Profession of Faith Part 2

ABOUT THE MASS SERIES. 

The Mass: About the Mass Icon.

PROFESSION OF FAITH PART 2

The Profession of Faith serves as a way for us to respond, and to give our assent to the Word of God heard in the readings and the homily, and for us to recall the truths of faith before we continue with the celebration of the Eucharist- the great mystery of faith.

Over the centuries, like the other parts of the Mass, music has been composed for the Nicene Creed, such as, the ‘Mass in B Minor’ by J.S. Bach or ‘Mass in C’ by L. van Beethoven. These composers took a particular line of text and created a composition around it. So their Creeds were made of many sections.  We can learn from this method ourselves. Actually, this is a great way for us to reflect on the words of the Creed. Why not take a line or two and mull over it?

SAY OR SING THE CREED?

However, since Vatican 11, it is preferred that the Creed is not sung, rather that it is proclaimed together, giving voice to our beliefs and responding to the Word of God.   

If it is sung, as a rule the congregation is meant to sing it together or in alternation.  The musical style is meant to be declamatory in style, rather than an extensive and involved musical structure.

A good example of our heritage can be found in the Catholic Worship Book (1985) ‘Credo in Unum Deum’ (No 541. This is in plainchant, and can be sung either together (as it is often sung at the Vatican) or in alternation.  

Perhaps our younger members of the congregation find the recitation of the Profession of Faith difficult to remember.  You will find it if you ask at Catholic bookshop.  It can also be found in Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) Some parishes have a leaflet in the pews with all the key parts of the Mass. Perhaps, you can ask your priest whether you can borrow it. Parish resources often go missing so if you decide to askn, inform him of a date in which you will return it and make sure you do return it by that date.  

In some parishes, the Profession of Faith is presented on the overhead projector to help the congregation to focus on what they are professing.  After all, our Faith is very special and we need every voice to say with our hearts ‘I believe’.

The Profession of Faith had the most changes in the text when the ''new translation'' was introduced in 2011.  

Stay tuned for next week's post- Changes of text in Profession of Faith and how these changes bring a deeper, more authentic meaning than the previous translation.