Graduale Romanum

[Catholic4Christ]

Does anybody here attend a church in which the texts and prayers of the Graduale Romanum (either Latin or English) are used at the Ordinary Form of the Mass? For anyone who doesn’t know, it contains Introit, Alleluia, and Communion antiphons for chant that differ from those in the current Roman Missal. They correspond to the chants from the traditional Latin Mass, but are still able to be used in the Pauline Mass desired.

I think the two biggest things I’m interested in are 1) the Offertory antiphon (which doesn’t appear at all in the current Roman Missal) and 2) the Gradual, which has the option of being sung instead of a Responsorial Psalm.

These two things seem to be night 100% of the time not used by church choirs (who seem to favor hymns in most locations anyways), readers/cantors (because lectionaries only print the Responsorial Psalm but no option for the Gradual), or priests (who no longer have the Offertory prayers in their missals). You will sometime here the Introit and Communion antiphons (and most often the Alleluia antiphon), but they are the ones in the Roman Missal. I have never heard the versions from the Roman Gradual used.

 

[OraLabora]

Does anybody here attend a church in which the texts and prayers of the Graduale Romanum (either Latin or English) are used at the Ordinary Form of the Mass? For anyone who doesn’t know, it contains Introit, Alleluia, and Communion antiphons for chant that differ from those in the current Roman Missal. They correspond to the chants from the traditional Latin Mass, but are still able to be used in the Pauline Mass desired.

I think the two biggest things I’m interested in are 1) the Offertory antiphon (which doesn’t appear at all in the current Roman Missal) and 2) the Gradual, which has the option of being sung instead of a Responsorial Psalm.

These two things seem to be night 100% of the time not used by church choirs (who seem to favor hymns in most locations anyways), readers/cantors (because lectionaries only print the Responsorial Psalm but no option for the Gradual), or priests (who no longer have the Offertory prayers in their missals). You will sometime here the Introit and Communion antiphons (and most often the Alleluia antiphon), but they are the ones in the Roman Missal. I have never heard the versions from the Roman Gradual used.

I attend Church every Sunday at a Benedictine abbey that uses the Graduale Romanum (1974 edition) faithfully every day for the Ordinary Form Mass.

All of the Propers and Ordinary are sung in Gregorian Chant (Latin and Greek) and the rest is in French plainchant. I’ve been to other abbeys in Europe that do the same in England, France and Italy. It is fairly common in the Benedictine world.

In addition I sing in a schola, and once a month we chant from the Graduale at Sunday Mass in various parishes including the cathedral. We do however, do the responsorial psalm on Gregorian tones in French instead of the Gradual, but we do the Introit, Ordinary, Offertory, Communion antiphon and Pater Noster in Latin/Greek Gregorian chant. Sometimes though we substitute an easier Offertory for the one in the Graduale for a particular Sunday, to match the skill level of the schola as we have quite a few new inexperienced members that joined in the last two years.

 

[Catholic4Christ]

I need to get me one of them Benedictine Abbeys

 

[OraLabora]

I need to get me one of them Benedictine Abbeys

I think you will find many that do the Ordinary Form as Sacrosanctum Concilium intended. In Quebec, I know of 2 abbeys that use the Graduale (mine, in the Eastern Townships, and an abbey of nuns near Montreal). There are 4 active Gregorian scholas that I know of in Quebec: ours (Sherbrooke), one in Montreal, one in Quebec City and one in Saguenay. There are other scholas across Canada as well and many in the US.

The Congregation of our abbey, Solesmes, is famous for liturgy. In fact it is the abbey of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes that is the “keeper” of Gregorian chant. Their palaeography studio is responsible for all of the research on chant; it is an on-going project, and over time many chants get more or less altered based on the results of that research. The Graduale Romanum was edited and published by Solesmes, both the 1908 Vatican Edition and the current (1974) Ordinary Form edition. Same with the Antiphonale Monasticum and Antiphonale Romanum for the current monastic and secular Liturgy of the Hours.

Most of the Solesmes abbeys use the Ordinary Form Mass; two use the Extraordinary Form (Fontgombault in France and Clear Creek in the US). Two other abbeys that I know of use the EF: Barroux in France and Norcia in Italy (which ironically was established by monks from the US; I met the abbot last November).

The Benedictine abbey that is sort of the Benedictine “HQ” to the extent that there is one (nominally Benedictine abbeys are independent), and the Benedictine teaching colleges, is Sant’ Anselmo in Rome. They do the OF Mass in the vernacular (Italian) during weekdays but from the Graduale Romanum on Sundays; I was also there for a week last November attending meetings.

 

[Catholic4Christ]

I often pray from the monastic office, so I listen to the monks in Norcia from time to time. Thank you for all that info! I myself am in Georgia, and the closest Benedictine-ish location to me is the Trappist monastery in Conyers. It’s about an hour and a half from here - tantalizingly close, but I don’t really have enough time to go as a graduate student.

 

[OraLabora]

I often pray from the monastic office, so I listen to the monks in Norcia from time to time. Thank you for all that info! I myself am in Georgia, and the closest Benedictine-ish location to me is the Trappist monastery in Conyers. It’s about an hour and a half from here - tantalizingly close, but I don’t really have enough time to go as a graduate student.

Talk to CAF member TimothyH. He regularly goes there.

We also have Trappists in Canada in Quebec and New Brunswick, and also Cistercians of the Common Observance in Quebec. AFAIK they do everything in the Vernacular. I’ve been to Mass, Terce and Compline at the monks of the Common Observance, they are nearby. They do the Mass in French with the Propers in French on Gregorian melodies, same for the Office. They only Latin they now use is for the Salve Regina at Compline. They do, however, a very reverent Mass. They are a very small community, only a dozen monks or so.

 

[liturgyluver]

Does anybody here attend a church in which the texts and prayers of the Graduale Romanum (either Latin or English) are used at the Ordinary Form of the Mass? For anyone who doesn’t know, it contains Introit, Alleluia, and Communion antiphons for chant that differ from those in the current Roman Missal. They correspond to the chants from the traditional Latin Mass, but are still able to be used in the Pauline Mass desired.

I think the two biggest things I’m interested in are 1) the Offertory antiphon (which doesn’t appear at all in the current Roman Missal) and 2) the Gradual, which has the option of being sung instead of a Responsorial Psalm.

These two things seem to be night 100% of the time not used by church choirs (who seem to favor hymns in most locations anyways), readers/cantors (because lectionaries only print the Responsorial Psalm but no option for the Gradual), or priests (who no longer have the Offertory prayers in their missals). You will sometime here the Introit and Communion antiphons (and most often the Alleluia antiphon), but they are the ones in the Roman Missal. I have never heard the versions from the Roman Gradual used.

If you ever come to London all the central London churches have a solemn mass which include the above plus the Ordinary of the mass is sung chorally to a setting. Westminster Cathedral has a sung mass with these texts every evening with the boys choir at 5,30pm (plus Choral Vespers before)

 

[Catholic4Christ]

If you ever come to London all the central London churches have a solemn mass which include the above plus the Ordinary of the mass is sung chorally to a setting. Westminster Cathedral has a sung mass with these texts every evening with the boys choir at 5,30pm (plus Choral Vespers before)

Thank you for that info. I have been to London a couple times but I didn’t go to Mass. I have always deeply regretted not stopping by Westminster Cathedral. Now I know if I ever go back (God willing!) to go to the evening services.