It depends on where your "Mexicans" are actually from. At another parish here, there are people who are South American and their tastes in music are not bad. It isn't German Protestant hymnody to be sure. But the actual Mexicans are pretty well educated and have some rather sophisticated tastes. At another parish I retired from, the "Mexicans" are actually from Guatemala and they are among the poorest of the poor, not well educated, and their music revolves around what is actually a bar band of terrible musicians with music that the South Americans from other countries look down on. The two groups hate each other and will not worship in the same parish. Many of the Anglo Catholics have abandoned those parishes and go elsewhere to get away from the Hispanics. As one told a priest at one of those "y'all come" parishes, if you want to run the United Nations here, you pay for it. Unfortunately for those parishes, the Anglos are the ones who are actually capable of funding the parishes.

I don't know if any of this will work in your parish since there really is no uniform Hispanic culture and the people from different countries are not the same. Some decent hymns with good accompaniment, even organ, can encourage singing. However, throwing something new at Hispanics every week can be a problem since you are correct, they like singing the familiar from memory rather than hymnals. I would say keep it simple and keep it singable. Take one of their hymnals and see what you can extract from it that will work in your situation. And yeah, Covid has turned the world upside down. I have no answers for that.

Thank you both - it’s a weird situation all round, but basically: yes, we have no accompaniment except for when I can beg a piano player for Christmas. The priests in my diocese are Mexican, Central and South American- the parishioners are central to northern Mexican. Most are relatively literate in Spanish but they are really reserved and have a hard time mixing in and mingling with Whites. There was never an issue with singing no matter what I threw at them; all the responses were sung, we sang the Glory to God in Latin and absolutely nailed the chant version. The Spanish songs that are chosen seem to be local to where this woman came from and only a smattering seem to know them. Yes, singing unaccompanied is an issue but we have done it for so long that that wasn’t a major problem per se. Also there is no Sp hymnal- we use OCP Music Issue and there seems to be little interest in those Sp songs. I am at a point in my life where this is all getting to be too much. I just can’t bear the thought of this last vestige of my culture -at least the music- being replaced with another, with me at the helm. I can’t do that.

COVID wasn’t much of an impact, believe it or not.

https://domenicozipoli.org/
Here you can find resources in both English, Spanish, and Latin

First of all, sorry about your vocal chords! Are you where you can find a voice teacher to address the issue? Good music programs are always fragile things and sometimes we leave with only the hope that seeds will be watered by someone else in the future. The two transitions you describe, anglo-guitar to sacred to Spanish w/o-guitar, when you look at the endpoints seem a better fit for the current congregation except for the issue of participation. Our parish in Richmond California added a Spanish Mass which has grown quite a bit over a few years, though mostly at the expense of neighboring parishes. A problem is that 4 volunteer bands have been rotating, and a core repertory has been slower to emerge. How have you tried to tackle this with your colleague?

Question...does your priest sing? What resources do you have available in the pews? I have found that when the celebrant sings, the congregation follows suit. You might also try to find out what particular part of Mexico your congregation hails from. It will help you to choose music that will touch them.

@dad29 Last Sunday we had a record of 30 in our small loft, 16 members of our children's schola on one side, and the adult choir on the other. We have also gained quite a few members.

Chris

We have at least thirty every Sunday in our loft and we are in America.

Are you augmented with hauptwerk?

Kenstb- yes he sings. But he sings so.off.key. that no one can follow him. I mean, sooo off key. Plus he plays his guitar poorly while processing, and at the altar for the Glory to God. As for resources, we have written sources available. What we do not have is “human Resources.”

I am really, really frustrated. Since I wrote that post almost a month ago, things have gotten worse, if you can believe it. Reality has met Wits End.

Trentonjconn- I’m in rural Utah. Next closest parish in any direction is 100 miles. I’ve been with this parish for 30 years. We’ve seen lots of pastors, lots of parishioner turnover, lots of ups and downs. This suddenly seems insurmountable and I think it’s largely due to the influx of immigrants. Not blaming them; it’s just a fact.

My one experience of attending a Spanish-language Mass that was clearly intended for, and largely attend by, Mexicans, left me with the indelible memory of singing a setting of the Gloria, the melody of which sounded exactly like that of “There Ain’t No Bugs on Me”. I’m not saying that to insult...just to point out that the concept of using “approachable melodies” can sometimes backfire spectacularly!

Gaudete in Domino Semper!

RMSawicki - we have a Spanish song that is regularly sung to “Blowin’ in the Wind.” I don’t even know what that one is about.

Anglophone is what I call myself; would a 'true vernacular' be Greek as opposed to Aramaic?
Someone was once telling me about the Berlin Synagogue and all the moaning in certain corners about the ways of the Russian immigrants, without whom however there would be no viable Jewish community. It's not always easy, being grateful for what one has.

The problem we are experiencing is not that there are 2 cultures sharing a church - it’s that the local culture is being consumed by sheer numbers of immigrants. We only have 1 Mass per weekend. This parish was built by and has been sustained at no small cost to a very small group of people and is still maintained by that group, but with difficulty. There is no effort to become part of the local community because there own is so large.

I’m stopping here because I have a feeling that this is going to devolve into me being labeled something I’m not. I have been and in fact am grateful we have mass at all, and I have said it over and over to others here. Thanks everyone for the input.

Not doubting you evident goodwill, Jani. When I examine my own conscience though it's easy to be surprised by how insidious prejudice can be. Learning to sneer at Archie Bunker is only the easy part.

I admit to a little prejudice towards bad manners ;-)

CatherineS - the church has already come up with a plan for dealing with the constant movement of peoples:

Sacrosanctum Concilium para. 54:

"Nevertheless steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them."

If all people could say or sing the ordinary of the mass and the dialogues in Latin together, one could go to a mass anywhere in the world and participate to some extent.

Davido,

I think you missed Chas' point.

EVEN THOUGH people will separate themselves or find themselves forceably segregated, Mass in one language wherever you were in the world formed a kind of glue which allowed a travelling Catholic to participate both externally and internally to a degree which, Mass being in a local vernacular, is less possible.

I have the same frustration when traveling. Even in Portugal, versus Brazil, the translations are different, so I had to relearn everything.

I completely agree with Chas— I have been to mass in the United States, Portugal, Spain, France, and Austria. I cannot tell you how annoying it is to not be able to participate when I know exactly what’s going on… If everyone just said the pater noster… it would’ve been a total non-issue.

What stopped you from saying the prayer in your language, while others said it in theirs? I do that frequently with the translation I grew up saying the Our Father in.

Just coming in from Mass at a Carmelite monastery. I don’t really have words- except I feel nourished for the first time in a long while. Anything less is denying souls what is rightly theirs.

I would think that this is happening all over the country in rural areas (though probably mostly in the Southeast). Do you think the USCCB, or even individual dioceses, has some advice or guidance, especially since they are so in favor of this immigration?

KARU27- I wouldn’t want to bet on what the USCCB would have to say on that subject. What I do find alarming is how quickly some English Americans in my parish are willing to just roll over and say that the vernacular has evolved to Spanish (not true), simply because we have a high immigrant population, and that we have to live with it. Funny thing is, the Spanish speakers are appreciative of the change, and most of the English speakers are, too.