Substituting and changing text in readings

[ChrisCA]

At the parish where I attended Mass today, the refrain from today’s Psalm response was changed from

“Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”

to

“Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.”



The Alleluia refrain was also swapped with something different, too.

Is this practice allowed?

 

[JGMendes4049]

At the parish where I attended Mass today, the refrain from today’s Psalm response was changed from

“Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”

to

“Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.”



The Alleluia refrain was also swapped with something different, too.

Is this practice allowed?

It is disallowed. Emphasis mine.

[61.] …] In the Dioceses of the United States of America, instead of the Psalm assigned in the Lectionary, there may be sung either the Responsorial Gradual from the Graduale Romanum, or the Responsorial Psalm or the Alleluia Psalm from the Graduale Simplex, as described in these books, or an antiphon and Psalm from another collection of Psalms and antiphons, including Psalms arranged in metrical form, providing that they have been approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop. Songs or hymns may not be used in place of the Responsorial Psalm.

—General Instruction of the Roman Missal for use in the dioceses of the United States of America, 2011​

 

[TheMc]

Is this practice allowed?

No.

 

[ChrisCA]

Thank you for the information!

I also found this:

[62.] It is also illicit to omit or to substitute the prescribed biblical readings on one’s own initiative, and especially “to substitute other, non-biblical texts for the readings and responsorial Psalm, which contain the word of God”.[138]
— Redemptionis Sacramentum

I wrote a little letter to the pastor and music assistant about this and included the citations to the documents.

I probably would not have noticed the modification if I hadn’t been following along in the Missalette. It just didn’t sound right either!

I pray that this has a positive outcome.

 

[MarkThompson]

Is this practice allowed?

It is certainly true, as other people have mentioned, that other “ongs or hymns may not be used in place of the Responsorial Psalm,” such as the refrain from Go Tell It On the Mountain. But for your future reference, the psalm does not absolutely have to match the one in your missal for the day. As the GIRM explains, while the responsorial psalm “should usually be taken from the Lectionary,” nevertheless “instead of the Psalm assigned in the Lectionary, there may be sung either the Responsorial Gradual from the Graduale Romanum, or the Responsorial Psalm or the Alleluia Psalm from the Graduale Simplex, as described in these books, or an antiphon and Psalm from another collection of Psalms and antiphons, including Psalms arranged in metrical form, providing that they have been approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.”

 

[TheMc]

It is certainly true, as other people have mentioned, that other “ongs or hymns may not be used in place of the Responsorial Psalm,” such as the refrain from Go Tell It On the Mountain. But for your future reference, the psalm does not absolutely have to match the one in your missal for the day. As the GIRM explains, while the responsorial psalm “should usually be taken from the Lectionary,” nevertheless “instead of the Psalm assigned in the Lectionary, there may be sung either the Responsorial Gradual from the Graduale Romanum, or the Responsorial Psalm or the Alleluia Psalm from the Graduale Simplex, as described in these books, or an antiphon and Psalm from another collection of Psalms and antiphons, including Psalms arranged in metrical form, providing that they have been approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.”

How does this play itself out in practice?

“or an antiphon and Psalm from another collection of Psalms and antiphons, including Psalms arranged in metrical form, providing that they have been approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.”

 

[AllSeasons]

At a parish that I used to go to, one of the priests would substitute more “PC” words in some of the readings. It’s one of the reasons I started going to a different parish.

 

[MarkThompson]

How does this play itself out in practice?

“or an antiphon and Psalm from another collection of Psalms and antiphons, including Psalms arranged in metrical form, providing that they have been approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.”

I’m not exactly sure. Part of the idea with this provision, I think, is to allow musical settings of psalms that might not have used the exact translation that is in the Lectionary. Thus, for instance, psalm settings that come from Britain can be used in the U.S., where the translation is different; and whenever the Revised Grail might happen to be implemented, that won’t mean that every single psalm setting that was written in the past must be pitched into the trash.

 

[YoungTradCath]

At a parish that I used to go to, one of the priests would substitute more “PC” words in some of the readings. It’s one of the reasons I started going to a different parish.

That is totally not allowed.