Local musicians recommend ‘Mass of Renewal’

More than two dozen musicians from parishes and schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans gathered last month to hear and evaluate 12 new musical settings of the Order of Mass based on the new Roman Missal.

The group recommended the “Mass of Renewal” by William Gokelman and David Kauffman as the setting that should be learned first for parish and archdiocesan liturgies.

Msgr. Kenneth Hedrick, director of the Office of Worship, said the meeting was more successful than he had hoped.

“Not only did we choose a recommended setting for Sunday and special liturgies,” Msgr. Hedrick said, “but the group also offered recommendations for children’s Masses and for youth or folk-style Masses as well.”

Msgr. Hedrick said the 27 music ministers attending the workshop represented a cross-section of parishes, large and small and of different ethnic backgrounds, as well as several high schools.

“Many of these people already knew each other, so there was an immediate comfort level,” he said. “We all got to meet a few people we didn’t know, and that seemed to add to the enthusiasm of the day.”

Easier by the dozen

The dozen settings played at the gathering were chosen weeks earlier at a similar meeting held by the Office of Worship of the Diocese of Lafayette. After listening to a number of newly composed settings, that group selected 12 as “the best of the best” and distributed that list to other diocesan directors among the seven dioceses of Louisiana.

“Because of this good and foundational work, we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Msgr. Hedrick said. “We began with those 12 and selected from there.”

Msgr. Hedrick acknowledged that additional settings have been published since the initial list was developed, and a number of composers have reworked their music in currently used settings, but he said the initial list was still a good starting point.

“The directors of the state generally agreed that it would, in the long run, prove more effective in helping people learn the newly revised translation of the prayers of the Mass if a new setting, rather than a revised setting was used,” Msgr. Hedrick said. “After people are fully comfortable with the new translation, then it might be good to revisit some ‘old favorites’ for the acclamations of the Mass.”

The only selection that was not made was for parishes that celebrate in an African-American style of musical prayer.

“None of us were satisfied with what was available at the time of this first meeting, and so we agreed to have another meeting later this summer for that selection,” Msgr. Hedrick said.

All parishes and institutions are encouraged to learn “Mass of Renewal,” which won a recent competition sponsored by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Msgr. Hedrick said many parishes across the country will be using this setting, and having a common musical setting will make it easier for people who attend archdiocesan liturgies.

Assembly booklets, full score and accompaniment books for organ, piano and guitar and SATB choir settings can be ordered at massofrenewal.com or  (800) 759-5805, Spanish, contemporary and youth editions and a CD are also available.

Other settings that received high marks were “The Mass of the Resurrection” by Randall DeBruyn (OCP Publications); “Mass of Renewal” by Curtis Stephan for youth and contemporary groups (OCP); and “Mass of Plenty” by Rob Glover for elementary grade children’s choirs/school or CCD Masses (GIA Publications).

The Office of Worship will schedule several sessions around the archdiocese in September for music ministers to hear and sing the new settings together. The dates and locations of the sessions are not finalized.

Archbishop Gregory Aymond, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship, said at the bishops’ meeting in June that the Vatican has given permission for parishes in the U.S. to begin using the revised or newly composed musical settings earlier than the implementation date of the Roman Missal, which is the First Sunday of Advent (Nov. 27).

In the archdiocese, Archbishop Aymond will permit parishes and institutions to use the new musical settings in October.

Peter Finney Jr. can be reached at [email protected].