![]() Instead, the decision was previously made to include modern hymn texts and other songs, often replacing or omitting these great masterpieces of liturgical poetry. In the current edition of the Liturgy of the Hours, the hymns are often presented with multiple options for texts, which many times do not include the rich and ancient hymnody present in the same edition in Latin. Image Source: AB/United States Conference of Catholic Bishops “When the Church offers praise to God in the liturgy of the hours, it unites itself with that hymn of praise sung throughout all ages in the halls of heaven it also receives a foretaste of the song of praise in heaven, described by John in the Book of Revelation, the song sung continually before the throne of God and of the Lamb” (GILH 16). Andrew Wadsworth, remarked that this effort represents a “phenomenal recovery of a large portion of liturgical texts that were not previously available in English.” Through the work of ICEL, the 294 Latin texts of the Office hymns were researched and translated by the efforts of several individuals and the independent work of two women’s religious communities. The work of translation of liturgical texts into English is accomplished by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) which serves the English-speaking episcopal conferences. This scope called for the use of the entirety of the body of approved hymns from the Latin typical edition of the Liturgia Horarum and their translation into English. The divine office is the voice of the Church, that is of the whole mystical body publicly praising God.Īt their fall meeting in 2012, the USCCB voted to approve the “scope of work” for the new translation of the Liturgy of the Hours, according to the second typical edition (published by the Holy See in 1985). ![]() The Liturgy of the Hours “is the public prayer of the Church, is a source of piety, and nourishment for personal prayer” (SC, 90). This hymnal represents a significant contribution to the liturgical life of the Church, both for individuals as well as communities who pray the hours in common, as “the divine office is the voice of the Church, that is of the whole mystical body publicly praising God” (SC, 99). He is optimistic, too, that “we might see a renaissance in praying the Liturgy of the Hours among the faithful,” echoing the call of encouragement from the Second Vatican Council for the laity to take up this daily prayer (see Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC), 100). The choice to include both tunes from the Church’s tradition of Gregorian chant alongside metered hymn tunes serves to “encourage both aspects of the Church’s musical patrimony,” said Father Andrew Menke, executive director of the Secretariat for Divine Worship of the U.S. ![]() Each hymn is set to two different melodies: first to chant-melodies of the Gregorian repertoire, and second to metrical melodies. The Divine Office Hymnal features the English translation of the hymn texts from the Latin typical edition. This liturgical book of music represents the fruit of a decade’s worth of work for the new translation of the Liturgy of the Hours, fittingly highlighting the song of praise of the Liturgy of the Hours, the eternal song of Christ to the Father.įor as the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours (GILH) notes, “When the Church offers praise to God in the Liturgy of the Hours, it unites itself with that hymn of praise which is sung in the heavenly places throughout all ages it also receives a foretaste of the song of praise in heaven, described by John in the Book of Revelation, the song that is sung without ceasing before the throne of God and of the Lamb” (16). ![]() This summer, the new Divine Office Hymnal will be available in print: our first glance at the new translation of hymn texts for praying the Divine Office. ![]()
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