ROM TIME TO TIME, I help out at local parishes here in the city. I had to stop playing organ at the Cathedral when I became a father.
Anyway, at Mass this Sunday, the priest intoned the Gloria, and the choir and congregation continued. It was a truly marvelous effect! Somehow, this simple gesture reminded us in a powerful way that we — all of us together — are praying. It’s hard to believe what a beautiful effect it was, in this small, local parish where it occurred.
By the way, they sang the Gloria in honor of St. Anne Line (practice video).
If it’s not possible for the Priest to intone the Gloria, the choir or cantor can start. This is allowed in the post-Conciliar rubrics. If you don’t believe me, you can read the rubrics from the Ordo Cantus Missae (scroll down to Number 2). Bishop Peter J. Elliott agrees the preference is for the priest to intone the Gloria.
