Singing Happy Birthday/Anniversary/Name Day

[sdean]

Our Priest has the congregation sing Happy Birthday/Anniversary/Name Day after the announcements and before the final blessing.

Any comment on this? I didn’t find anything in the Redemtionis Sacramentum that would address this.

Thanks

 

[Nekic]

Our Priest has the congregation sing Happy Birthday/Anniversary/Name Day after the announcements and before the final blessing.

Any comment on this? I didn’t find anything in the Redemtionis Sacramentum that would address this.

Thanks

Redemptoris Sacramentum:

They ought not to detract from the profound meaning of their own ministry by corrupting the liturgical celebration either through alteration or omission, or through arbitrary additions.

Not only is your pirest adding something to the Mass that is not in the missal, the singing of a happy birthday is focusing on the achivement of the person, in that he has managed to stay alive for x years, instead of socusing on God.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

The portion of the Mass is where the announcements and extraneous material go. However, I wouldn’t like anybody singing “Happy Birthday” to me at Mass ,and I hope you can figure out a way to get him to stop it before it catches on in other places.

 

[FrCorey]

that stuff should all be done before or after the mass, not during it at anytime. the ritual of the holy mass must not be changed or added to at all. wow, some of those priests are doing some wierd stuff these days. whatever happened to holy tradtion?

 

[kaygee]

Actually it’s quite common in some Eastern Churches to sing “God Grant you many years” on those occasions . . . but only during the final announcements – after the Divine Liturgy is over.

 

[mystified]

In the Masses I now attend, if there is a good reason, we sing “Las Mañanitas” after the Final Blessing.

 

[PhilipCal]

Probably a technical abuse, as “Happy Birthday” doesn’t qualify as Liturgical Music. The venue is probably going to be the key. A Happy Birthday get together in the Parish Hall after Mass would be a better place to sing the traditional Happy Birthday.