The Gloria in Ritual Masses

As we continue to get acquainted with the new Roman Missal we uncover more changes to the way we celebrate the liturgy.  It is good to see that so many of those who plan liturgy are carefully reading the rubrics of the Missal and discovering the change there.  Jerry Galipeau commented on this at his "Gotta Sing, Gotta Pray" blog. 

As many of you know, I volunteer on the liturgy committee at my parish, Saint James, on the near South Side of the city of Chicago. We had our final "touching bases" meeting last night, talking about some of the details of our Triduum liturgies.

Something really struck me during the meeting, and it did not have to do with the actual words in the new English translation at all. At several points during the meeting (in discussion about the "stripping of the altar" and the incensation of the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday), people kept asking, "Well what does the new Missal say?" I kind of sat there chuckling to myself because, at least in my past experience, very few people would say things like, "Well, what does the Sacramentary say?" The questions usually asked at liturgy committee meetings were along the lines of, "Well, what did we do last year?" I have been in parishes, my own present parish included, where some kind of innovation during the Triduum developed over time and most people just assumed that the practice was embedded in the liturgical books. Case in point for me is the "stripping of the altar." The first time I attended Triduum at my parish, this "stripping" actually took on more significance than the footwashing (actually we washed hands that year-thank God that misguided practice was short-lived!) During the stripping, there was a song of lament sung and a dramatic reading of a psalm. I sat there and kind of wondered where it all came from. The answer was two-fold. There had been some innovation with the "stripping" in the parish in the past, as well as in the past life of the director of worship. The two strands came together and the result was something never envisioned in our current liturgical books.

So, I do think that the advent of The Roman Missal, Third Edition has been a good thing for liturgy committees like ours at Saint James. We are actually looking at the Missal as a primary source, the first place we go for answers, rather than to a history of liturgical innovations that may have meant that we strayed from the intentions of the official liturgical books.

Hardly a week goes by that I don't get a call in the office about some change or another.  This week it is the use of the Gloria at Confirmation.  In fact, I had just reviewed the recent Newsletter of the Bishops' Committee on Divine Worship where they give an update on this question.

In the Roman Missal, Third Edition, the rubrics call for the Gloria more frequently than before. Nine out of the ten Ritual Masses prescribe the Gloria, the only exception being the Mass for the Institution of Lectors and Acolytes. These Masses are all treated as if they were Feasts, and the Gloria is used for them even when celebrated during Advent or Lent. Thus for example, Masses for Confirmation, Holy Orders, or Marriage would include the Gloria, even when they occur during Advent or Lent. (It should be noted, though, that Ritual Masses are prohibited on Sundays of Advent and Lent.)

So, both Confirmation and Marriage both include the Gloria in a sung or recited form.