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<DIV><FONT size=4>Things have been a bit quiet lately. . . </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I have been asked by our new pastor to write some guidelines
for wedding music. He is the first priest that I have worked for who has
taken the liturgy seriously enough to ask me to tell couples that the
prescription for the Rite of Marriage is for a congregational hymn for the
processional. He says he is willing to allow an instrumental processional,
but that after the procession has come to the altar, we will have to sign a
gathering hymn.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>This is very novel for our parish, and indeed, in my 12 years
of pastoral musicianship I have only had maybe 3 weddings with hymns for
processionals. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Anyway, I am looking for suggestions for hymns, or wedding
hymn texts that could be set to very familiar hymn tunes. I worry about
the effect of an "entrance hymn sung badly" on the ceremony. Given the
demographics of Oklahoma, where we Catholics are a minority, most wedding
congregations are more than half Protestant, and probably a lot of them
(Catholics and Protestants alike) are not frequent church attenders. So
that presents its own challenges.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>He has also forbidden use of the Wedding March from Lohengrin
("Here comes the bride").</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Any ideas?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Robert Waldrop, Epiphany Church, Oklahoma
City</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>