Responsorial Psalm Deviations

[Brian_C]

Are these permissable? Such as at today’s vigil mass, the cantor/liturgist added 2 or 3 lines to our response. On some rare occassions, we have sung a completely different Psalm.

 

[CatholicNerd]

Are these permissable? Such as at today’s vigil mass, the cantor/liturgist added 2 or 3 lines to our response. On some rare occassions, we have sung a completely different Psalm.

It depends. Did this person add something to the chant laid down in the Graduale Romanum? If so, I’d say that’s a liturgical abuse. If you’re just using OCP psalm stuff… to be honest, it doesn’t really matter. The OCP psalms rarely correspond to the “correct” psalm of the day anyway. Just my two very bitter cents…

 

[Brian_C]

Yes you are a Catholic Nerd as I have no idea what you just said. Can you explain that a little better to me???

 

[frommi]

A psalm must be used…no songs.

But, there is no prohibition against substituting a different psalm than the one in the lectionary on a given Sunday

 

[puzzleannie]

there are seasonal psalms that may be substituted for the psalm of the day, there are also seasonal responses that may be used instead of the one given. It is also possible that the psalm as printed in the missalette omitted a verse and the cantor had the proper guide and sang it.

Please do not spend your time at Mass looking for potential abuse and grumbling about it. That is unfruitful and not likely to be of any spiritual benefit to you.

 

[jbuck919]

The responsorial psalm is an enormous horror story in the first place. Even serious recordings of Gregorian chant have this in place of the Roman gradual, which is what belongs in that spot, the problem being that it requires a solo singer who can handle the fantastic difficulty of it. Too darn bad. The liturgy was never meant to be easy, puerile, or pedestrian, which is what it has over a gradual process been rendered. It doesn’t make much difference if an individual adds a couple of ad lib lines to something that should not be there in the first place.

 

[CatholicNerd]

Yes you are a Catholic Nerd as I have no idea what you just said. Can you explain that a little better to me???

Sorry about that, Brian. There are a few options that the Church has given us for the psalm at Mass:

“In the dioceses of the United States of America, the following may also be sung in place of the Psalm assigned in the Lectionary for Mass: either the proper or seasonal antiphon and Psalm from the Lectionary, as found either in the Roman Gradual or Simple Gradual or in another musical setting; or an antiphon and Psalm from another collection of the psalms and antiphons, including psalms arranged in metrical form, providing that they have been approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop. Songs or hymns may not be used in place of the responsorial Psalm.”

So long as the psalm that you guys are using comes from a source approved by the bishops (the text), it’s all good. I was just being slightly cynical because I don’t particularly like anything but the graduals found in the Roman Gradual. lol.