Liturgy in Collegeville: From the Archives – Part X

Pray Tell is running a series on the liturgical history of Collegeville. The sub-series “From the Archives” reprints some of the Liturgy Committee meeting minutes from 1963 to 1969. This sub-series is a behind-the-scenes look at liturgy in Collegeville during and immediately after the Second Vatican Council.

The next record from the Liturgy Committee:

Minutes of the Liturgy Committee
November 4, 1963

Present were Father John, Michael, Gerard, Aelred, Wenceslaus, Fr. Adam, and Bro. Gerard.

Most of the discussion centered on the daily conventual Mass. The committee agreed on the following suggestions:

• A list of instructions should be made up for the celebrant, giving him certain pointers as to what to do at the conventual Mass, the solemnized Low Mass, etc. In view of the changes that have been made, such pointers would be very helpful.
• The responsibility of selecting the music to be sung at the conventual Mass will be left to the clerics who have been doing it up till now, with Father Gerard maintaining general supervision. This should help the development of those clerics by allowing them a community-centered initiative, etc.
• For communion, one ciborium should be consecrated fresh each day. The clerics and brothers could receive communion in three double-row lines, standing. If a better way be found it will be adopted.
• The priests who distributes communion and the clerics who serve for them should leave the sanctuary by the back entrances. In general all of us should use the back entrances into choir more, so that we better preserve the “sacred space” constituted by the sanctuary. The practice of cutting across the sanctuary is disrespectful to the character of the sanctuary.
• We should apply for an indult to have the Easter Vigil service in the morning, at dawn. Portland and Bismarck already have this indult. Dawn would be the best time liturgically for the Vigil service. We should apply for this indult soon.

In conjunction with the question of music for the conventual Mass, many members of the committee thought that the Gelineau Psalms were not ideal; however, they are widespread and we are familiar with them, and therefore at communion all of us could sing an antiphon—found on cards which we recommend purchasing—and a cantor would sing verses of the psalm. This way of alternating between choir and cantor is the ancient liturgical way of community singing and has nothing to do with the later problem of soloist singing, in the modern sense. The cantor who sings the verses of the Psalm could also do it quite meaningful by observing the stresses proper to our language. Hymns could also be sung at communion.

There was also discussion of having Matins and Lauds of Christmas at an earlier hour then we have been observing so far, so that the midnight Mass will not be so much of a burden to Father About. A further way of lightening the burden for him would be if someone other than himself would preach at this Mass.

Fr. Adam raised the question of cleric’s turning towards the throne when Father Abbot reads the Gospel there. He thought that official word from Father Abbot is necessary. The committee thought that this turning be done discretely, without over-emphasizing it.