In my parish, particularly at weddings and funerals, but also
at times during the Sunday liturgy, the Melotte Our Father is used. This disturbs me because it is different from the text
used in the parish worship aid and because there is no place for the priest's prayer before the words: "For thine is the kingdom...."
Is this version approprioate for use in the liturgy?
In determining the suitability of sung settings of liturgical
texts, a threefold judgement must be made: musical, liturgical and pastoral (see Music in Catholic Worship, number 25). While
the musical and pastoral appropriateness of this particular piece of music is debatable, strictly liturgical considerations
are very clear.
Regulation of the liturgy and approval of liturgical texts is
clearly described by the Constitution on the Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council (see Sacrosanctum Concilium, paragraph
22). All liturgical texts used in the dioceses of the United States of America must be approved by the National Conference
of Catholic Bishops and subsequently confirmed by the Holy See.
In keeping with these norms, the National Conference of Catholic
Bishops approved the current text for the Order of Mass in 1973, a decision which was confirmed by the Holy See the following
year. These texts, including the text of the Lord's Prayer, may not be changed by anyone except the National Conference of
Catholic Bishops, and then only with confirmation by the Holy See. There is no provision for dropping the prayer "Deliver
us..." except at a Wedding Mass, and, therefore, any musical setting of the Lord's Prayer that is used at Mass must provide
for the doxology to be sung after the "Deliver us, Lord..."
__________________________________
Committee on the Liturgy
United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194
