The Recovering Choir Director

Article 71 addresses how the Prayer of the Faithful is to be done.

71. It is for the priest celebrant to direct this prayer from the chair. He himself begins it with a brief introduction, by which he invites the faithful to pray, and likewise he concludes it with a prayer. The intentions announced should be sober, be composed freely but prudently, and be succinct, and they should express the prayer of the entire community.The intentions are announced from the ambo or from another suitable place, by the deacon or by a cantor, a lector, or one of the lay faithful.The people, however, stand and give expression to their prayer either by an invocation said together after each intention or by praying in silence.

Praying in silence instead of saying/singing “Lord, hear our prayer”, etc. is an option that I find interesting. I wonder what effect silent prayer after each intention would have on the assembly if done regularly. Proper catechesis would be required, I’m sure.

The Instruction doesn’t mention singing the intentions, but settings are provided in one of the two official Roman Rite songbooks (the Graduale Simplex) as well as in today’s popular hymnals.