Question about singing the mass

[leaner]

We have three priests (well, one pastor, one parochial vicar, and one visiting priest who assists) – the pastor says the mass; speaks it, only singing once in GREAT while; I’m struggling to remember him sing at all…anyway, the vicar is a new priest (3yrs) and tried to bring back a latin mass but it never took off; he sings sometimes, and sometimes not…the visiting priest ALWAYS chants the entire mass…which is fine, I’m just wondering if it’s because of their training, preference, or what? Is there some rhyme or reason to this, or is it just personal preference of the priest? Thanks

 

[CatholismRox]

I think it has to do with what they feel comfortable doing. I could also be how they were trained but I think my first guess is right. I love the mass sung.

 

[sarita]

Or it could be something else all together. Our pastor has a beautiful voice and would love to be able to sing the mass. In fact, he used to sing the whole thing. A few years ago he started having problems with his voice and now it’s hit or miss whether he’s going to be able to sing at all…

It’s a source of sorrow for him and for those of us that remember when he could sing it, but he does the best he can and we are all appreciative.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I think it’s the preference of the priest. My pastor has a wonderful voice and chants the Mass and I love it. However, when you think about the voices of some priests and the way they massacre the few words they may chant (“let us proclaim the mystery of faith” for example), you have to be thankful that they don’t try to chant the whole thing.

 

[rwoehmke]

• read once in a book someone loaned me on the liturgy, that in the early centuries all of the Mass including the readings were sung. Seems to me it was over a half dozen centuries. Gregorian Chant was a later development.*

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

For a host of reasons, perhaps none of them at any time or any longer official, the “preference” or “standard” for a Mass is sung. That’s the way it’s designed. The current practice of many priests singing little or not at all seems to me a holdover from the old days of low and private Masses influencing the celebration of parish Mass.

 

[AngelRose81]

We have two pastors (one is the associate pastor) and they don’t always sing either. They never do during Daily Mass and sometimes not on Sundays. IMO, it doesn’t really make a difference to me whether or not they sing. When they do, its beautiful but I get just as much out of it when they don’t.