Special Indulgence in November

You might remember that the Church begins her new year not on January 1, but on the First Sunday of Advent (November 30 this year). The turning of the liturgical calendar often brings new opportunities and changes, and this year is no exception. Beginning this Advent, Fr. Ned has directed all the parishes of Northwest-5 to begin using the same hymnal/missal for music and the Scriptures. He has chosen one called Credo, from ILP Music Press. This hymnal includes many new traditional hymns, as well as much of the Mass music that most of you are already familiar with. He has asked Fr. Reutter to work with the musicians throughout this transition.

Why the change? There are several reasons. First, our six parishes are currently using different resources, which makes it difficult for our musicians to collaborate across parishes. This new hymnal will foster greater cooperation. Second, some of our parishes are using disposable annual paperback missalettes that become obsolete and are discarded each year. The new hardbound hymnal/missals will be used for several years, reducing waste and the time and effort required to switch out missals annually. Third, the direction of liturgical music has shifted in recent years. Our U.S. Bishops have been giving more attention to the sacred music used in the liturgy—both the types of music chosen and the theological accuracy of the hymns. Some of our current resources are dated and include hymns that are not well suited to the celebration of Mass, making it more difficult for musicians to choose fitting hymns each week for our Eucharistic worship.

These new hymnal/missals will continue to contain all the readings for Sunday Mass, so those who wish to follow along as the Scriptures are proclaimed (or read them before Mass) will still be able to do so.

While the change might not seem very dramatic to parishioners in the pews—since many hymns you already sing are included in the new hymnal—it is a significant change for our musicians, including our music directors and choirs. Even familiar hymns may contain slightly different wording, key changes, or new arrangements. In addition, musicians will need to learn and practice many new hymns, and that takes time. We are grateful for the extra work they are doing as they prepare for the Advent and Christmas seasons and beyond. They are working diligently to ensure that, by faithfully implementing the Church’s rich tradition of sacred music—an integral part of the Holy Mass since the earliest days—the faithful may more readily lift their hearts and minds to Christ each Sunday in the celebration of His saving Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

Please watch this blog over the next several weeks for short posts on the new hymnal/missal and on sacred music in general, including how music fits into the Mass.