Review: Mundelein Psalter

I love this book. Here is the Mundelein Psalter, published by Hilenbrand Books, a pointed edition of Morning, Evening, and Night Prayer for the modern Liturgy of the Hours. I don't normally pray the modern Office but if I had the opportunity to sing it with this book I might consider doing so. It is extremely easy to use. I suspect a group of lay folk with minimal musical experience (or a family?) would be singing the office within minutes after cracking this open. When the Office is sung rather than merely read or spoken its character can be fully realized. What we do in the office is not just a duty but divine worship.





Because it is meant to be used in choir and not for personal use, the book is large. The psalm tones used are the "Meinrad Tones" written by Samuel Weber, OSB. They make the Grail Psalter not just tolerable but somewhat beautiful.

The layout is amazing. The text, font, and spacing choices are perfect.

You sing the antiphon using the psalm tone below, which I assume the cantor would do . Then everyone else can get the tone in their head to use for the entire psalm. The ease of use of the Mundelein Psalter and its simplicity in form is brilliant and highlights the proper function of the antiphons.

The book contains a hymnal of actual music and texts for the Liturgy of the Hours. These aren't the ecumenical hymns found in the Catholic Book Publishing 1975 edition. They are the real deal. The Te Lucis Ante for Compline uses the modern Latin edition but the side by side English is the old version. I found that interesting.

Having the hymns and their translations alone makes the book worth owning. Whatever hymns not included can be found in the Liber Hymnarius and using this book is recommended by the Mudelein Psalter.

I imagine the tones could get old quick, but it is far better than singing recto tono.

A table of the tones for responsories, intercessions, and collects.

Sewn binding. It could use another ribbon, frankly.

This book is awesome and should be owned by anyone who loves the Divine Office. I promise you will spend time with it just singing through the Psalms.

Retro-Review: Prayer of Christians Interim Breviary

"Prayer of Christians" was the quickly created response to the Pope Paul VI's revision to the Divine Office by "National Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commission". It represents the spirit of the age of changing things quickly but not really knowing where everything was going. Because of that, this edition of the Divine Office has some very traditional elements mixed in with some wacky novelties. Just a couple of points and then we'll just look at the pictures.

-The Psalter is not infamous Grail version, but the same as the 1964 Roman Breviary which I reviewed (rebound) here. It is a translation of the Pius XII Psalter.

-The hymns part of each hour is called the "song". The Office of Readings begins with a sentence from scripture. I suspect this was done for ecumenical reasons.

-Finding the prayers for Sunday is difficult. To my eyes, I cannot see a way to tell which week in the Psalter you should be using, as you can in the 1975 Liturgy of the Hours by look at the Sunday you just celebrated.

-Some of the prayers and Collects are laughable. They are worse than the current (now defunct) ICEL versions.

-The antiphons aren't the same as the ones in the current version.

-The Scripture lessons in morning and evening prayer are different, or sometimes longer than the current edition.

-It is expected that Morning Prayer is the first prayer of the day, not the Office of Readings. "O Lord Open my Lips..." and Psalm 95 are placed at Morning Prayer.

Those are just some of the changes that came in this edition. I don't think this was, although I could be wrong, an obligatory version of the office. This was printed before the Latin Liturgia Horarum was complete, and so I believe most clerics were still praying the 1962 edition in some cut down and modified way. Once this came out many probably switched over to this right away though.

Here is a photo of the layout. It looks shabbily done. All black text.

The 1975 version text layout is a vast improvement in every way. Here is a comparison.

Artwork is what you would expect.

Here is a comparison of both editions. They are the same size. Prayer of Christians lacks the ugly "Chi Rho" symbol used in the 1975 Liturgy of the Hours. The cover has more texture, and the color is more mute than the newer one. It also doesn't seem nearly as cheap. However if you compare sometime like this to Breviaries that came out just ten years early you will notice immediately that they were cheaper. The first edition of the Liturgy of the Hours was worse in some ways. The modern printings are slightly better. I think that is representative of how they treated Liturgy in general at the time. It was to be for the common people and so they made it cheap. Cheap cheap cheap. Gratefully we are correcting that nowadays.

The binding. Sewn.

The canticles and other common cards are "ecumenical" translations and are promoted as such in the preface. Just look at the end of the Our Father.

New hand Missals available in September

I saw this on the Catholic Company today. You can pre-order a revised novus ordo hand missal and it will come in September. The price is $74.95. The website won't let me show you a picture here because it is copyrighted. Its ridiculous. Here is the link: Daily Roman Missal, Third Edition

In other news - I heard from someone *who definitely knows* that any new English edition of the Liturgy of the Hours is a long way off. In other words, don't hold your breath. If you want a more traditional Divine Office hopefully Baronius will come through for us shortly. There is also the African edition too.

Guest Review: Kenyan Liturgy of the Hours

Fr. Ramil E. Fajardo has sent in photos and a review of the (until now) mysterious Pauline Publications African Liturgy of the Hours. I am very grateful for his excellent contribution!

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Hi Matt,

I thought you might want to see a set of the 2009 Liturgy of the Hours issued by the bishops of Kenya, using the 2008 translation of the Grail Psalter from Conception Abbey.

It’s a good start – given the changes that are still to come regarding ICEL translations of the texts which are due to be addressed at some point now that the missal is approaching completion. At best, this set is a tiny foreshadowing or glimpse of what a future US Liturgy of the Hours might look like.

As you can see, it was authorized with the permission of Cardinal Llovera Prefect, and Arbp. Ranjith Secretary.

Some interesting things:

1) new translation of the Confiteor

2) addition of the 3 cycle Sunday antiphons for the Benedictus and Magnificat

3) removal of the Psalm-prayers

4) no artwork at all (and this is good since the only art was ‘bad’ art in the US Liturgy of the Hours/Christian Prayer) and

5) "Glory be to the Father” at the end of each Psalm, instead of "Glory to the Father"

The cover is a firm plastic, with end sheets in a cream-colored firm card-stock. This is very similar to the first editions of the Liturgy of the Hours and Christian Prayer published by Catholic Book Publishing Company during the 1970s. It is also similar to many books you would find in Rome (in fact, the set was produced in Italy). The books have square-edged pages as opposed to rounded corners.

The actual pages are rather thin and translucent, closer (it seems) just a tad bit to ‘tissue’ as opposed to ‘bible or missal paper’. The paper seems rather delicate and I wonder how it will hold up to finger oils and page-turning.

A drawback of this set is that each book has only three very soft woven ribbons and which seem to be fraying rather easily already. You can purchase the set for only $100 in Kenya, though it may get pricey when you include shipping to the USA. I bought mine on eBay.

See it here: http://www.paulinesafrica.org/liturgy_hours.html

Thought you’d like to see it!

Sincerely,

Fr. Ramil E. Fajardo

PHOTOS:

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Matt's afterthought: If I were looking for a new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours, I would buy this one and use it until the new ICEL translation comes out...since that will probably be a while. The ribbon issue can be solved easily with a trip to your local Catholic book store to buy LOTH Ribbon inserts (and a pair of scissors). Also, for clerics, I am not sure what Canon Law says about using editions approved by other bishops' conferences. Could American priests use this instead of the US version?

Bump in the Road

The good priests who allowed me to incorporate Gregorian Chant and other forms of sacred music at my Saturday evening Novus Ordo parish have been transferred. I will be praying for them and their success in saving souls at their new parish. They are good men who are open to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and who are willing to allow him to operate. The care they gave to the people was genuine and very appreciated by all.

It appears the work done however over the past three years to help the cause of souls in this way through the promotion of truly sacred music may be hitting a bump in the road at that location. The new pastor seems unfamiliar with and somewhat uncomfortable with chant propers and Latin - the love of it by the parishioners notwithstanding.

But everyone will be getting used to each other over the next few months so there is not reason to despair. I hope we can work something out and will be praying to our good God that hearts will be opened and a way forward can be found.

So in your charity please pray for "Matt's Novus Ordo Parish" and in general for the cause of truly Sacred Music in our parishes.

New Translation a Setback for Latin?

Everyone is excited about the new translation coming out for the Novus Ordo. It will be better no doubt. The texts are more theologically precise. They are closer to the Latin text of the Novus Ordo. Those texts are much richer than what we have now.

But I am not all that excited. Don't get me wrong, I look forward to using them musically and praying with them generally. But I am afraid it will set back the progress made with the expansion of the Traditional Latin Mass and the use of Latin in the Novus Ordo.

Many people attending the TLM go for the increased solemnity. They are searching for true Catholic worship. The new translation will provide that...sort of. Some may find less of a reason to ask for the TLM to be celebrated in their parish. Priests will be busier learning the new version of the Ordinary Form.

I imagine there are those who will use it as an excuse. "We have this now, why do you want that?" The problem here is that no matter how you translate the text of the Novus Ordo...put it in Elizabethen English for that matter...it still represents a break with the continual and organic development of the liturgy. For instance, the prayers are more focused on us than God. A new translation won't turn the altars around and it won't end communion in the hand either. Perhaps eventually with a greater understanding of what is actually happening at Mass through the better texts it will. But it is not going to be instant.

It may also harm the progress made in using Latin during the Novus Ordo. Take for instance my case. As a parish musician who has been given great freedom by a good pastor to incorporate Latin into the liturgical music, we will now, out of necessity, move to the newer English text. The congregation will need to become comfortable with their parts. That takes time. And while it won't be as difficult a burden as some church-leftists claim, I envision needing to ditch the Latin for the new text for at least a year. I pray that is not the case.

However there is a flip side to consider. Using a text closer to the original may in fact increase the interest in and promote the use of Latin during the liturgy. If for instance hand missals (and altar missals for that matter) are printed in double columned Latin-English it would allow for moving between the two easily. This could happen - but I fear with the new text that "sacral English" will be all the rage and Latin will be its benevolent uncle with a slightly higher pride of place than it is afforded now.

This text, at the end of the Penitential Rite, disturbs me. It is quite Anglican, frankly.

The 2002 Missale Romanum says:

Sequitur absolutio sacerdotis: Misereátur nostri omnípotens Deus et, dimissís peccátis nostris, perdúcat nos ad vitam aetérnam.

But the new English text says...

May almighty God have mercy on us and lead us, with our sins forgiven, eternal life.

I guess it depends on where you put the comma in the Latin? But that phrase "dimissis peccatis nostris" has always, always, always been translated as "forgive us our sins". I assume that is because it is understood that a simple confiteor does not normally remove mortal sins. I wonder if this will help promote the sacrament of confession or if it will confuse the issue more. You can understand this text in an orthodox way, being that we cannot enter eternal life without our sins forgiven. But I wonder if people in the pews will correctly perceive that.

With all these doubts of mine regarding the new texts, I still think it will be better than what we have now. It will provide for a greater Catholic identity and will arm the people with better tools with which to get to Heaven...which is of course the goal. So I pray they come out quickly, are incorporated quickly, and that we can then move on to rediscovering the tradition of the Church.

Holy Thursday at My Parish

My friend and fellow parishoner Gary put together this set of clips from my parish's Holy Thursday Mass. The audio and visuals are fantastic!