Within the Roman Catholic Church, there is an ancient tradition of music in the liturgy. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as a combination of sacred music and words, it forms a necessary or integral part of solemn liturgy. The composition and singing of inspired psalms, often accompanied by musical instruments, were already closely linked to the liturgical celebrations of the Old Covenant. The Church continues and develops this tradition: “Address . . . one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.” “He who sings prays twice.”

Song and music fulfill their function as signs in a manner all the more significant when they are “more closely connected . . . with the liturgical action,” according to three principal criteria: beauty expressive of prayer, the unanimous participation of the assembly at the designated moments, and the solemn character of the celebration. In this way they participate in the purpose of the liturgical words and actions: the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful:

How I wept, deeply moved by your hymns, songs, and the voices that echoed through your Church! What emotion I experienced in them! Those sounds flowed into my ears distilling the truth in my heart. A feeling of devotion surged within me, and tears streamed down my face – tears that did me good.

The harmony of signs (song, music, words, and actions) is all the more expressive and fruitful when expressed in the cultural richness of the People of God who celebrate. Hence “religious singing by the faithful is to be intelligently fostered so that in devotions and sacred exercises as well as in liturgical services,” in conformity with the Church’s norms, “the voices of the faithful may be heard.” But “the texts intended to be sung must always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine. Indeed they should be drawn chiefly from the Sacred Scripture and from liturgical sources.” (CCC 1156-1158)

While we regularly sign hymns, often the psalm and less often other parts of the Mass, one traditional sung part of the liturgy is rarely heard these days. This part of the liturgy is the special domain of the deacon and is the proclamation of the Gospel.

If the deacon would like to sing the Gospel, how would he go about it? The most important resource is to find musical settings for the chant required. An excellent source of the these is the Book of Sung Gospels published by CanticaNOVA Publications. The author Gary Penkala was for a number of years the Director of Liturgical Music at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. During his time there, he set the Gospel for the major celebrations of the year to an ancient Gospel tone. The current edition is drawn from the NAB but the previous edition from the New Jerusalem Bible may still be found. Adaptation of the phrasing may be required to fit the lectionary in use in the UK.

The basic Gospel tone used in this book consists of two phrases which alternate throughout the text. There is a third phrase which is used for questions.

To sing the Gospel successfully, the deacon needs to become very familiar with the tone and also change the scale if required. Special attention needs to be breathing as there can be very long phrases. The pace also needs to be deliberate in much the same way as when psalms and canticles are chanted during the Divine Office.

Another important aspect is preparation of the congregation so that they are able to make the correct responses. For this reason it would be useful to sing the Gospel at a Mass where there is a choir to lead the congregation in their responses.

A sung Gospel creates additional solemnity appropriate for this part of the liturgy and may open your parish’s eyes to some of the musical treasures of the Church.

An example of a sung Gospel taken from a rehearsal for the Assumption is at the end of this article.