Reintroducing the Propers

Dear Parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas,

Pope Saint Pius X said that the liturgy, of which sacred music is a vital part, is for the glory of God and the sanctification and edification of the people. Therefore, in order to be truly sanctified and edified, we must strive to learn what the Liturgy is, especially the music of The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I hope that this information will lead you to want to discover more; likewise, I hope that our music ministry can aid you in finding a more reverent and prayerful offering of the Mass.

The Mass itself is a very beautiful prayer, full of scripture and depth into the great mystery of the Eucharist. The whole Mass is meant to be sung. Today, we are permitted to sing or recite certain parts of the Mass, at the Pastor’s discretion. In this regard, it is paramount that we remember it is the words that are of utmost importance. The music serves only to heighten the text. For instance, the words of the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) must be used during the Mass. The Pastor can elect to have the congregation sing them or recite them, but the text must be used. The same is true for the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) and the other parts of the Mass that we usually sing. This is so, even for the simpler dialogues like “The Lord be with you.” “And with your spirit.” These words can be sung or recited, but they must be used. They are a part of the words of the Mass. There are also the presidential prayers that the priest prays on our behalf: The Collect (Opening prayer), the Prayer over the Offerings, the Eucharistic Prayer, and the Prayer after Communion. These, too, can be sung or recited.

In the last forty years, some of these texts that are a part of the Mass have been replaced by other music. While this is allowed under the current instruction of the rubrics, it is the last option. We miss out on praying the full Mass when we replace parts of it without good cause. In recent years, there has been a push in many parishes and even whole dioceses to begin reintroducing these parts of the Mass. I would like to see our parish take the lead in our area and perhaps our diocese as we seek to rediscover what it means to pray the Mass.

We have already begun reintroducing these “Propers” at the afternoon daily Masses on Wednesday and Friday, and occasionally on Sundays when the choir sings. These texts are called propers, not because they are necessarily the correct thing to sing, but they are proper to the day in the liturgical year. The propers are the texts that change with each Mass. (These are the texts that accompany the Entrance Procession, the Offertory Procession and the Communion Procession.) Compare this to the parts that don’t change, the parts that we sing/recite at every Mass: the ordinaries [Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus (Holy), Credo (Creed), Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)].

Therefore, the music ministry will be singing these parts as we introduce them. We are not replacing the current practice of hymn/song singing. We are only adding to that the propers. This gives the congregation a chance to listen to the beautiful words (that we are meant to pray, as stated in the Roman Missal) and uplifting melodies for prayer and reflection. One of the logistical beauties of these texts is that they are designed to fit exactly with the liturgical action. The texts are usually one or two sentences taken from Scripture; they each have been assigned to a particular liturgical day for at least the past millennium. These propers will be paired with a hymn/song for congregational singing. I cannot stress this enough. We are not taking away congregational singing. I absolutely love to hear a full church singing! And this parish is a wonderfully singing parish.

Our hope is to offer you this information that you might not have known so that you can continue to grow. Approach these opportunities as an occasion where you can just simply listen, pray internally and reflect. If you have any questions regarding anything musical, or if you would like to join the choir and learn how to sing these and other wonderful liturgical music, I urge you to come and talk to me by phone, email or in person. My office phone is 979-693-6994 x134 and my email is [email protected]. May we all truly be sanctified and edified in the glory of God.
Chris Bearer
Director of Music