Music & Liturgy Musings
Victimae Paschali Laudes - The Easter Sequence
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 5/06/22
“Christians praise the paschal Victim! Offer thankful sacrifice!” This is the translation of the first line of the Easter sequence which we sing today. The sequence—something we only encounter a few times during the liturgical year—is a poetic hymn on the Mass of the day, usually providing a commentary ... Read More »
The Rites of Holy Week
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 4/12/22
We now enter the most sacred and solemn time of the liturgical year. Once arriving at Palm Sunday, no other liturgical celebration can outrank the days of Holy Week—they are in the highest category on the table of precedence. Any attempt to summarize even one of the liturgies of ... Read More »
The Veiling of Statues
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 4/01/22
As you entered the church, you probably quickly noticed that the statues and altar cross are veiled. Why? We find this rubric in The Roman Missal on the top of the page for the Fifth Sunday of Lent: In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and ... Read More »
Acts of Reverence for the Eucharist in the Liturgy
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 4/01/22
Fr. Poggemeyer notes in his bulletin letter that we treat holy things in a certain way, and the Eucharist is the holiest of all “things” because it is Christ himself. For cradle Catholics (myself included), we likely were taught at a young age acts of reverence to the Eucharist; ... Read More »
The Final Blessing: Prayer over the People
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 3/17/22
Perhaps the last two Sundays (and on weekdays if you have attended Mass), you may have noticed an extended prayer before Father gives the final blessing. The deacon gives the invitation: “Bow down for the blessing,” then Father extends his hands over everyone and prays a prayer before making ... Read More »
Commemorations during Privileged Seasons
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 3/11/22
If you have attended or viewed a daily Mass since Lent began, you may have heard Fr. Poggemeyer explain a little about the commemoration of the saint of the day. What is a commemoration? Liturgically speaking, it is the inclusion of prayers of a lower ranking celebration in one of higher ... Read More »
Our Parish Lenten Prayer
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 3/04/22
“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
We heard these words this past Wednesday when ashes were imposed on our foreheads. At the core of this clarion call is this reminder: we are exiles; we are not destined for this earth because our citizenship is ... Read More »
The Responsorial Psalm Texts: Why They Sometimes Differ (Part III)
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 3/04/22
In Part II, we discussed one reason for difference in texts: the translation methods of formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence. The other main reason for differences in translation is the date of publication of a liturgical book and which set of psalms was included in it. If we were ... Read More »
The Responsorial Psalm Texts: Why They Sometimes Differ (Part II)
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 3/04/22
Last week I scratched the surface on why the texts of the psalms can sometimes differ. The text in the Lectionary is required to be used in all printed resources; however, any translation which has received an imprimatur and recognitio from the Holy See is permitted to be sung. ... Read More »
The Responsorial Psalm Texts: Why They Sometimes Differ (Part I)
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 2/11/22
Question: Why does the text for the Responsorial Psalm sometimes differ between what is printed in the hymnal and what is sung?
Answer: There are two layers to this answer—the responses and the verses.
—For the responses, as long as all the words are present, composers have artistic ... Read More »