My wife and I were forced by circumstance to attend Holy Mass in a small parish in southwestern Virginia a couple of weeks ago. This was our first, and, until there is an administrative change there, our last trip to this parish. After the collect, the celebrant said (paraphrased), “The text for our Gloria can be found in the front cover of the hymnal.” Before we had a chance to even wonder what that could possibly mean, he began to intone the following, to the tune of Beethoven’s Hymn to Joy:
Glory be to God the Father,
To our God who reigns above.
May he send his peace upon us
And his everlasting love.
Songs of praise and songs of blessing
To our God who reigns on high.
Let us raise our loud hosannas,
Let us raise our joyful cry.
Glory be to Christ our Savior,
God the Father’s only Son.
Equal praise to him be given
Who has our salvation won.
Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy
As we worship and adore.
At the right hand of the Father
You will reign forevermore.
Glory to the Holy Spirit
Who is sent to bring us peace.
Gift of Father and of Savior,
May his praises never cease.
To the Trinity sing glory,
Three in One and One in Three,
Let us sing our song of glory
Throughout all eternity.
OUR GLORIA??????
Who in the world wrote this? Does this happen in other parishes?
Every time I think I’ve seen it all in the Richmond diocese, some priest proves me wrong.
A few weeks before the atrocity mentioned above, I had occasion to assist at a daily Mass at a Newman center. There was no tabernacle in the building (and, consequently, no reservation of the Blessed Sacrament), the priest didn’t vest (by which I mean he celebrated Mass wearing a university sweatshirt, khakis, and a stole), and he made up his own prayers (except for the words of consecration).
The next day, my wife and I attended Sunday Vigil at another parish and were told, “Our custom here is for visitors to stand up and introduce themselves.”
OUR CUSTOM?????? VISITORS?????? Our custom is written down in RED in a big book to be found in all Catholic churches, and no Catholic can truly be a visitor to a Catholic church. (And before someone more charitable than I thinks otherwise, this happened after Holy Communion, for which we both presented ourselves.)
I’ve about Had It with these people. If I could convince myself that I would be doing it for the right reasons, I’d post names and towns.
Hey, at least their Gloria wasn’t heretical!
One of the things I’ve always liked about Catholicism is something Bryan mentions — that no matter where I go, I can go into a Catholic church and feel like I’m home. I have been to Mass in several states and countries, and never felt out of place, not even when it was in a language I didn’t understand with people I’ve never met.
Pointing out the “visitors” makes the “visitors” feel uncomfortable, as if we’re intruding in someone else’s home. Well, it’s nobody’s home, and it’s everybody’s home, because most of all, it’s God’s home.
Plus, that stuff is just so Protestant.
“Our custom is written down in RED in a big book to be found in all Catholic churches.”
See this post for a musically set version of this.
“If I could convince myself that I would be doing it for the right reasons, I’d post names and towns.”
I see nothing wrong with including parish names and towns on my site when listing the music used. Such posts do exclude my own commentary though, firstly because my tack is “tell it as I hear it”, and secondly because my opinions are everywhere else on the ‘blog for people to see, if they care. As far as names of celebrants and choir directors go, they remain unmentioned. I’m not comfortable with that much transparency, for I haven’t convinced myself that I’d be doing it for the right reasons either.
It seems a certain journalistic detachment is required, a sort of “offer it up” and report only the facts.
Darn, though, now you’ve got me thinking of expanding my Sunday listings to mention the penitential rite forms, long/short form readings, Eucharistic Prayers, etc., as well as looking out for presider improvisation. Not that it’s a problem for me, at least I don’t believe so….
This Newman community sounds like the one at a major university in SW Va where I attended at as undergrad in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I stayed at that same university for grad school, but had the good sense by then to attend the normal Catholic church in town (where they actually used kneelers and didn’t use home made communion bread the size of mini-muffins).
Bryan,
What can I tell you? There’s a new sheriff comin’ to town in this here diocese.
I hope he brings a big broom, and the will to use it.
The name of this town in SW Virginia wouldn’t happen to start with a B and end with a G, would it? And would the school where the offending Newman Center is happen to have a turkey as its mascot? And school colors of maroon and orange?
My son just graduated from this particular college in this particular town and is separated from the Church right now. Although I’ve encouraged reconciliation, I have not pressured him much to go Mass up there because I am afraid it would alienate him for good. I’d rather he moved to a decent diocese and THEN dipped his toe in the water. (Or waited until the new bishop cleans house!)
Yes Robin, you are correct. Mass at the Newman community there is a little time trip to 1974. The liturgical color for Easter was not white but tye-dye. If it gives you any hope regarding your son, my older brother went through his “I don’t believe in organized religion” phase while he was in college and a few years after. He is now a member of the parish council and a Benedictine tertiary. Just keep praying.
Well, now you know where they get the Hokie label.
My wife and I have said that it would be nice to have a “good” Mass directory along the lines of http://www.masstimes.org, but I know I wouldn’t run it because (1) I couldn’t do it without being sarcastic and (2) there shouldn’t be a need for it.
And yes, you’re all correct about the location of the Newman Center.
One always knows that it’s vacation and graduation season in the Diocese of Arlington. Sunday after Sunday, our people come back from some trip to attend a First Communion in partibus, and their minds are boggled at the wretched things they so often encounter in the parishes elsewhere. Our proximity to the Diocese of Richmond doesn’t help.
Regarding the hymn in place of the Gloria: yes, it is against the rubrics, but it has an interesting history. Starting in the 1800s, it was common (though on-again, off-again frowned at) in certain parts of the world (Germany, for instance) to have a Low Mass with congregational hymns. So, while the priest was saying the Gloria at the altar, the people would sing a Gloria-based hymn. Ditto for other Mass parts. Although it’s forbidden now, I found them still doing this in Spain and Germany. Apparently, in Richmond, too. Anyway, one winces less if one thinks of it as a relic of 19th century, rather than an innovation of the present.