Singing Peace during the Sign of Peace

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JL2011

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Hi,

I got told by someone that the Bishop from my Diocese said that singing Peace during the Sign of Peace was anti-liturgical, in that we shouldn’t be playing anything and giving others the Sign of Peace instead (at least, that’s what I understood). I play in the band at Mass, and we’ve been playing that song for a long time now. The thing is, I’ve told this to the other members of the band, and no one agreed with me in that we should stop playing it, not even the leader.

Is it really anti-liturgical? If it is, what can I do if the rest of the members of the band won’t stop playing it? Should I let them play it while I don’t?

Thank you.
 
I have never heard of singing Peace during the sign of peace. I may have experienced it but do not remember. Anyway, the period of the mass that is for the sign of peace is fraught with minor and moderate liturgical abuse. The rubrics and the GIRM give the guidelines on what should be done. They do not explicitly spell out all the abuse that should not be done.

When a bishop of a diocese speaks, he should be followed, unless clear error is being pushed.

I my experience also, the group that is involved in the music at mass tends to promote dissent. This is not the case at all parishes, but I have seen this in both parishes I have attended over the past 48 years.
 
Never have I heard of singing anything other than the Agnus Dei while the sign of peace is going on. Most parishes will start to sing it a few seconds after the priest or deacon says to offer the sign of peace, and this is common practice and is within the rubrics.

However, to sing some random song–and I’m not sure what “singing Peace” means unless Peace is a song–is not found in the rubrics and would seem to violate the no adding/removing things rule. It might be something the parish is used to, but it is not part of the Mass. So I would say it should be excised immediately.
 
Samuel63 said:
I my experience also, the group that is involved in the music at mass tends to promote dissent. This is not the case at all parishes, but I have seen this in both parishes I have attended over the past 48 years.
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I have belonged to many parishes over the years, and this is the one constant factor. Many musicians and singers, especially those who favor “contemporary” (i.e. 1970’s) music, seem to be constantly pushing the envelope with the pastor over music and liturgical issues.
 
Julia_Mae said:
You ask your Pastor. This is his decision,* if* it’s even true the Bishop said this.
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Good point! It’s very easy for misinformation to be spread under the guise of “The bishop said…”, “The pope said…”, etc. The OP has a valid point in discussing this issue with his band, but before he invokes the authority of the bishop he should confirm it. So far, he only has hearsay, ie. “I got told by someone that the Bishop… said …”.

Then, even if the Bishop did say it, the decision still remains with the pastor.

I have a similar issue in my parish. We have a minor liturgical aberration (I’ll save you the details), and the bishop has even requested that this aberration cease in the diocese. I have pointed this out to the liturgy committee and the priest, and they just decided not to do anything about it. I’m not going to fight that, and, when it’s my turn as lector to lead this aberration, I do so, for the sake of parish unity, and, also, not to cause resentment and confusion amongst those who think that this is the “correct” form.
JL2011 said:
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Is it really anti-liturgical? If it is, what can I do if the rest of the members of the band won’t stop playing it? Should I let them play it while I don’t?

Thank you.
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It’s not worth making a personal stand over this. Go along with your pastor, band leader, and band members.
 
It is not liturgically correct since it puts undue emphasis on what is a minor, optional ritual. The GIRM tells us when we are supposed to sing and this is not one of the times.

It should also be mentioned that ‘Agnus Dei’ accompanies the Fractioning and should not start during the Sign of Peace or extend too long after the Fractioning. For those times when loaves are used and need to be broken into small pieces, the Agnus Dei can be prolonged by repeating “Lamb of God… have mercy on us” as often as necessary to cover the action, as long as the last invocation is “…grant us peace.”
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
I have belonged to many parishes over the years, and this is the one constant factor. Many musicians and singers, especially those who favor “contemporary” (i.e. 1970’s) music, seem to be constantly pushing the envelope with the pastor over music and liturgical issues.
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Oh you mean the granola folk hippie revival musicians & singers? Ugh they’re one of the reasons I lost touch w/ the Church when I was younger. If that’s what people like, good for them but I’ll take the old lady on the pipe organ over Kumbaya anyday of the week.
 
The Sign of Peace should be just for the few who are within arm’s length of you. It shouldn’t take more than a minute or two; scarcely time to sing anything.
 
I was unfortunately present at a Mass about three or four years ago when the choir decided to break into “Let There Be Peace On Earth” during the sign of peace, and that song rambled on and on and on and Father was standing around waiting for it to end so he could begin the Fractioning. And when the choir finished they went right into the Agnus Dei, leaving the unintentional impression that it was tacked on as an afterthought.

The thing was, Father wasn’t told this was going to happen. I can assure you that this performance has not happened since.
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
I have belonged to many parishes over the years, and this is the one constant factor. Many musicians and singers, especially those who favor “contemporary” (i.e. 1970’s) music, seem to be constantly pushing the envelope with the pastor over music and liturgical issues.
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I’ve read many times on Chant Cafe, the one area where priests tremble and fear like no other, is the choir loft…
 
YoungTradCath said:
I’ve read many times on Chant Cafe, the one area where priests tremble and fear like no other, is the choir loft…
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I think it was a Methodist that I heard say that the choir was the War Department of his church, but I think it applies to them all. 😃
 
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