Pray Tell is running a series on the liturgical history of Collegeville. The sub-series “From the Archives” reprints some of the Liturgy Committee meeting minutes from 1963 to 1969. This sub-series is a behind-the-scenes look at liturgy in Collegeville during and immediately after the Second Vatican Council.
The next record from the Liturgy Committee:
Minutes of the Liturgy Committee
Jan. 10, 1964
Present were Father Abbot, Fathers John, Daniel, Godfrey, Michael, Camillus, Hilary, Wenceslaus, Leon, Fr. Adam and Bro. Gerard.
Much of the meeting centered around the discussion of praying the Breviary in the vernacular.
Father Abbot began with the question: to what extent do we have an approved text? Father John replied that the monastic diurnal is considered an approved text. Father Abbot mentioned that Abbot Bede had called him up and said that at a meeting of Abbots to discuss the vernacular there was reference to the necessity of having the Ordinary approve the text.
Father Godfrey said that the question was brought up at the meeting of the American episcopal liturgical commission in Philadelphia. The bishops there did not feel that they should [get] into the question of approving texts for religious. To Father Abbot’s question of whether or not the Bishop would feel he was being put on the spot if we began using the vernacular, Father John replied that we could go to the Bishop and explain what we were doing.
At this point Father Godfrey made the following observations:
- We have a moral right to the vernacular, that is, to pray in the same language in which we think.
- We moved out of the chapel in which Office used to be recited and into the church so that others could take part in our public prayer (especially in our new church).
- We are a community of priests, clerics, and brothers; we should pray together, and therefore as a community we would have the moral right to pray in the vernacular.
- We have a “legal handle,” if necessary, in paragraph 101:2 of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.
He added that it would probably be good to wait until the diocesan clergy begin praying in the vernacular. Moreover, it is firmly hoped that the bishops will meet Easter Week. At such a meeting the text of the Roman Breviary will be approved. The clergy may perhaps begin vernacular recitation shortly afterwards, although a specific date has not yet been set.
Father Michael stressed the need for a good text for vernacular recitation.
The question of adopting the Roman Breviary was raised. Although the adoption of it would be very useful in view of the people, esp. priests, who come here and cannot participate with us in our monastic breviary, at the present time it is not feasible: the Roman Breviary is in a process of change, it has too many feasts (a corruption from which the monastic breviary is to a great extent spared), and some hours are disproportionately long.
Since the Bishops will want the Confraternity edition for the Psalms in the breviary, and since we use this edition in our classrooms, it was agreed that we should use the Confraternity text for the Psalms. It was mentioned that St. Meinrad’s has published a diurnal with the Confraternity edition of the Psalms. Father John said he would investigate and see if enough copies were available. The library copy would be placed in his room so that those who wished to, could examine it.
It was suggested that the Brothers could sing the Confraternity text of the Psalms as an experiment to benefit the entire community. They could use the same Antiphons, however, [that] they now have.
The question of concelebration was raised. Father John wondered if we should go to the Bishop and discuss this with him. Father Godfrey said that it is almost certain that the Pope will promulgate a document soon, granting certain privileges that the priests can begin using right now, such as dropping Prime, etc. We can hope that concelebration will be among them. A rite of concelebration has already been drawn up by a group of liturgists, who had anticipated the Pope’s concelebrating on the last day of the Council.
It was suggested that for the meeting on Monday the members of the Opus Dei committee plus Fathers Benedict, William, and Luke be invited to discuss the text for the Psalms.
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