CATH NEWS REPORT- Around 3,100 Catholic pastoral musicians from around the United States, Canada and Mexico gathered in the US to prepare for the implementation of the new translation of the Roman Missal, said a Catholic News Service report on NCR.
"Whether we will sing new words to old tunes or new words to new tunes, the upcoming changes will affect all of us," Dominican Fr Paul Colloton told the crowd during the opening of the National Pastoral Musicians Convention on July 18 in Louisville, Kentucky. Colloton is the organisation's director of continuing education.
Parishes around the United States will begin using the new text - and some new music with it - for the celebration of Mass on November 27, the first Sunday in Advent.
He called on the 3,000-voice choir to sing with him the line, "Sing to the Lord a new song," the theme of this year's convention.
Colloton acknowledged that the new missal translation will bring changes in the Mass but said it also offers Catholics an opportunity to find a "deeper relationship with Jesus Christ" so that "we can sing to the Lord with new words," and he directed the crowd to sing the latter in unison.
Keynote speaker Msgr Ray East wove music intermittently into his speech. Singing the Magnificat at one point, East told the crowd, "That 'yes' Mary said changed the history of the world.
"I also believe that your 'yes' to everything that [is changing in the liturgy] will change our worship for the better," he said.
East, pastor of St Teresa of Avila in Washington, noted that some people came to the convention "with anger" and some came "sad." A variety of emotions have animated responses to the new Roman Missal, he said.
"All of us came here with questions, panicking about the advent of Advent," he said, as the crowd murmured with comments. "But I hope that somebody came here to Louisville with an open mind ... with an open heart to listen, to learn, to study. And I hope somebody came to 'sing to the Lord a new song.' "
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