Poetry reading during mass?

[cvbreno]

At a mass yesterday (Pentecost), with the Bishop presiding, the lector read from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, we all said “thanks be to God”,and then she read a poem about the Holy Spirit. There was no introduction or explanation about the poem, who the author was, or anything – it was just inserted after the normal reading.

I have never seen this done before – it seemed unusual and out of place to me. Was this right to do? I know it’s forbidden to substitute or omit the required readings, but how about this sort of addition?

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Was the poem you heard something like this?

Come, O Holy Spirit, come! From Your bright and blissful Home Rays of healing light impart. Come, Father of the poor, Source of gifts that will endure Light of ev’ry human heart.

You of all consolers best, Of the soul most kindly Guest, Quick’ning courage do bestow.

In hard labor You are rest, In the heat You refresh best, And solace give in our woe.

O most blessed Light divine, Let Your radiance in us shine, And our inmost being fill.

Nothing good by man is thought, Nothing right by him is wrought, When he spurns Your gracious Will.

Cleanse our souls from sinful stain, Lave our dryness with Your rain, Heal our wounds and mend our way.

Bend the stubborn heart and will, Melt the frozen, warm the chill, Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful who in You, Trust with childlike piety, Deign Your sevenfold gift to send.

Give them virtue’s rich increase, Saving grace to die in peace, Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.

If so, that’s the sequence for Pentecost. You can read more about it here: dsjliturgy.blogspot.com/2005/03/easter-and-pentecost-sequences.html

 

[benedictgal]

There are three times in the liturgical year when a sequence is chanted/recited:

Easter Sunday
Pentecost Sunday
Solemntiy of Corpus Christi

Regardless of whether or not it is chanted/recited, the official text needs to be used.

 

[Melchior_1]

At a mass yesterday (Pentecost), with the Bishop presiding, the lector read from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, we all said “thanks be to God”,and then she read a poem about the Holy Spirit. There was no introduction or explanation about the poem, who the author was, or anything – it was just inserted after the normal reading.

I have never seen this done before – it seemed unusual and out of place to me. Was this right to do? I know it’s forbidden to substitute or omit the required readings, but how about this sort of addition?

Check the missel to see if they used that. Or when it doubt; call the Bishop!

 

[Sarika]

They probably used the rhyming translation of the required Sequence. Sounds like a poem.

 

[MarkThompson]

At a mass yesterday (Pentecost), with the Bishop presiding, the lector read from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, we all said “thanks be to God”,and then she read a poem about the Holy Spirit. There was no introduction or explanation about the poem, who the author was, or anything – it was just inserted after the normal reading.

I have never seen this done before – it seemed unusual and out of place to me. Was this right to do? I know it’s forbidden to substitute or omit the required readings, but how about this sort of addition?

The answers above are largely correct. The Sequence is a part of the Mass which only appears on a couple of days of the year. It takes the form of a song or chant, although if not sung it can simply be read, in which case it would sound like a poetry reading. There are four Sequences in the Mass, known by their Latin names: Victimae Paschali Laudes for Easter, including the days up through the following week (the Octave of Easter); Veni Sancte Spiritus for Pentecost; [Lauda Sion](Lauda Sion) for Corpus Christi; and Stabat Mater for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15.

The Sequence is required to be read or sung only on two days of the year, Easter Sunday and Pentecost. The rest of the time (Corpus Christi, Our Lady of Sorrows, and the remainder of the Octave of Easter) it is optional.

 

[puzzleannie]

At a mass yesterday (Pentecost), with the Bishop presiding, the lector read from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, we all said “thanks be to God”,and then she read a poem about the Holy Spirit. There was no introduction or explanation about the poem, who the author was, or anything – it was just inserted after the normal reading.

I ?

are you sure she was not reciting the Sequence for Pentecost, which begins Come, Holy Spirit, Come, and is definitely part of Mass for Pentecost and should come right after the readings.

 

[cvbreno]

I think that was it. I often sing in the Latin choir, but I’m fairly new to the Church and I hadn’t made the connection that this was actually the sequence, due to the kind-of-cheesy (in my opinion) rhyming translation.

Thanks for setting me straight, and I’m glad it wasn’t just something they decided to insert.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

The answers above are largely correct. The Sequence is a part of the Mass which only appears on a couple of days of the year. It takes the form of a song or chant, although if not sung it can simply be read, in which case it would sound like a poetry reading. There are four Sequences in the Mass, known by their Latin names: Victimae Paschali Laudes for Easter, including the days up through the following week (the Octave of Easter); Veni Sancte Spiritus for Pentecost; [Lauda Sion](Lauda Sion) for Corpus Christi; and Stabat Mater for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15.

The Sequence is required to be read or sung only on two days of the year, Easter Sunday and Pentecost. The rest of the time (Corpus Christi, Our Lady of Sorrows, and the remainder of the Octave of Easter) it is optional.

Mark,
I was always under the impression that the Sequence was always optional, except at the Easter Vigil. Being a fairly recent “liturgy junkie”, I would love a reference for your statement about it being required @ Pentecost. It’s not you that I doubt, it’s the education I have received in my diocese, which has a tendency to play fast & loose with the rubrics.

On a related note, I was quite disappointed that the Sequence was not done in the parish where I attened Mass yesterday. Which is really too bad, because they have a really good choir and a priest with a beautiful voice who both could have sung/chanted it beautifully.

 

[MarkThompson]

Mark,
I was always under the impression that the Sequence was always optional, except at the Easter Vigil. Being a fairly recent “liturgy junkie”, I would love a reference for your statement about it being required @ Pentecost. It’s not you that I doubt, it’s the education I have received in my diocese, which has a tendency to play fast & loose with the rubrics.

Easy! GIRM no. 64 states simply:
64. The Sequence, which is optional except on Easter Sunday and on Pentecost Day, is sung before the Alleluia.

 

[laszlo]

Mark,
I was always under the impression that the Sequence was always optional, except at the Easter Vigil. Being a fairly recent “liturgy junkie”, I would love a reference for your statement about it being required @ Pentecost. It’s not you that I doubt, it’s the education I have received in my diocese, which has a tendency to play fast & loose with the rubrics.

On a related note, I was quite disappointed that the Sequence was not done in the parish where I attened Mass yesterday. Which is really too bad, because they have a really good choir and a priest with a beautiful voice who both could have sung/chanted it beautifully.

Online rubrics from the 1920 Missal:

Easter: ¶ Sequentia dicitur usque ad Sabbatum in Albis inclusive.

Pentecost: ¶ Et dicitur cotidie usque ad sequens Sabbatum inclusive

Corpus Christi : ¶ Et dicitur Allelúja, si infra Octavam Sequéntia omittatur.

No rubrics for the Stabat Mater or for the Mass for the Death

The Ritus servandus (page 58*) allows to omit the sequentia on the days within the Octave, bit not on the octave day.

 

[MarkThompson]

Online rubrics from the 1920 Missal:

Easter: ¶ Sequentia dicitur usque ad Sabbatum in Albis inclusive.

Pentecost: ¶ Et dicitur cotidie usque ad sequens Sabbatum inclusive

Corpus Christi : ¶ Et dicitur Allelúja, si infra Octavam Sequéntia omittatur.

No rubrics for the Stabat Mater or for the Mass for the Death

The Ritus servandus (page 58*) allows to omit the sequentia on the days within the Octave, bit not on the octave day.

Right, but just to be clear this would only apply to the old form of the Latin Mass (the Extraordinary Form). The rubrics for the modern Mass are different.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

Easy! GIRM no. 64 states simply:
64. The Sequence, which is optional except on Easter Sunday and on Pentecost Day, is sung before the Alleluia.

Thanks!
It figures it was that easy!!
And it explains why I probably didn’t hear it, the GIRM is basically “optional” around these parts most Sundays!

 

[Phemie]

Was the poem you heard something like this?
Come, O Holy Spirit, come! From Your bright and blissful Home Rays of healing light impart. Come, Father of the poor, Source of gifts that will endure Light of ev’ry human heart.

You of all consolers best, Of the soul most kindly Guest, Quick’ning courage do bestow.

In hard labor You are rest, In the heat You refresh best, And solace give in our woe.

O most blessed Light divine, Let Your radiance in us shine, And our inmost being fill.

Nothing good by man is thought, Nothing right by him is wrought, When he spurns Your gracious Will.

Cleanse our souls from sinful stain, Lave our dryness with Your rain, Heal our wounds and mend our way.

Bend the stubborn heart and will, Melt the frozen, warm the chill, Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful who in You, Trust with childlike piety, Deign Your sevenfold gift to send.

Give them virtue’s rich increase, Saving grace to die in peace, Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.
If so, that’s the sequence for Pentecost. You can read more about it here: dsjliturgy.blogspot.com/2005/03/easter-and-pentecost-sequences.html

If the OP lives in Canada, this is the sequence he/she would have heard yesterday:

Holy Spirit, Lord divine,
Come from heights of heav’n and shine,
Come with blessed radiance bright.

Come, O Father of the poor,
Come, whose treasured gifts ensure,
Come, our heart’s unfailing light.

Of consolers, wisest, best,
And our soul’s most welcome guest,
Sweet refreshment, sweet repose.

In our labour, rest most sweet,
Pleasant coolness in the heat,
Consolation in our woes.

Light most blessed, shine with grace
In our heart’s most secret place,
Fill your faithful through and through.

Left without your presence here,
Life itself would disappear,
Nothing thrives apart from you!

Cleanse our soiled hearts of sin,
Arid souls refresh within,
Wounded lives to health restore.

On the faithful who are true
And profess their faith in you,
In your sev’nfold gift descend!

Bend the stubborn heart and will,
Melt the frozen, warm the chill,
Guide the wayward home once more!

Give us virtue’s sure reward,
Give us your salvation, Lord,
Give us joys that never end!