instead, either the Mass of the day, or a votive Mass (usually, the Mass of the Angels), is said for a suitable intention, such as to beg consolation for the family. There are different psalms, prayers, and ceremonies for the reception of the body, the blessing of the coffin at the end of Mass, and the burial, and the celebrant wears a white stole for these parts of the service.

    We have had to do this once and we had a Votive Mass of the Holy Angels, with Mass VIII.
    Thanked by 4Incardination CHGiffen chonak acadia
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,370
    The EF Mass of the Angels shares some elements with the OF feast of archangels on Sep 29 (current Gradual p607ff)- IN Ps103(102):20 ;Tract(now GR) Ps103(102):20,1 ;OF Apoc 8:3,4 - it's worth looking at the other elements of Sep 29 for angelic rejoicing (eg Dan 3:58). And the OEF GR is still an option in EOF (current Gradual p664) Ps148:1,2, but now missing the verse from Ps138(137):1b, 2a.
    [corrected]
    Thanked by 4Incardination CHGiffen hilluminar acadia
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