November 2002 Readers' Forum

Readers' Forum -- the lively "Letters to the Editor" of the Adoremus Bulletin provides a forum for exchange of ideas, comment and information on the sacred liturgy -- but the letters column is not published online. (Sample letter - On Adding "tropes" to the Agnus Dei below).

If you are reading the Adoremus Bulletin in the "online edition" only, you are missing one of the most popular and useful features of the journal. To become a member of Adoremus -- and receive the "hard-copy" edition, including the "Readers Forum", see Membership page.

We are grateful for your letters. While we read every letter, we get so many that it is impossible to answer or publish all of them. In selecting those to appear in "Readers Forum", preference will be given to subjects of widest interest. Letters should be 250 words or fewer, preferably typed. They may be e-mailed. Please include your name, address, city and state (which may be withheld on request). If a letter refers to a previous issue of AB, please include the date of that issue and name of article. All letters may be edited for publication. Be sure to indicate clearly if your letter is NOT intended for publication.

Are there approved translations of the Agnus Dei that refer to Christ as the one "who takes away the fear and the pain", or as "the way of justice and peace"? I belong to a generally orthodox parish whose music minister has sought to make sure that 2/3 or more of our Sabbath and Holy Day hymns are from 1968-1985, and he has also recently begun to alter the Agnus Dei in the Liturgy. Could you point me in the right direction for locating the pertinent documents that govern the approved translations of this part of the Canon of the Holy Mass? I would be most grateful to you for your help.

Can you tell me where I can find information on whether it is correct to use different titles in place of "Lamb of God" when the Agnus Dei is repeated? There is a difference of opinion among our music people and we need an authoritative document.

Would you know a resource to reference concerning the use of Mass settings that do not use the same words as those contained within the usual Mass rite? I specifically refer to the "Lamb of God" written by Bernadette Farrell in the "Mass of Hope". Although it is lovely, it does not use the words "Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us" and the final "Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace". It would seem those words would be essential, but perhaps there is latitude allowed.

Additionally, I was recently told by a choral director that the "latest interpretation" given to musicians is that Communion time is basically a procession, and therefore music more befitting a procession and congregational unity should be used, as opposed to music that reflects personal love of Jesus. Is there anything that can referenced to counter this, or is it correct?

I was informed that according to the US bishop's "document #68", both the "Lamb of God" and the "Lord Have Mercy" [Kyrie eleison] are considered litanies, and exact wording is not required as long as the meaning is found. Is that correct? And do you know what document they are referring to?

Response:
The matter of adding "tropes", or phrases, to the Agnus Dei (also the Kyrie) is a growing concern. As you note, composers of Mass music have become very freewheeling in adding or even substituting new words of their own composition to the Mass, which many people find annoying and disturbing, for a variety of reasons.

There is no justification whatever for eliminating the texts that are an intrinsic part of the Mass and replacing them with other words. The official texts are always required (even when it is permissible to add other phrases, as in a true litany). The new Missal's Institutio Generalis [IGMR] says this clearly.

366 It is not permitted to substitute for the chants found in the Order of Mass, e.g., at the Agnus Dei.

The "latest interpretations" that you heard would eliminate traditional Eucharistic hymns deemed "devotional", (or would require congregational singing throughout the entire distribution of Communion), are just that: interpretations -- opinions of individuals. Such interpretations are by no means Church law, and should never be represented as such.

The document to which you refer is "Music in Catholic Worship". MCW paragraph 68 says in its only section mentioning the Agnus Dei:

68. The Agnus Dei is a litany-song to accompany the breaking of the bread, in preparation for Communion. The invocation and response may be repeated as the action demands. The final response is always "grant us peace". Unlike the "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord", and the Lord's Prayer, the "Lamb of God" is not necessarily a song of the people. Hence it may be sung by the choir, though the people should generally make the response.

This, as you see, allows only for repetition of "the invocation and response". The invocation being "Lamb of God..."

A commentary on MCW was published by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians in 1983. The discussion on the Agnus Dei was written by Monsignor Frederick McManus. The comments below on the Agnus Dei are by Monsignor McManus from his paper, "Word, Song and Gesture Articulate the Communion Rite".

"Ideally the litany form of the Agnus Dei should be respected, with a cantor or small group singing the invocation ('Lamb of God: you take away the sins of the world') and the people, together with the choir making each response. But other arrangements are possible; strengthening or elaborating the melody by part singing, even singing the text as a kind of motet rather than a litany. In some countries alternative texts are used, including the alternative translation composed by the ecumenical International Consultation on English Texts ('Jesus, Lamb of God / Have mercy on us / Jesus, bearer of our sins / Have mercy on us / Jesus, redeemer of the world / Give us your peace'.) Alternative texts have not been formally sanctioned for the United States".

Music in Catholic Worship: The NPM Commentary (1983, revised edition. The Pastoral Press, Washington, DC, pp. 125-131.)

The first specific mention of alternate texts is in Liturgical Music Today, a 1982 statement of the Bishops' Committee on Liturgy. Like its counterpart on architecture, Environment and Art in Catholic Worship (EACW), LMT is not an authoritative document, but it has been invoked as if it were. In a section on "litanies" LMT says:

20. The Lamb of God achieves greater significance at Masses when a larger sized eucharistic bread is broken for distribution and, when Communion is given under both kinds, chalices must be filled. The litany is prolonged to accompany this action of breaking and pouring. In this case one should not hesitate to add tropes to the litany so that the prayerfulness of the rite may be enriched.

Although liturgists have been advocating adding new texts of their own composition for some years, the practice is unwarranted by the official documents.

PERMISSION GUIDELINES
All material on this web site is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without prior written permission from Adoremus, except as specified below:

Personal use
Permission is granted to download and/or print out articles for personal use only.

Quotations
Brief quotations (ca 500 words) may be made from the material on this site, in accordance with the “fair use” provisions of copyright law without prior permission. For these quotations proper attribution must be made of author and Adoremus + URL (i.e., Adoremus or Adoremus Bulletin – www.adoremus.org.)

Attribution
Generally, all signed articles or graphics must also have the permission of the author. If a text does not have an author byline, Adoremus should be listed as the author. For example: Adoremus (St Louis: Adoremus, 2005 + URL)

Link to Adoremus web site.
Other web sites are welcome to establish links to www.adoremus.org or to individual pages within our site.