Just another opinion on the internet...

I don't get it. There's all this talk of the "Motu Proprio" coming soon. (What exactly is a "Motu Proprio?") and then there's all this controversy and discussion (in some circles at least,) about the NO Mass as opposed to the Tridentine, and all sorts of words like "Traditional" and "1962" thrown in, and I really wonder if everyone is talking about the same thing, and if everyone who is using all these words really means the same thing by them, because I certainly don't know what the difference is between them! And I don't know who to believe, because every time I start to read something that seems like it will clear it up a little, the author is always very biased. ("This is the BEST way to do it...") And having only been to Mass in English, with the priest facing the congregation, maybe a few times there was some Latin thrown in, I don't even know what that is called!

Catholic's can't sing?

Has anyone else ever noticed how well Catholics chant the Our Father?
I mean, you hear a lot of mumbling and such during the hymns; people don't know them, they're too high, too low, too fast, too boring. whatever.
But when Fr. chants, "...in the words our Saviour gave us:"
and then everyone just starts to SING their hearts out!-it's just wonderful.
who ever said Catholics can't sing?
I'm up in the loft, so I can't quite know for sure, but I really do think that every single person is singing!
[even those who don't like "that old-fashioned chant..."]
Maybe cuz it only has four pitches, it's not too fast, doesn't have too difficult rhythms, and everyone knows it so there doesn't have to be any overpowering cantor!
I feel like we ought to be able to learn something from this.
I'm just not quite sure what, and even though I have my thoughts, I'm not quite sure how to implement them...

more on the children's choir...

wow. at least Christmas being on a Monday only happens once every seven or so years.
here I am, I've got a couple hours of a break until "midnight" Mass. (whoever thought of the idea of "midnight Mass" obviously didn't have to also be there for the first Mass the next morning...sigh.)
what a crazy day. I can't say that I've ever had to babysit 15 1st-6th graders at the same time before. And be their mother. During Mass.
it went well in all I suppose. the only actual mistake came when I forgot I still had the microphone on and was telling the kids what song was next, or telling them to be quiet or something. I need to find out how loud I actually was, like if anyone actually heard me. hehe.
I guess that's my funny story so far for the weekend...

Children's choir

Dear Blog,
I just had my sort of last rehearsal with the kids choir before tomorrow's Christmas Eve Mass. There were 13 kids there, all of who have been there before (that's always a good thing...) and the kids I expect to be there tomorrow include one girl who was sick, one boy who has an annoying parental custody situations, and one girl who I just don't know why she wasn't there. It went well. I had them sing with the organ for the first time, they got through Silent Night in two parts a cappella, and they got through Puer Natus a cappella. That's all I'm hoping for. For the rest of it, I'll at least have my mic on if I need to save something. (being a pessimist now, are we?) But it gets better. My friends know me as the one who doesn't really like kids (now, not just all kids. Just the ones who you can't reason with; the really little ones!) so anyhow, these kids are all in grades 1-6, so I like them. And I really kind of have fun when I'm rehearsing with them. It really takes a different part of your brain to connect with them and keep them interested and watching you than when rehearsing the adult choir. But I actually kind of like it! And today was fabulous cuz they all kind of shyly leave when I let them go, and I'm like, "thanks for coming!" and some of them are like, "thanks for letting me come! It was really fun!" and today a couple were like, "You're the best teacher I've ever had!"
[awww! things like that totally make my job priceless...]

Just when I thought two blogs were enough...

I need to write about and link to sites that connect with me about the liturgy.

Here's the drama for this crazy weekend that won't be like this for another 7 years:
Saturday 11 am children's choir rehearsal, 4:30 4th Sunday Advent Mass
Sunday 8, 10:30 am 4th Sunday Advent Mass, noon adult choir rehearsal (because the power went out last night when we were supposed to have our last rehearsal before this crazy weekend. fabulous...) 4:30 pm Christmas vigil with the children, 11 pm midnight mass
sleep
Monday 8, 10:30 am Christmas morning Mass.

and because this seems to be the thing to do, here's my music plans:
(disclaimer: for various reasons which I will not go into b/c blogs are the kind of things that unexpected people can stumble across, I am not at the point where I can do things like much latin and chants and introits and graduals, etc.)

4 Advent:
Saviour of the Nations Come (Nun Komm)
Kyrie: Greek from A Community Mass
Psalm: Common for Advent "Lord Show Us Your Mercy and Love" (R. Holtz, refrain myself)
Respond and Acclaim Gospel Acclamation
Let All Mortal Flesh (Picardy)
A Community Mass
Lo, How a Rose (choral a cappella?)
Wait for the Lord- Taize
O Come, O Come Emmanuel (congregation a cappella?)

Midnight Mass with adult choir:
O Come All Ye Faithful
Kyrie
Gloria (Congregational Mass-a good start onto easy "chant" with a cool bell part!)
Let the Heavens Be Glad (choral)
A Child is Born in Bethlehem (Puer Natus-half Latin, half English)
Silent Night/Night of Silence
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Angels We Have Heard
(real creative, I know. It's my first Christmas at this parish!)


But I'm having the darndest time coming up with a second communion song for the 4th Sunday of Advent for the Masses where the choir isn't singing. We have the wonderful Ritual Song book, and every time I look through it trying to find a communion song, here's a sampling of the songs under "Eucharist:"
"Let us break bread together..."
"As the grains of wheat...were gathered into one to become our bread..."
"We come to share our story, we come to break the bread..."
"Take the bread, children, take the bread..."
"...holy manna is our bread..."
"plenty of bread at the feast of life..."
"Let us be bread, blessed by the Lord.."
"With this bread and wine his peace you'll find..."
"In the breaking of the bread..."

excuse me? are we Roman Catholic?
(keep in mind that the priest and I try to avoid using songs that exclusively refer to the Eucharist as simply "bread" because of the prominent denial among Catholics of the Real Presence.)