Propers for Lent

- Gary D. Penkala

Use: Lent
Required Resources: Cantor or choir, congregation, organ
Language: English New 2010 Translation

Recent Vatican documents have served as reminders for liturgical musicians to look back at rubrics (particularly the GIRM 2011) to see just what we should be doing. This leads to the profound realization that at many places during the Mass, we have come far afield of what the Church expects of us. Perhaps this was due to overzealous liturgists and musicians of the late 20th century who were more concerned with promoting an agenda and their own tawdry pieces than researching what music might be closer to the rubrical desires.

Wise musicians are now examining the Church's intent for the processional moments in the Mass: Entrance, Offertory, Communion. They are discovering a fresh, new treasury of antiphons, ready-made, and linked to each celebration of the liturgical year. This booklet compiles the Mass Propers for Lent (Ash Wednesday through Palm Sunday) and includes antiphons for Entrance, Offertory and Communion, as well as appropriate psalm verses that can be used to extend the music.

The Entrance and Communion antiphons come from the Roman Missal (2010); the scriptural citations for the Offertory antiphons (which have never been translated into English) come from the Graduale Romanum, and are realized with text from the New American Bible, the approved translation for liturgy in the United States. Psalm verses are also from the NAB. The psalm tone for Lent (other seasons have different tones) is taken from CNP's Universal Music for Morning Prayer, and sets the English Proper texts to an easily-grasped melody. The refrain and verse format allows a great deal of flexibility; these can be sung by cantor or choir alone, or by cantor and/or choir with congregation.

May these settings, simple in form and style, lead to a rediscovery of the beauty of the Propers of the Roman Rite, and promote their use in "proper" liturgies.