The Responsorial Psalm ruins the flow of the liturgy

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Duesenberg

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In my parish we never sing or read the actual Psalm for the Mass. Not ever. We sing a song instead, one that is often, but not always based on the Psalm for the Mass. The problem is not only that it would be nice to read/sing the actual Psalm, the substitute songs are long and they break the flow of the Mass.

When reader 1 has completed the first reading, they leave the sanctuary and sit in the pews. Then the cantor moves from the nave into the sanctuary (which can be quite a process in itself - for both readers as well) and leads the song from the ambo (which really should be reserved for the 3 readings and the preaching.) The cantor then leaves the sanctuary and is replaced by the second reader (we have two lay readers per Mass to “increase their participation in the Mass.”)

Once we are ready for the second reading, it’s been a good 4+ minutes with singing and all the physical movement. It very much feels like “OK, Mass can now resume.” Does anyone else experience this in their parishes? Liturgy should flow and it doesn’t in this case.
 
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I’m sorry to hear that you’re presentation of the Liturgy of the Word seems clunky in your parish. One solution would be to have the lectors, if possible, sit unobtrusively in the sanctuary until they have to read, then proclaim each reading and only then move back into the assembly.
Duesenberg said:
leads the song from the ambo (which really should be reserved for the 3 readings and the preaching.
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You seem to forget that the Psalm IS the Word of God, and SHOULD be proclaimed from the ambo. Are you sure they are not singing a lyrical version of a seasonal Psalm? Seasonal Psalms are perfectly acceptable, liturgically, substitutions for the Psalm of the day. Psalms do not have to match the NAB versions found in your missalette, either, they can be Grail versions.

The only thing I don’t care about lyrical Psalms is that the composers often have to alter the text of the Psalm in order to make the words fit the music. I’m quite happy now that our parish has switched to the chant-type Psalms offered in OCP’s Respond & Acclaim: lyrical refrains with chanted verses. Some of the masses in our parish also offer Grail Psalms on occasion.
 
Mary_Ellen said:
I’m sorry to hear that you’re presentation of the Liturgy of the Word seems clunky in your parish. One solution would be to have the lectors, if possible, sit unobtrusively in the sanctuary until they have to read, then proclaim each reading and only then move back into the assembly.
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We have temporarily (for life it seems) commissioned readers, not permanently instituted lectors at my parish.
Mary_Ellen said:
You seem to forget that the Psalm IS the Word of God, and SHOULD be proclaimed from the ambo. Are you sure they are not singing a lyrical version of a seasonal Psalm? Seasonal Psalms are perfectly acceptable, liturgically, substitutions for the Psalm of the day. Psalms do not have to match the NAB versions found in your missalette, either, they can be Grail versions.
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No. I’m talking about the situation in my parish where is Psalm is NEVER sung or otherwise recited. Instead we get a song, not the Psalm. I would fully agree that in addition to all three readings if the actual Psalm was being recited/sung, then as Sacred Scripture if must be proclaimed from the ambo, but the song we get in place should not be.
 
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Duesenberg said:
I’m talking about the situation in my parish where is Psalm is NEVER sung or otherwise recited. Instead we get a song, not the Psalm
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We had a similar situation with our old pastor. Since the arrival of our current pastor, we always sing the actual Responsorial Psalm. We still have the same music ministers, so I’m guessing the change came from our pastor.
 
Singing the text EXACTLY as written is how it should be, YES.
It can be sung from the ambo, but it’s cumbersome, and really doesn’t encourage others to sing the responses which are what is intended. When you put someone up front, it gives the impression of a performance. No Bueno. They should sine from wherever the choir at large sings, whether it be off to one side or a choir loft.
At my previous parish where I was the DRE and not the Music Director as I am now, they sang “hymns & songs” that “sort of” were similar to the psalms. They claimed to have a book that said they could do so. I would give anything to see this book. They also sang the same psalm every.single.week. in the Easter season. A gospel version of “all the End of the Earth” which was trite, Joyful maybe, but really bad after years of it.
Nearly every priest I have worked for as a Music Director insisted that the PSalm had to be sung EXACTLY as written. No such thing as “close enough”.
The other Director’s excuse was “well, we don’t know the one they are using”. Really> They are materials you can buy that are exact and easy to pull off. AND…they repeat every 3 years! Once your choir knows them, you’re done. It’s laziness, and also a thing with Pastors that they feel bad that these people are volunteers or paid poorly. So pay them already! There’s money, the finance council is just saving it “in case the roof leaks”. THere’s money. Don’t let anyone tell you there is not enough money for a qualified musician. We have too long settled for kindly volunteers who don’t know what to do, or even if they do, they are afraid to ask that materials be bought. A church would never operate without linens or candles. Music is important. It needs to be excellent for the spiritual life of the parish.
End of rant. 😩
 
Duesenberg said:
In my parish we never sing or read the actual Psalm for the Mass. Not ever. We sing a song instead, one that is often, but not always based on the Psalm for the Mass.
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The guiding document on this is the GIRM. In the US, the psalm in the lectionary may be replaced with another psalm per the below. It may NOT be replaced by a song. I suggest you talk to your pastor about it.

Note it states the cantor leads the psalm from the ambo or another suitable place. If it’s awkward for the cantor to go to the ambo, they CAN sing from elsewhere. But your pastor would have the final say.
  1. After the First Reading follows the Responsorial Psalm, which is an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word and which has great liturgical and pastoral importance, since it fosters meditation on the Word of God.
    The Responsorial Psalm should correspond to each reading and should usually be taken from the Lectionary.
    It is preferable for the Responsorial Psalm to be sung, at least as far as the people’s response is concerned. Hence the psalmist, or cantor of the Psalm, sings the Psalm verses at the ambo or another suitable place, while the whole congregation sits and listens, normally taking part by means of the response, except when the Psalm is sung straight through, that is, without a response. However, in order that the people may be able to sing the Psalm response more easily, texts of some responses and Psalms have been chosen for the different times of the year or for the different categories of Saints. These may be used instead of the text corresponding to the reading whenever the Psalm is sung. If the Psalm cannot be sung, then it should be recited in a way that is particularly suited to fostering meditation on the Word of God.
    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.
 
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In my previous parish the psalm was done like yours. Not singing the psalm but rather a contemporary hymn. I agree it did ruin the flow of the Mass. My current parish does the responsorial Psalm the correct way.
 
That seems so strange. What are some examples of songs that are sung at that time?
 
Are you sure the song itself is not based on same text as the Responsorial Psalm?

I have been to many a parish that uses a song, but when you read the text, it is actually an adaption of the actual Psalm for the Mass of the day or of the Sunday of that week.
 
Oh allow me. For most of the summer we had THIS: Our response to the Hebrew Scripture (i.e. Responsorial Psalm) is “His love is forever, His love is forever more” . The actual song is by Dan Schutte, “Give Thanks to the Lord”, and the whole song is done. Sorry, but a song is NOT Psalm 118. Now just this weekend our ‘song’ will be, until Advent, this: Our Response to the Hebrew Scriptures (again, Responsorial Psalm) will be the Canticle from Matthew’s Beatitudes, " Rejoice and be glad! Blessed are you, holy are you, rejoice and be glad, yours is the Kingdom of God" (which, AGAIN, is a SONG, “Blest are They” by David Haas. And the whole song will be sung. With tambourines.
 
Seriously? Just so I’m not misunderstanding, between the first and second readings, they’re singing “Blest Are They” in its entirety? 😒

I may have to reconsider my habit of completely dismissing anyone who complains about liturgy. That is beyond insane. Yuck.
 
Yup. We’re not supposed to do that. Many priests get very angry when the text is not identical to the Lectionary.
 
My old parish (where I was NOT the Music Director) sang a Gospel version of “All the Ends of the Earth SIng a Joyful Song” for entire weeks of Easter season then sang the Alleluia (another long drawn out one as a song) before AND AFTER the Gospel.

Don’t even get me started.
It gives good Music Directors a very bad name. And we get enough of that from the people who want silence and only organ in Mass already. 😩

I asked the priest why he allows it, and he just shrugged. “we don’t pay them anything”.

What??? We don’t “pay” servers either, and we expect them to do their job correctly. Makes no sense.
 
Gotta punch it up, as the “guitar hero” bible church across the street is gaining members! Seriously, there is serious misunderstanding of what is occurring during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I didn’t know for years after entering, perhaps a decade. Combined with a chronic failure of catechesis is an apparent lack of inquisitiveness on the part of parishioners.

Liturgical abuse is but one of the abuse scandals.They took time to develop and they will take time to eradicate.
 
Yes. And believe me, that is not the only innovation. For Christmas we actually get a Gloria (which normally we do not have at all through the year); it is “Angels we have heard on High”. We do sing the Alleluia but never the verse that goes with it. Usually it is “Alle Alle Alle lu” WITH verses i.e. “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus is the Way”.

Wait a minute, people MUST have been praying for me. Usually since I don’t drive I can’t go anyplace but in town, but I just had an offer from my grandsons’ mom to come over tomorrow, she’ll drive me to church ‘over the state line’, take the boys to their OTHER grandmother’s while I’m at Mass, then pick me up. What a blessing! I almost never get over there, and now I can go AND receive communion, AND I’ll hear everything done correctly. I don’t care if it’s guitars (well played guitars are beautiful), I wouldn’t even care if it’s tambourines and pennywhistles, I’ll hear a penitential rite at last, a Gloria at last, a CREED at last, no made up prayers, no standing around the altar. . .if I could still do a cartwheel that’s what I’d be doing now. Hurrah!!
 
stpurl said:
Yes. And believe me, that is not the only innovation. For Christmas we actually get a Gloria (which normally we do not have at all through the year); it is “Angels we have heard on High”. We do sing the Alleluia but never the verse that goes with it. Usually it is “Alle Alle Alle lu” WITH verses i.e. “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus is the Way”.
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This makes me profoundly sad. ☹️
 
Horton said:
In my previous parish the psalm was done like yours. Not singing the psalm but rather a contemporary hymn. I agree it did ruin the flow of the Mass. My current parish does the responsorial Psalm the correct way.
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That’s really good to hear. I’ve been to other parishes where the first reading, the Psalm and the second reading were all burned through in a monotone by a reader and that wasn’t good either, but skipping the Psalm, plus a 4 minute song between readings and all the physical movement is just wrong.
 
stpurl said:
Oh allow me. For most of the summer we had THIS: Our response to the Hebrew Scripture (i.e. Responsorial Psalm) is “His love is forever, His love is forever more” . The actual song is by Dan Schutte, “Give Thanks to the Lord”, and the whole song is done. Sorry, but a song is NOT Psalm 118. Now just this weekend our ‘song’ will be, until Advent, this: Our Response to the Hebrew Scriptures (again, Responsorial Psalm) will be the Canticle from Matthew’s Beatitudes, " Rejoice and be glad! Blessed are you, holy are you, rejoice and be glad, yours is the Kingdom of God" (which, AGAIN, is a SONG, “Blest are They” by David Haas. And the whole song will be sung. With tambourines.
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I share your pain. Hang in there.
 
Makes you sad. . .makes me sad too. Honestly I have the greatest respect for the priest but his idea that ‘active participation in the liturgy’ means tinkering around has really wound up DEPRIVING us of participation.

Think about it. If we aren’t saying a penitential rite (and we aren’t), then we aren’t participating in the words of the rite. We aren’t saying the Kyrie. If we don’t say a Gloria (and we don’t), we aren’t participating in that either. If we don’t say a creed of any kind (and we don’t) we aren’t participating in THAT either. If we don’t sing or say the Responsorial Psalm, we aren’t participating in THAT either.

So what exactly ARE we participating with all the members of the body of Christ in a Mass on Sunday?

A ‘gathering hymn". :Father says The Lord be with you. We respond “And with your spirit.” Then we listen to Father tell us hi and whatever he wants to talk about. No penitential rite, Kyrie, Gloria, or collect. Father asks if he can get an Amen. We say Amen. We listen to the First reading, ‘Thanks be to God." We listen to the choir sing a song. We listen to the Second Reading, “Thanks be to God.” The Choir sings Alle Alle. Father says "The gospel according to " (no "The Lord be with you, so no response here). He ends and we say "Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ.’ Homily. No creed. Lots of long social justice prayers of the faithful. We say Lord hear our prayer. The gifts are brought. We sing a song. Father asks God to accept the gifts we offer. No Prayer after the offering. He says, “The Lord be with you”; we get ‘and with your spirit’, "we lift them up to the Lord’, “It is right and just”. We sing the Holy Holy Father makes up a Eucharistic prayer. We get a ‘song’ for the mystery of faith. We say amen at the end. We say the Lord’s Prayer. Father makes up a prayer. We sing Lamb of God. Then we say Lord I am not worthy that you enter under my roof. We receive communion. There’s a song. Father tells us announcements. “The Lord be with you” and with your spirit", “Go forth to be Church to the World” Thanks be to God, Song.
Welcome to my Sunday world
 
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