One of the golden opportunities of the new English translation of the Roman Missal is to study again the “nuts and bolts” of how Mass should be celebrated. Over the past decades, we’ve become used to many things in the celebration of Mass. Some are legitimate variations; others are not. And beyond this, liturgical renewal is not static, but ongoing. Indeed, the renewal that was embraced at the time of Vatican II had been going on for decades, and liturgical renewal continues today.
It’s with interest, then, that I see the announcement on Ottawa’s dioecesan website of a Mass on the First Sunday of Lent:
CHANTED MASS IN THE ORDINARY FORM, CELEBRATED ‘AD ORIENTEM’: Celebrated by Fr. Pierre Ingram, CC. First Sunday of Lent, Sat., Feb. 25, 7:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church. Accompanied by a small men’s choir; 20 minute intro on chant and booklet with music for full congregational participation. Info: (613-728-9811).
This announcement is interesting on several points.
1. The Mass is signified as being in the “Ordinary Form” recognising that we now have two official Forms of Mass (the other being the Extraordinary Form). One of the great achievements of Benedict XVI, in my opinion, has been regularizing the situation of the so-called Extraordinary Form, so that those who wish to worship in this way are now free to do so, and priests are to assist generously groups asking for this.
2. The Mass will be celebrated ad orientem, in other words, facing “liturgical East” – priest and people on the same side of the altar facing in the same direction. [I cringe at the description “the priest with his back to the people” because it’s as true as saying that everyone in front of me in the church has their back to me … well, they do and they don’t]. I hope we’ll see a lot more of Mass celebrated ad orientem. I personally believe that this change [to Mass “facing the people”], even more than Mass in the vernacular, seriously affected in a negative way our understanding of what we are doing when we offer the sacrifice of the Mass. I believe that even an occasional use of celebrating ad orientem, with appropriate catechesis, could greatly contribute to people’s understand of, and participation in, the Sacred Mysteries.
3. The Mass will be accompanied with chant. Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (no. 116), whilst not excluding other kinds of sacred music, stated that Gregorian chant is “specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.” Unfortunately, hymn singing has come to almost universally replace the singing of the Entrance, Offertory and Communion Chants. It will take a lot of hard work by liturgical musicians (and assemblies), but it is time – I believe – to start learning the chants. Of course, there will always be a place for hymns – here and there – but they should be seen as secondary to the proper chants of the Mass.
As I said above, liturgical renewal is ongoing and not static. Just as we embraced liturgical renewal in the decades following Vatican II, we must not allow ourselves now to get stuck in the immediate past.
Well done to the organisers of this Mass in Ottawa … and I hope that it is an initiative that gets taken up in many other places.
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A secular priest 
I totally agree, especially wrt Mass ‘facing the people.’ With it, the priest becomes the focus of attention, and being human, many priests like to ‘play to the gallery.’
In wonderful Wagga Wagga, there is to be held a full weekend workshop in Gregorian chant held at our diocesan seminary 24-26 February, as usual, our diocese is at the cutting edge of genuine renewal and reform in hte Church in Australia [and the heartening thing is, recent history shows that some other dioceses have a marked tendency to follow suit]. That will continue as our diocese may continue to export its priests to become bishops in other places [e.g. Most Rev Michael Kennedy, now Bishop of Armadale and one of the original seminarians at the then new and extremely controversial diocesan seminary begun by Bishop William Brennan]. The naysayers and gloom and doom merchants predicted it to be a catastrophe and doomed to failure. Well we now have 22 seminarians, about half from other dioceses. Doom and gloom merchants should read, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, Blessed John XXIII’s opening address. He had some stern words for prophets of doom and reluctant feet draggers. The Diocese of Wagga Wagga helped move the Church in Australia into the 21st century and refused to remain stuck in the swinging 60s and 70s. Unfortunately, some priests and religious have been left behind!
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Dear Father. Celebration ad orientum would present some probems in our church–the priest would be facing south-west!! [The church was built in the 1970s…]
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Yes, literal East will definitely be a problem in some places! I tend to prefer to qualify the direction by saying “liturgical East” or something similar. The point is that we all (priest and people) face in the same direction – “towards the Lord.” “The East” adds additional theological remembrances – particularly eschatological – awaiting the ‘dawn that will break upon us from on high.’
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