Our parish is getting a new missal starting in Advent! The “missal” is the book that contains the readings and music for Mass each week. We are excited to offer this new resource in our pews to elevate our participation at Mass on a regular basis. Here is an overview of what to expect with the new book you will see in the pews, starting with the First Sunday of Advent.
What is the Source & Summit Missal?
Featuring many hymns that our parish is already used to singing, with a layout similar to our current missal, the Source & Summit Missal will be a great new resource for us as we worship together. Here are a few features to highlight:
- The Order of Mass (sung and spoken)
- Readings and Proper Antiphons for all Sunday and weekday Masses, ordered by date
- A section of over 50 devotional Catholic prayers for personal use
- Chant-style responsorial psalms for the congregation
- Beautiful selection of hymns for congregational singing, sourced from Catholic texts both ancient and new!
Our parish has actually been using Source & Summit for the last 2 years in our weekday & Saturday morning Mass worship aids. Their digital platform allows for ease of access to music for our musicians to lead the congregation, and streamlines the process of preparing beautiful liturgies that draws us more deeply into the celebration of the Mass.
Music Example: First Sunday of Advent (Nov 30 & Dec 1)
Why "Source & Summit?"
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.” (CCC 1324) In that spirit, the mission of the publishers at Source & Summit “is to help every Catholic parish elevate the liturgy.” We are so excited to partner with Source & Summit in this new way to elevate our liturgical celebrations at the parish.
On a personal note, I was delighted to learn that we are now one of four parishes in Fargo that are using this resource moving forward: Us, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Mary’s Cathedral, and the NDSU Newman Center all have the Source & Summit Missal, in addition to the Pastoral Center Chapel at the Diocese of Fargo offices, and Shanley High School! This resource is new to us, and there will no doubt be some new things to get used to, or try for the first time. Our parish musicians are prepared to support you through their example and leadership, as we’ve been working hard this fall to prepare for this new endeavor. We’ll help you every step of the way, and in all things focus on Christ in the liturgy, to be active participants in the Mass which brings us into contact with Jesus in the Eucharist: “the source and summit of the Christian life.”
