Layout problem in new Roman Missal
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, who occasionally posts to this forum, noticed this chant layout in his copy of the new Roman Missal.

    image

    He wrote: "It seems they didn't really expect us to sing these parts of the Mass. They wanted me to turn the page in the middle of the consecration of the Chalice."

    Fr. Keyes contacted the publisher, Midwest Theological Forum, to ask about the problem, which happens on Eucharistic Prayers I and III, and was told that MTF caught the error, but the USCCB officials wouldn't let them make a correction! Well, at least concerned priests know whom they can contact about this.
  • Paul F. Ford
    Posts: 857
    This appears to affect only the solemn tone version of Eucharistic Prayer I. (Is there a solemn tone version of Eucharistic Prayer III?)
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,148
    "MTF caught the error, but the USCCB officials wouldn't let them make a correction!"

    Preposterous!
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    Chuck
    Be careful. The sword of accountability has two edges, and the righteous one doesn't seem to be as honed as the retribution side.
  • DougS
    Posts: 793
    It just had to be at "pro multis," too, didn't it?
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,148
    Charles, of what do I have to be careful? I'm not employed by the Church in any way whatsoever, and my conscience is clear.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    Just to speculate based on the above account, it's possible that the USCCB approval process wasn't designed with any procedure for post-approval layout changes; in that situation, an official might tell a publisher, "if you make a layout change, you'll have to resubmit the new edition for approval again." It's not really "you can't make a correction", but "you'll have to get in line for that."
  • Patricia Cecilia
    Posts: 397
    Solution: A properly trained MC? Train up the altar boy to turn the pages for one's private Masses? (Our parish is blessed to have several homeschooling families whose sons serve all the daily (EF) Masses, and I realize we are blessed.)

    Actually, at a workshop where I trained priests to chant the new translation, one solution I had proposed to this very problem was to have a quality photocopy of the next page made (i.e., as much of it as is needed) and laminated to be stiff, then to pull it out to the right before starting the interrupted prayer to be an additional visible page, then use it to turn the page once one is ready to move on. But it must be truly stiff, or it will buckle or flop and be unreadable. If only a partial page is needed, then set up the page in landscape orientation, with the needed chant on the right, and the 'extra' blank width keeping the laminated page inserted in the proper place. Once one has turned the page, it could be removed and set aside.

    Any other ideas?
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    The best solution to me would simply be to memorize the section on the next page. It's more of a long term solution, but probably the best one for practicality sake. But in the short term, Patricia's two solutions sound like the best.
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    Another idea just came to mind: Why not just put the entire consecration (either of one or both species) on a single laminate card, and place it flat on the altar when you are singing the canon? Just sing it from that, and ignore the missal.

    Maybe something like this?
    Sung Consecration of the Most Precious Blood.pdf
    118K
  • Pedro d'Aquino
    Posts: 128
    There doesn't seem to be an adequate solution short of exchanging the missal for one with a better layout. I can't imagine too many priests singing the Roman Canon to the solemn tone in English, but for those who do intend to do so it seems the publisher should provide a reformatted paste-in, USCCB approval notwithstanding. It's hard to understand how anyone could have approved this formatting in the first place, since there is no way for the priest to consecrate the chalice and turn the page of the missal at the same time, nor could anyone else turn the page at this point, since everyone other than the priest (and possibly other priest concelebrants) would be kneeling.

    Perhaps a reader of this forum who is good at musical typesetting could reset those pages without the awkward page turn.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    touche:

    boycott that publisher from here on out!
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    @Patricia: white card stock (68-lb. paper) is handy for making little customized cards with music or text for altar use. It saves you the trouble of laminating the card.
  • JahazaJahaza
    Posts: 468
    Solution: A properly trained MC?

    As Pedro correctly points out, the properly trained MC would be kneeling during the consecration.

    I'd just write the notes and words in at the bottom of the page and then have the MC (or preferably Deacon) turn the page after the consecration.

    In our parish, we usually only have a sung canon (in Latin) at the Easter Vigil and we have a concelebrant or the MC turn the pages, since the Latin missal we use has many page turns, especially with the proper Communicantes and Hanc Igitur.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    Here's Fr.'s workaround:
    image

    By the way, he reports that all the publishers' editions have the same issue, so I'll modify the thread title accordingly.
  • Pedro d'Aquino
    Posts: 128
    My chapel edition of the Magnificat Roman Missal doesn't have this problem, for what it's worth.
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,694
    Full size version put out by Catholic Book Publishing Corp, N.J. does not appear to have this problem. Solemn Tone of EP1 is just fine. EPII and III have a page turn at "chalice to His disciples, saying:"
  • benedictgal
    Posts: 798
    No complaints about the Magnificat Chapel edition of the Roman Missal. I am wondering if this problem is also in the CTS edition of the Roman Missal.
  • litmuspcc
    Posts: 1
    The described problem is not found in the two Missal editions published by WLP (World Library Publications). Because they are a music publisher, they were granted permission to retype-set all of the chant notations throughout the missal so that there would not be any awkward breaks in multi-syllable words at the ends of lines, as well as keeping the entire institution narrative together on the same page. I feel that the WLP missals have the best music layout out of all the different editions. It is very clear, and the font is large and readable. The only downside is that there isn't a chapel edition, and the full size editions are heavy.
  • Pedro d'Aquino
    Posts: 128
    Just examined a few other Missals at a local religious store. USCCB edition has the same problem as MTF but the Magnificat Altar edition is fine.
  • mahrt
    Posts: 517
    A similar problem exists in the Ordo Missae in Cantu, published by Solesmes in the nineties, where the page turn occurs in the midst of the words of the consecration. Our solution was to photocopy the lines on the top of the next page and paste them at the bottom of the first page, where there was space.
Add a Comment