Solemn Proclamation of Christmas - is this still practiced?

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Apparently the ancient tradition is to have a chanted solemn proclamation for Christmas in the Latin Churches, something like the Pascha Exultet. Is this practice continueing to be kept alive in the typical parish? St. Meinrad’s Arch-Abbey has an awe inspiring rendition on the opening to their Chrismas cd which reminds me of the opening to Star Wars films. I would like to know the answer as it seems to me to be an important tradition to maintain to set the proper mood of this awesome day.
The Solemn Proclamation of Christmas:
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Choirmaster:
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“Some millions of years having passed since the creation of the world, when in the beginning God created heaven and earth,
Some thousands of years from the salvation of man
when the family of Noah survived the flood”
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for the words see here:
fullhomelydivinity.org/articles/christmasproclamation.htm
atonementparish.blogspot.com/2006/12/solemn-proclamation-of-christmas.html
 
hmm apparently it may still be practiced but the translation is quite deficient if this post is to be believed:

opinionatedcatholic.blogspot.com/2007/12/importance-of-proclamation-of-christmas.html

Clearly this modernised translation is enough to continue to stir up inspiration in some people. I can only wonder how why St. Meinrad’s translation is so much nicer and more detailed. Perhaps Abbeys can do whatever they want to with liturgies as Abbots are in the positions of great authority.
 
The Proclamation is still practised in many places at Christmas (I watch it at the Basillica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception every year). That modernized translation is the currant acceptable translation however. A few years ago it was retranslated to dipel with the notion that the Catholic Church was saying that the world started a few thousand years ago. So this modernized translations is now what you will hear at every church. (It has nothing to do with the Archabbot at St. Meinard having great power, sorry.) (I personally think the old version was better however.)
 
CUAGRAD08 said:
The Proclamation is still practised in many places at Christmas (I watch it at the Basillica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception every year). That modernized translation is the currant acceptable translation however. A few years ago it was retranslated to dipel with the notion that the Catholic Church was saying that the world started a few thousand years ago. So this modernized translations is now what you will hear at every church. (It has nothing to do with the Archabbot at St. Meinard having great power, sorry.) (I personally think the old version was better however.)
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I just love your signature.
 
This is beautiful! I don’t know whether I have ever heard it.
 
I have heard it, but, it goes like this:
Today, the twenty-fifth day of December, unknown ages from the time when God created the heavens and the earth and then formed man and woman in his own image.
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Several thousand years after the flood,
when God made the rainbow shine forth as a sign of the covenant.
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Twentyone centuries from the time of Abraham and Sarah;
thirteen centuries after Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt.
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Eleven hundred years from the time of Ruth and the Judges;
one thousand years from the annointing of David as King;
in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel.
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In the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
the seven hundred and fifty-second year from the foundation of the city of Rome.
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The forty-second year of the reaign of Octavian Caesar;
the whole world being at peace,
Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,
desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming,
being conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and nine mnths having passed since his conception,
was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary.
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Today is the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.
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I just love this because it makes the Birth of Christ the crowning historical activity, placing it within the confines of great events like the ancient Olympiad and the Foundation of Rome. This is the translation we used at the Cathedral.

The new translation that the good abbey has come up with totally destroys the beauty. Plus, it violates Liturgiam Authenticam because it is not faithful to the text.
 
Thank you so much. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
 
benedictgal said:
Here it is:

usccb.org/liturgy/xmas.pdf

I would go with this one rather than the one that was indicated in the OP simply because the text is more accurate and it is in chant form, with the setting used at the Vatican.
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Thank you so much! I hope to have this used in our parish. And I want to share it with my 6th grade CCD students (we are studying the Old Testament, so all these figures are familiar to them now).
 
benedictgal said:
I have heard it, but, it goes like this:
Today, the twenty-fifth day of December, unknown ages from the time when God created the heavens and the earth and then formed man and woman in his own image.
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Yes, this is the way I know it. It is very beautiful for the reasons you’ve said.

At the end, even though it’s such a beautiful and solemn moment, there’s always something inside that makes me want to jump up and cheer:
“Yay, God!” http://bestsmileys.com/cheering/4.gif 😃 😊

(Don’t worry, I’ve never done it! 😉 )
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benedictgal said:
And, with your spirit!😃
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Actually “and with your spirit” is or will be reserved when responding to a priest (I wonder if will apply to deacons as well) since the response is recognizing the spirit of Christ which resides in the priest who is acting in the person of Christ in the celebration of the liturgy.
 
Our parish does do the solemn proclamation every year. The downside is that the quality of the chanting with which it is done has not always been as good as it could be.

I didn’t much care for it the first time I heard it but I have grown to love it.

Peace,
 
Here in Finland “The Christmas Peace” (Joulurauha) is proclaimed publicly from the ancient capital, Turku, and in several other cities with the Turku event broadcast nation wide on radio and TV.

It is a semi-secular proclamation calling on the people to respect the holiness of the day of Nativity and to refrain from disrupting the peace of the day.

This is done at noon on the 24th and everything shuts down for two and a half days. All businesses, public transport, etc. are down or on reduced scheds. until after St. Stephen’s Day.

Not bad for a Lutheran country!

Yours in Christ,

Harri
 
Actually “and with your spirit” is or will be reserved when responding to a priest (I wonder if will apply to deacons as well)
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Yes, as when the deacon proclaims the gospel, or the Exultet.
 
Nice tradition. I have always loved Christmas and I was planning on adding this to my recitation of the Divine Office this December.

But, on what day will I be saying it? Dec. 24 or Dec. 25? or some other day?

And, on what hour of the day will I recite it?

And also, in between what parts of the breviary?

Thank you very much!!!
 
I have always heard it at Midnight Mass, in the form listed by Benedictgal.
 
browebmaster said:
Nice tradition. I have always loved Christmas and I was planning on adding this to my recitation of the Divine Office this December.

But, on what day will I be saying it? Dec. 24 or Dec. 25? or some other day?

And, on what hour of the day will I recite it?

And also, in between what parts of the breviary?

Thank you very much!!!
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Apparently you have several choices. The same link cited previously usccb.org/liturgy/xmas.pdf gives the following instruction:
If it is used at Morning or Evening Prayer, it follows the introduction of the hour and precedes the hymn. When it is proclaimed during the Office of Readings, it precedes the Te Deum.
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