Copyrights and Liturgy Text

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Ruben

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Hello,

I had a question posed to me from a friend who’s getting married and I wanted to ask some advice if anyone knows about this topic. They are having a nuptial mass and there will some non-Catholics attending as well as some non-English speaking folks as well. The mass will be bilingual. For the benefit of the non-Catholics and I think also the non-English speakers, my friend put together a program handout that has printed on it some parts of the mass which is a basic outline with the readings/responses, some prayers and the responsorial psalms. My question is if there are any copyright issues that might prohibit this? It’s not a complete word per word copy of what would be in the missal but is this something permissible?

Also, what if my friend wanted to have attached to this handout the words of the hymns for the mass? Is this something not advisable? Her priest looked over the program and told her he was not suggesting she change anything but he did mention to her the matter of the copyrights. I can see how this would matter for the music but I don’t know the technicalities of the liturgical text.

Any help would be appreciated. This is outside my scope of knowledge.

Blessings
 
If the music is in Spanish, she might have to contact OCP to get the permission to use it. Inasmuch as I don’t like the publishing house, they do have something called a Print and Praise program where, after paying a fee, she can print the music for use for her wedding program.

Now, if the music is in the public domain, then she doesn’t have to worry about it.

What I would do is to print the text of the readings in the language that is not being used to proclaim them. For example, if the first reading is in English, then print the text in Spanish for the benefit of the non-English speakers. If the second reading is proclaimed in Spanish, then print the text in English for those who do not speak Spanish.

You should also have a charitable disclaimer for the non-Catholics indicating that the reception of Holy Communion is only for practicing Catholics.
 
If the church already has a general reprinting license for the particular copyright holders for the music, there is no need to pay extra. Just simply report to the music director which songs you will be printing, and get the copyright info to attach to it in the program. The music director will report the additional usage to the publisher so the composers are paid.

I don’t know about reprinting text from the sacramentary, etc.
 
When you say “bilingual Mass,” are you referring to English-Spanish? Or do you mean English-Latin, or something else?

Also, to which hymns are you referring and at which point in the Mass? I have never been to a nuptial Mass that used hymns; there were the sung settings of the Mass, but at the points where there are typically hymns in the OF (offertory and communion), there have generally been interludes sung by a soloist or played instrumentally, never a hymn sung by the congregation.
 
Chatter163 said:
When you say “bilingual Mass,” are you referring to English-Spanish? Or do you mean English-Latin, or something else?

Also, to which hymns are you referring and at which point in the Mass? I have never been to a nuptial Mass that used hymns; there were the sung settings of the Mass, but at the points where there are typically hymns in the OF (offertory and communion), there have generally been interludes sung by a soloist or played instrumentally, never a hymn sung by the congregation.
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THat’s a shame. It is still a liturgy and should still encourage the congregation to sing…not use the time to perform.
 
agapewolf said:
THat’s a shame. It is still a liturgy and should still encourage the congregation to sing…not use the time to perform.
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Unfortunately, having assisted at more weddings than I can count, the congregation does very little, if any singing at all. In fact, what is even sadder is that many times, they won’t even resond to the recited prayers. One time, the rector of the Cathedral stopped the Mass and asked the faithful if they rather he switched languages so that they could participate because he heard nary a word. That got their attention.

Now, given the fact that the OP is in Dallas (I lived there for awhile, in the Oak Cliff area), chances are that he might mean that it may be English/Spanish, given my experiences there.
 
Also my experience…including the wedding I had today.

When I meet with each couple, I tell them to tell their family and wedding party to pick up the program and at least move their mouths. Its insulting to the couple if the wedding party is there and doesn’t participate…what are they there for then…to look pretty? I insist they have the lyrics in the program, so we make it as easy as possible for everyone to participate.
 
From icelweb.org/copyright.htm:
“… Publications not subject to royalties
No royalty is charged for reprinting ICEL translations in a publication for use at a specific Mass or celebration of an individual congregation or institution, for example: convention program booklets, jubilee Masses, ordinations, baptisms, first communions, confirmations, funerals, weddings, etc., provided that the following conditions are met:
a. the publication is not produced by a publishing firm;
b. the publication is not sold;
c. the appropriate copyright notice appears on the cover, inside cover, or title page;
d. the official editions of the texts are followed exactly. …”

The copyright notice ICEL are asking for is something like: “Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.”
 
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