The Grail Psalms - The Revised Grail Psalms: A Liturgical Psalter

Also available from GIA Publications, Inc.:The Revised Grail Psalms A Liturgical Psalter Singing Version G-7984 The Revised Grail Psalms: A Liturgical Psalter G-7882 ISBN: 978-1-57999-837-0 Cover image: Beuronese art from the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Conception, Missouri. The Revised Grail Psalms were confirmed by decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on March 19, 2010 (Prot. n. 172/09/L). Copyright 2010 Conception Abbey/The Grail, administered by GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. www.giamusic.com/rgp. www.giamusic.com/rgp.

All rights reserved. For reprint information, visit www.giamusic.com/rgp Printed in the United States of America. CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS Prot. n. 172/09/L UNITED STATES OF AMERICA At the request of His Eminence Cardinal Francis Eugene George, Archbishop of Chicago, President of the Conference of Bishops of the United States of America, in a letter dated January 28, 2009, by virtue of the faculty given to this Congregation by the Supreme Pontiff BENEDICT XVI, we gladly approve and confirm the text of the English-language liturgical Psalter, as it appears in the appended copy, to be used in all future liturgical books. In printed editions, mention must be made of the recognitio granted by this Congregation.

Moreover, two copies of the printed text should be forwarded to this Congregation. All things to the contrary notwithstanding. From the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, March 19, 2010. Antonio Card. Caizares Llovera Prefect Joseph Augustine Di Noia, OP Archbishop-Secretary

With the introduction of the vernacular, the need arose for a faithful and singable translation of the Psalms that could be used as the faithfuls response to the proclamation of the word of God. One of the early texts embraced by the Church for use in the sacred liturgy was the 1963 edition of The Grail Psalms, which relied on the translation of the Psalms into French in La Bible de Jrusalem (1953). Father Joseph Gelineaus original work, which set these French texts to chant tones, became the basis for the English version of the Psalms produced in Great Britain by the Ladies of the Grail, a secular religious institute. While the 1963 Grail Psalter had many virtues, it also had some weaknesses. First, it did not have access to the Latin critical text of Scripture commissioned by Pope Paul VI and known as the Nova Vulgata, which was published in 1979. Second, it sometimes sacrificed accuracy of translation in order to accommodate the musical settings, at times becoming more of a paraphrase than a literal translation.

Third, the translation failed at times to preserve the rich imagery and beauty of the Hebrew Scriptures. As a result of these weaknesses, a revision of the 1963 Psalter became necessary. Furthermore, various sung versions of the psalms that were more paraphrases than faithful translations had been introduced into the liturgy by bishops conferences in several English-speaking nations to replace the texts of the psalms found in the Lectionary. This situation led the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to propose a thorough revision of the 1963 Grail Psalter that would be based on both the original Hebrew text and the Nova Vulgata, and would also be in harmony with the norms of translation found in Liturgiam Authenticam (2001). The revised translation of The Grail Psalms presented now to the Church is more accurate, poetic, and singable. I am confident that communities and individuals will benefit from incorporating these psalms into their daily and liturgical prayer.

The Psalms are truly the Churchs prayer book, which Jesus himself prayed during his life on earth. Hence, they ought to be an integral part of every Catholics prayer life. The Second Vatican Councils Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), explained the value of reading and praying the Old Testament: Now the books of the Old Testament, in accordance with the state of mankind before the time of salvation established by Christ, reveal to all men the knowledge of God and of man and the ways in which God, just and merciful, deals with men. These same books, then, give expression to a lively sense of God, sound wisdom about human life, and a wonderful treasury of prayers, and in them the mystery of our salvation is present in a hidden way. Christians should receive them with reverence. 15) The wonderful treasury of prayers mentioned above refers to the Psalms, the Churchs first prayer book. 15) The wonderful treasury of prayers mentioned above refers to the Psalms, the Churchs first prayer book.

Pope John Paul II explains the efficacy of praying the Psalms by reminding us that in singing the Psalms, the Christian feels a sort of harmony between the Spirit present in the Scriptures and the Spirit who dwells within him through the grace of Baptism. More than praying in his own words, he echoes those sighs too deep for words mentioned by St. Paul (cf. Rom. 8:26), with which the Lords Spirit urges believers to join in Jesus characteristic invocation: Abba! Father! (Rom. 4:6). (General Audience, April 4, 2001) In his excellent book The Spirit of the Liturgy, Pope Benedict XVI says that among the various witnesses throughout Scripture to the singing of individuals and communities in the praise of God, the Book of Psalms becomes the proper source for understanding the importance of sung prayer in Christian worship. (General Audience, April 4, 2001) In his excellent book The Spirit of the Liturgy, Pope Benedict XVI says that among the various witnesses throughout Scripture to the singing of individuals and communities in the praise of God, the Book of Psalms becomes the proper source for understanding the importance of sung prayer in Christian worship.

As our Holy Father says: In their prayed poetry, the Psalms display the whole range of human experiences, which become prayer and song in the presence of God. He then goes on to say: Quite spontaneously, the Psalter becomes the prayer book of the infant Church, which, with equal spontaneity, has become a Church that sings her prayers (). The Psalms are meant to be sung. The General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours makes this same point when it states: The Psalms are not readings nor were they specifically composed as prayers, but as poems of praise. Though sometimes they may be proclaimed like a reading, nevertheless, because of their literary character, they are rightly called in Hebrew