Song of Praise after Communion or Closing Song?

[Beno]

How many of you attend Masses with a 4-song format that includes the closing song? (Entrance/Gathering, Offertory/Presentation, Communion, and Recessional/Closing). How about Masses with a Song of Praise after Communion before the concluding rite? I note that the Recessional Song is supplementary and was never required to be used in the closing rites of the Mass.

Quote from Music in Catholic Worship, rev. 1983, #73
The recessional song has never been an official part of the rite hence musicians are free to plan music which provides an appropriate closing to the liturgy. A song is one possible choice. However, if the people have sung a song after communion, it may be advisable to use only an instrumental or choir recessional.

What advantages/disadvantages can you see of eliminating the congregational singing of a recessional song/hymn.

 

[puzzleannie]

How

What advantages/disadvantages can you see of eliminating the congregational singing of a recessional song/hymn.

you would not have any mechanism to keep people in their places long enough for Father to reach the back of church, and the little altar servers would be trampled by people rushing to the parking lot.

 

[netmilsmom]

you would not have any mechanism to keep people in their places long enough for Father to reach the back of church, and the little altar servers would be trampled by people rushing to the parking lot.

In some parishes, this is exactly right!
At our Christmas vigil Holy Mass with many visitors, people could be seen running out to beat the closing procession.

 

[MusicMan]

you would not have any mechanism to keep people in their places long enough for Father to reach the back of church, and the little altar servers would be trampled by people rushing to the parking lot.

This is a wise answer to the question, and a pragmatic solution.

The GIRM does allow a song of praise after Communion. I’ve only belonged to one church that exercised this option. It lasted for about 6 months and then everyone decided it was silly to stop everything to sing two verses of an extra hymn. I think the hang-up was that the liturgist was implementing this because she could, not because of any desire to praise the Lord.

 

[JButky]

We used to always sing a song of praise after Communion.

From the Current Girm

1. When the distribution of Communion is finished, as circumstances suggest, the priest and faithful spend some time praying privately. If desired, a psalm or other canticle of praise or a hymn may also be sung by the entire congregation.

Joe B

 

[jbuck919]

How Mass ends has always been a problematic matter. And I do mean always. Ite, missa est, which doesn’t mean anything more than “go, it is the dismissal” is still the only authentic ending of Mass in the Latin missal. Everything that happens after that is an extra-liturgical “postlude,” which means no holds barred.

The communion is another matter. Originally (and I’m going way, way back), it was accompanied by an antiphon with psalm not too dissimlar from what is now done after the first reading. The antiphon (usually in a lovely but relatively simple Gregorian setting) survived, but in practice the psalm did not (this has been retro-fitted in the tiny handful of places that respect these ancient customs). There wasn’t any particular reason to have the communion antiphon last more than 30 seconds, because no one received communion.

Comes the era when routine communion of the faithful is revived (and this was way prior to Vatican II) and suddenly we need music again. A small choir singing a devotional song was typical. Later it came down to an outright communion hymn, never a very good idea (for once, the Protestants make the same mistake) because congregational singing doesn’t combine well with some other activity.

If I were in a typically compromised situation in a modern Catholic parish and had the luxury of at least not having to crush every aesthetic sensibility God gave me, I would have quite tasteful playing on the organ (being of course myself the organist) during the reception of communion, a nice hymn as post-communion, and again an organ postlude. That’s not ancient Catholic tradition, but it may be about the best we can hope for.

 

[puzzleannie]

you can’t change the 4-song format, you will confuse my grandchildren terribly. They start getting antsy, and grandma starts yawning and fidgeting, 4 yr old reminds me “just one more song, Grandma, then we can go home.”

 

[mommyof4]

you would not have any mechanism to keep people in their places long enough for Father to reach the back of church, and the little altar servers would be trampled by people rushing to the parking lot.

I agree - it’s for safety reasons!

 

[brotherhrolf]

We have a rather unique approach and we do sing a song of praise before the recessional hymn. Our choir splits in two and lines the outer aisles of the cathedral. We face in toward the congregation and sing towards them. This seems to encourage them to actually sing - we’ve even gotten them accustomed to singing rounds - OK, it’s hokey but it gives them the experience of singing parts.

For the recessional, the choir again faces forward. We sing two verses of the hymn (no bolting for the doors from the congregation) and on the third verse choir and celebrant process out.

 

[mommyof4]

I’ve discovered that there are two groups of people at the end of mass: the ones who can’t get out of there fast enough, and those of us who close the place up.

My family likes to stay for a few extra minutes and light candles, say a few extra prayers, and visit with other family members and friends who also attend our church. We’re usually one of the last people to leave, and then there is no fighting the traffic in the parking lot, etc.

 

[MusicMan]

This weekend, I attended Divine Liturgy at a Byzantine Catholic Church. At the end of the blessing, the congregation chants the response and the priest exits. Then the congregation knelt down and prayed privately. They left at their own discretion.

Why doesn’t this happen in the Latin Church? Why don’t we kneel down to pray privately following the dismissal and priest’s exit? What’s wrong with us in the Latin Church that we, as a Church, don’t do this?

 

[brotherhrolf]

This weekend, I attended Divine Liturgy at a Byzantine Catholic Church. At the end of the blessing, the congregation chants the response and the priest exits. Then the congregation knelt down and prayed privately. They left at their own discretion.

Why doesn’t this happen in the Latin Church? Why don’t we kneel down to pray privately following the dismissal and priest’s exit? What’s wrong with us in the Latin Church that we, as a Church, don’t do this?

This used to be the norm pre-V II. We all kept silence in the House of the Lord. I couldn’t pray quietly and in peace after Mass if I wanted to today and mine is a cathedral parish. Fellowship should begin once one exits the church. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

 

[MusicMan]

So, shouldn’t we be doing something to change this? Liturgical documents do instruct the choir and other ministers to set an example for the congregation. How can you and I, as pastoral musicians, set a positive example for our congregations to exit quietly, pray after Mass, or at least begin the fellowship in the fellowship hall, not the nave?

 

[brotherhrolf]

The choir goes out of the main door of the cathedral onto the front porch and then it is optional - some of us head back to the choir room to disrobe and some opt to stay and meet and greet. I normally head for the choir room and thence to the parish hall for coffee and donuts. Both rector and bishop meet and greet everyone outside unless there is inclement weather in which case the nave is used. Our governor is Catholic and since we are the capitol city and cathedral, she is often in attendance too.

Now, the choir has usually exited the cathedral by the end of the third verse. At this point our choir director and organist (same person) will “noodle” on the organ except during Lent. During Lent we go to Latin - the entrance antiphon is usually Parce Domine and there is no recessional - the organ is tacit and the choir exits the cathedral in silence. But I think that the mood is set and unless we are hosting a diocesan liturgy, our normal parishoners are quiet.

Diocesan liturgies are the ones that give us the most problems. The cathedral’s “normal” congregation does not hold hands during the Our Father and the “kiss of peace” is usually very restrained. My position up in the choir loft (yep, we have one…ours was one of the first cathedrals renovated after V II - they tore out the original organ and the loft gives me a pretty good vantage point. In 1992 we got a brand new choir loft and a brand new organ to replace the electronic monstrosity which happened to die during the wedding of one of our own choir members. I am a firm believer that choirs should be heard and not seen.

 

[maryalene]

When our current priest came to our parish about three years ago, he explained the dismissal ended Mass and it was not appropriate, according to the GIRM, to stay and sing another hymn. He eliminated the recessional hymn and our organist now plays an instrumental piece as Father and the congregation exit the church. A few months ago, we added a song of praise after Communion. Once the remaining Eucharist has been returned to the tabernacle, we all stand for the song. Once it is done, we move on to the final prayers.

 

[jc-servant]

This weekend, I attended Divine Liturgy at a Byzantine Catholic Church. At the end of the blessing, the congregation chants the response and the priest exits. Then the congregation knelt down and prayed privately. They left at their own discretion.

Why doesn’t this happen in the Latin Church? Why don’t we kneel down to pray privately following the dismissal and priest’s exit? What’s wrong with us in the Latin Church that we, as a Church, don’t do this?

At my parish on Sundays the people for the next mass are already coming in the doors for pre-mass prayer as we try to get out, so our large chapel is open just a few steps across the narthex for silent prayer all day. I find that it is hard to have silent prayer in the main church as more than 1000 folks tramp out even when they are trying to be quiet. During Lent we have no recessional and leave in “silence” after the dismissal, but it still loud from the mere shuffling of feet.

 

[jc-servant]

Our choir is prepared to do a 2nd song during communion because of the sheer numbers making communion last quite a while most Sundays. I will have to ask tonight at practice if that is technically a song of praise or just an extension of the communion hymn. I know that recently our recessionals have been more up tempo (outside of Lent and Advent) and easy to sing, so more people actually stay who might have raced Father up the aisle in the past.

 

[lak611]

When our current priest came to our parish about three years ago, he explained the dismissal ended Mass and it was not appropriate, according to the GIRM, to stay and sing another hymn. He eliminated the recessional hymn and our organist now plays an instrumental piece as Father and the congregation exit the church.

At my parish, whenever the organist plays an instrumental recessional piece, the congregations bolts out of the pews like stampeding buffalo. Father isn’t even halfway down the aisle yet. For that reason, instrumental recessionals are rarely used. Even when we sing the recessional, the stampede still sometimes happens. I usually stay in my pew a few minutes so I don’t get mowed down while I genuflect.

 

[maryalene]

At my parish, whenever the organist plays an instrumental recessional piece, the congregations bolts out of the pews like stampeding buffalo. Father isn’t even halfway down the aisle yet. For that reason, instrumental recessionals are rarely used. Even when we sing the recessional, the stampede still sometimes happens. I usually stay in my pew a few minutes so I don’t get mowed down while I genuflect.

Our priest has actually said that he wishes we would all just leave together because there really is not suppose to be any type of procession at the end of Mass. I am not sure how that would be practically possible since I can’t see how Father and the servers would make it out the door if we all left at the same time. We usually wait until Father is a few pews past us, and then start gathering our coats to go.