The Catholic Case for Protestant Hymns
March 16, 2012
Nathaniel Peters
Should Catholics sing hymns at Mass? Given the state of Catholic liturgical music, it’s a fair question. In the last century, Catholics exchanged their musical solid food for milk—usually skim and on the edge of going sour. Hymns at Mass are a recent addition to the liturgy. Hymns were used in the daily office, rotating by day or by season, but the Tridentine Mass had chants for particular days—the propers of the Mass—not hymns. Protestant congregations who were departing from medieval practice in other ways introduced hymns into the liturgy itself, and, as many Christians of all kinds acknowledge, Catholic attempts to appropriate and improve on this Protestant modification have not turned out well.
It should not surprise us, therefore, that some Catholics who want to fix church music focus on Gregorian chant and move away from hymns altogether. Others lean more favorably toward hymns, but seek to make sure that they are Catholic hymns. But there are good reasons for Catholics to sing hymns—and Protestant hymns, at that. Even as they strive for excellence in Gregorian chant and other areas of musical renewal, Catholics would do well to remember what good hymns can do and why excellence in hymn-singing should be part of the Catholic liturgical renewal.
First, good hymns offer an excellent opportunity for catechesis, which is one of the purposes of liturgy. Like the proper chants, they can help us digest the truths of God we have just received in Scripture and offer an exegesis of particular feasts themselves. Consider the Lutheran Easter hymn, “Awake, My Heart, with Gladness”:
Now I will cling forever
To Christ, my Savior true;
My Lord will leave me never,
Whate’er He passeth through.
He rends Death’s iron chain,
He breaks through sin and pain,
He shatters hell’s dark thrall,
I follow Him through all. . . .
He brings me to the portal
That leads to bliss untold,
Whereon this rhyme immortal
Is found in script of gold:
“Who there My cross hath shared
Finds here a crown prepared;
Who there with Me hath died
Shall here be glorified.”
Notice the unexpected way Paul Gerhardt puts it: It is not that I will never leave Christ, whatever I pass through, but that he will never leave me. In a short turn of phrase, Gerhardt reminds us of the assurances that come through Christ’s resurrection: Whatever we suffer, we suffer with him at our side—and knowing the end of his story, we have hope for the end of our own. We follow Christ as he harrows Hell and routs the many places it has encamped in our own souls. We are promised the cross, yes, but also the crown. In these two verses, Gerhardt had left us a rich primer on the resurrection, a sixteen-line sermon on what the triumph of Christ means for the life of a Christian.
Because these hymns can be vehicles for handing on the Catholic faith, they remind us of the real meaning of Catholic. At its heart, to say that something is Catholic is not to say that it was written by a person in communion with the bishop of Rome but that it is in accord with the universal apostolic heritage. This means, of course, that not all hymns are suitable for Catholic liturgies. But it also means that if a hymn proclaims the Catholic faith, then—regardless of its origin—we should consider it a Catholic hymn.
This is the vision of catholicity put forward in Vatican II. The Council fathers write in Lumen Gentium that while the Church in the world subsists in the Catholic Church, “many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity.” In the decree on ecumenism, they note that such elements “belong by right to the one Church of Christ.” They continue: “Nor should we forget that anything wrought by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of our separated brethren can be a help to our own edification. Whatever is truly Christian . . . can always bring a deeper realization of the mystery of Christ and the Church.”
In other words, if a Protestant hymn contains Catholic truth, it is a Catholic hymn as well. Singing such hymns is, in the deepest sense of the word, truly Catholic. Furthermore, many hymns capture the particular genius of a group of believers, a way of putting things that the Holy Spirit has allowed to develop in particular times and places. In singing hymns that embody that genius, Catholics can claim them as a gift for themselves as well.
For the sake of teaching the faith and living out its catholicity, therefore, Catholics should give serious consideration to good hymnody. Yes, we should resurrect our own treasures that we have discarded. Restore Gregorian chant to its rightful place and ramp up the Latin, by all means. And yes, we must be careful about what hymns we chose. But it is good for Catholics to sing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say,” and “Abide with Me.” For with them all Christians can praise God, hand on of the faith, and help bind up sad divisions. If the Catholic Church is who she claims to be, and if being Catholic means what she claims it means, then singing such hymns truly is a Catholic thing to do.
Nathaniel Peters is a doctoral candidate in theology at Boston College.
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Comments:
3.16.2012 | 6:37am
edmond says:
Just hymns?
"The text of the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium in which it is declared that the Church "approves of all forms of true art which have the requisite qualities[7], and admits them into divine worship", finds satisfactory criteria for application in nn. 50-53 of the above-mentioned Instruction Musicam Sacram[8].
"The music and song requested by the liturgical reform - it is right to stress this point - must comply with the legitimate demands of adaptation and inculturation. It is clear, however, that any innovation in this sensitive matter must respect specific criteria such as the search for musical expressions which respond to the necessary involvement of the entire assembly in the celebration and which, at the same time, avoid any concessions to frivolity or superficiality. Likewise, on the whole, those elitist forms of "inculturation" which introduce into the Liturgy ancient or contemporary compositions of possible artistic value, but that indulge in a language that is incomprehensible to the majority, should be avoided. CHIROGRAPH OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II
"The text of the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium in which it is declared that the Church "approves of all forms of true art which have the requisite qualities[7], and admits them into divine worship", finds satisfactory criteria for application in nn. 50-53 of the above-mentioned Instruction Musicam Sacram[8].
"The music and song requested by the liturgical reform - it is right to stress this point - must comply with the legitimate demands of adaptation and inculturation. It is clear, however, that any innovation in this sensitive matter must respect specific criteria such as the search for musical expressions which respond to the necessary involvement of the entire assembly in the celebration and which, at the same time, avoid any concessions to frivolity or superficiality. Likewise, on the whole, those elitist forms of "inculturation" which introduce into the Liturgy ancient or contemporary compositions of possible artistic value, but that indulge in a language that is incomprehensible to the majority, should be avoided. CHIROGRAPH OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II
3.16.2012 | 9:38am
patricksarsfield says:
In fact, the Catholic Church has a tremendous body of music on which to draw. The sung parts of the Latin Mass still work and do not involve much study to grasp their meaning (they are after all the original from which the new English translations spring). On those relatively rare occasions when we do sing the Sanctus or Agnus Dei, the congregation tends to chime in a lot more. And five sung pieces plus the Psalm and a recessional (Holy God We Praise Thy Name is an old standard that we used to sing a lot) are more than enough singing for even a Missa Cantata.
By contrasdt, I find most protestant hymns to be too treacly or maudlin for my taste.
By contrasdt, I find most protestant hymns to be too treacly or maudlin for my taste.
3.16.2012 | 10:11am
Hymns have several merits for singing by the assembly. For one thing, hymns are written in meter so there is a predictable pattern in the tune. This lends itself to group singing. And you're spot on about the exegesis. One of the liturgical norms, however, is that music accompanies liturgical action. So, if the procession or recession only takes 20 seconds, that's how long the music should last. In almost every Catholic Church I've ever attended, even when hymns are used, only one or two verses are sung. You miss the full exegesis. On the other hand, when one of the banal contemporary compositions are sung, I'm spared from enduring all the verses.
3.16.2012 | 10:46am
Matt Hummel says:
I am a a clergy convert. The one thing I miss on a regular basis is strong hymnody. I find so many of the worship songs treacly, maudlin and uncomfortable. I do not like singing with God's voice. The great old hymns both catechize and connect you diachronically with the Saints before.
Imagine the power of Catholics, wrestling with the imposition of the HHS mandate having ready recourse to "Onward Christian Soldiers" or The Church's One Foundation" or, dare I suggest, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God?"
What better way to to deal with hopes and fears than to sing, and recall, that
"Crowns and thrones may perish,
Kingdoms rise and wane,
But the Church of Jesus
Constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never
'Gainst that Church prevail;
We have Christ's own promise,
And that cannot fail.
Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before."
Imagine the power of Catholics, wrestling with the imposition of the HHS mandate having ready recourse to "Onward Christian Soldiers" or The Church's One Foundation" or, dare I suggest, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God?"
What better way to to deal with hopes and fears than to sing, and recall, that
"Crowns and thrones may perish,
Kingdoms rise and wane,
But the Church of Jesus
Constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never
'Gainst that Church prevail;
We have Christ's own promise,
And that cannot fail.
Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before."
3.16.2012 | 11:42am
Pastor Spomer says:
I’m thankful for this article, not only for what it says about hymnody, but also its treatment of the topic of catholicity in Christendom. As someone already mentioned, this includes other arts. As a Lutheran, I would offer Grunewald’s Crucifixion Altarpiece as edifying for any Christian.
3.16.2012 | 11:46am
Richard says:
Thank you, Mr. Peters, for an article written from a generous and inquiring spirit. As a former Roman Catholic now worshipping as an Anglican, one of the things I treasure in our liturgy is the Episcopal Hymnal. More than that, I treasure the tradition of hymnody in worship, which was/is one of the gifts of the Reformation to the greater Church. I value Gregorian Chant as much as the next person, but the fact remains that in far too many cases Gregorian Chant has evolved into an expression of worship through music that is Done by Others. My understanding is that this was among the reasosn why the Reformation placed the emphasis that it did on congregational singing. 'Patricksarsfeld' is correct; the Catholic Church developed a fine body of hymnody over the past centures. Sadly, at least in many of the American churches I've attended, an inquirer or visitor would never know this, due to the spread of the guitar mass and its cantor-led aftermath of too many hymns that contain little of the theological richness and challenge of some of the verses quoted here. Such pietistic pap can be found in each denomination, including mine, but we still have available the hymns of the Wesleys, Isaac Watts and others - in addition to the ancient hymns from the tradition of chant like 'O Come O Come Emmanuel', and the hyms from the later centuries of the Roman Catholic tradition from Ireland, France, Bavaria, Sicily and elsewhere that we Anglicans have shamelessly borrowed.
"Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render: O help us to see
'Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee."
"Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render: O help us to see
'Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee."
3.16.2012 | 1:10pm
Phil Brandt says:
Yes, hymns have a way of accomplishing interesting things in the lives of people. The large Lutheran parish i attended as a child included a massive man named Norbert. No matter where you sat in church, it sounded as if Norbert was belting out the hymns immediately behind you. This was not bad. He was a good singer. He had no formal training, but had spent his own childhood on a farm, with the daily duty of bringing in the cows to be milked. He sang hymns while he traipsed across the hills on his daily round. He could sing scores from memory.
When dark days came to that parish, as dark days are wont to do, Norbert's cheerful and irrepressible spirit, both as he sang and as he spoke in meetings and council were a great bulwark of goodness for that parish. He had been profoundly and beautifully shaped by those songs he learned and loved.
I think within the discussion of worship, whether it is by the promoters of congregationally unsingable pop or the aesthetes who insist on canted liturgies, the whole discussion often loses sight of Norbert and the many like him for whom accessible, singable music proves to be a powerful means for God to mold and shape and bless the Christian life.
When dark days came to that parish, as dark days are wont to do, Norbert's cheerful and irrepressible spirit, both as he sang and as he spoke in meetings and council were a great bulwark of goodness for that parish. He had been profoundly and beautifully shaped by those songs he learned and loved.
I think within the discussion of worship, whether it is by the promoters of congregationally unsingable pop or the aesthetes who insist on canted liturgies, the whole discussion often loses sight of Norbert and the many like him for whom accessible, singable music proves to be a powerful means for God to mold and shape and bless the Christian life.
3.16.2012 | 1:47pm
Dave Eden says:
Very well put, excellent article! My informal impression is that the better hymns at mass tend to be from Protestant sources. Catholics should embrace good, Christian art from whatever source. I imagine that most Protestant hymns would be fine, because hymns tend to be about basic truths common to all Christians.
Also, it's not just that Protestants have a much longer history of hymn-making and that history coincided with better cultural conditions for Christian orthodoxy, but we can choose the best from previous centuries. Maybe there were duds written around the same time as Amazing Grace, but we can benefit from the classics that endured.
Also, it's not just that Protestants have a much longer history of hymn-making and that history coincided with better cultural conditions for Christian orthodoxy, but we can choose the best from previous centuries. Maybe there were duds written around the same time as Amazing Grace, but we can benefit from the classics that endured.
3.16.2012 | 2:55pm
Liam says:
Regarding the solid musical food in Catholicism: it was more notional than real. That is, the vast majority of Catholic masses celebrated for centuries were free of music; and the number of parish Masses, outside conventual and chapter communities, that featured copious quantities of chant and polyphony were de minimis by comparison. There were exceptions. But they were *exceptions* to the overwhelming reality.
3.16.2012 | 3:06pm
Jeffrey says:
This article doesn't seem to be entirely up on the importance of Mass propers, and, no, they don't have to be in Latin. If you are singing hymns, you are inviting style wars and wars over text. If you just sing the liturgy in the way the Church is asking, all these battles vanish.
3.16.2012 | 3:30pm
ARM says:
I understand where the author is coming from - my family converted from protestantism during my childhood, so my parents were of the school of thought that all we needed to get Catholics singing was to dump "Eagle's Wings" and "Gather us in" in favor of fine old hymns like "O God Our Help in Ages Past," "Abide with Me," etc. I love those hymns to, and I used to agree.
But the longer I'm Catholic, the more I find myself sympathizing with the stubbornly silent parishioners around me during the hymns (and joining them, more and more often). The fact is, that however fine these hymns are, unlike sung propers and chant, they're not an organic part of what the Mass essentially is. Even at their best, they're an interruption, where we put the liturgy aside temporarily. In my opinion, that's the biggest reason Catholic congregations don't sing hymns, however hard the pastor and music director try to make them. Even the uncatechized Catholic tends to sense that this is an intrusion on the liturgy.
For comparison, as a priest friend pointed out, just about every congregation anywhere will belt out sung parts of the mass like the preface dialogue or the Our Father. As he likes to say, it's time to follow up the Vatican II slogan "Don't pray at Mass; pray the Mass" with "Don't sing at Mass; sing the Mass."
But the longer I'm Catholic, the more I find myself sympathizing with the stubbornly silent parishioners around me during the hymns (and joining them, more and more often). The fact is, that however fine these hymns are, unlike sung propers and chant, they're not an organic part of what the Mass essentially is. Even at their best, they're an interruption, where we put the liturgy aside temporarily. In my opinion, that's the biggest reason Catholic congregations don't sing hymns, however hard the pastor and music director try to make them. Even the uncatechized Catholic tends to sense that this is an intrusion on the liturgy.
For comparison, as a priest friend pointed out, just about every congregation anywhere will belt out sung parts of the mass like the preface dialogue or the Our Father. As he likes to say, it's time to follow up the Vatican II slogan "Don't pray at Mass; pray the Mass" with "Don't sing at Mass; sing the Mass."
3.16.2012 | 5:05pm
Terentia says:
Yes, there are wonderful, beautiful hymns which help the congregation to express the glories of faith but, and this is a big "but", these are not the hymns which are sung at most Catholic churches. My parish, along with most of the diocese, almost never sings anything written before 1970. I love to sing but more and more I join those standing silently because I can no longer sing with a straight face the trite, ridiculously strained rhymes that pass for "contemporary" hymns. I have always declined to sing the heretical songs like "Sing a new church," "Lord of the dance" or the monist song with the line "one is the breath of the star and the rose." To call these hymns is unaccurate. I fuly agree: don't sing at the Mass, sing the Mass."
3.16.2012 | 5:19pm
Gerry Hunter says:
Heaven help Catholics of a contemplative bent. Nothing disrupts an attempt to participate contemplatively at Mass like everybody singing a hymn that everybody is supposed to be able to sing, but nobody actually can. Particularly with the new Missal, the prayers at Mass have a beauty of their own. And when the "singing" starts, it becomes imperceptible. One has to wonder: Has pop psychology so entered the fibre of the Church that it is no longer possible to even conceive of the possibility of letting people pray, rather than making them take part in what has a frightening similarity to the Brave New World's community sing?
3.16.2012 | 5:34pm
Crunchy Con Mom says:
As a convert to Catholicism, I appreciate hearing songs that I actually know. It makes me feel more at home. But I also realize that many Protestant hymns aren't theologically sound-and often they are unsound in subtle ways that would be difficult to recognize. I guess I am a fan of hymns during the offertory, procession, etc, but think that there needs to be some serious scrutiny of Protestant hymns and contemporary songs to be sure they are theologically sound prior to allowing them to be sung in Catholic parishes. I agree with a previous commenter who suggested that Catholics should celebrate excellent Christian art, regardless of who makes it. Good music enhances the worship service experience, and incorporating the music of Protestants, when worthy, is a great way to make the service feel more welcoming to those who might consider becoming Catholic.
And maybe we can get rid of some of the terrible 60's folk music that doesn't even make any sense to me...(I'm in my 20's). Some of it isn't good theologically OR musically. Blah.
And maybe we can get rid of some of the terrible 60's folk music that doesn't even make any sense to me...(I'm in my 20's). Some of it isn't good theologically OR musically. Blah.
3.16.2012 | 7:25pm
ddanck says:
Our church has a non singing mass for those who do not wish to sing. However, I am totally sympathetic to those who have trouble singing a lot of new Catholic hymns. I am a trained singer and I have trouble with them. Many of the old Protestant hymns were written for congregations who were not sophisticated singers. They are simple and inspiring melodies. J.S. Bach is, to my mind, the most famous of these writers. I agree with the author. There is room for the best of both Catholic and non Catholic hymns.
3.16.2012 | 7:41pm
David Deavel says:
Hymns are great, but I don't see why everything good has to be inserted into the Mass. The Mass has its own music. Catholics should learn hymns, but should sing them at other gatherings.
3.16.2012 | 8:19pm
Wainright says:
But? One of the ways pre-literate people, and many of us today, were able to remember long passages of words, was to hear them made into into harmonic poems and then songs; which made long word passages slightly easier to remember. So that the song form was an aid to remembering the all-important words; the harmony of sounds, reinforced and carried the word.
So songs can have a function. While then too? If you sing the Mass then after all, that is a song, with words, usually from the Bible. And if Protestant songs are based on the Bible? And if the Catechism also tells us to honor the Bible as the Word of God?
Then ... many Protestant hymns might well meet the strict standards, for consistency with Catholicism, as posed by CHIROGRAPH OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II.
So songs can have a function. While then too? If you sing the Mass then after all, that is a song, with words, usually from the Bible. And if Protestant songs are based on the Bible? And if the Catechism also tells us to honor the Bible as the Word of God?
Then ... many Protestant hymns might well meet the strict standards, for consistency with Catholicism, as posed by CHIROGRAPH OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II.
3.16.2012 | 8:43pm
patricksarsfield says:
Liam writes:
"Regarding the solid musical food in Catholicism: it was more notional than real. That is, the vast majority of Catholic masses celebrated for centuries were free of music;"
No, it was not notional. Palestrina and Mozart are hardly notional.
True, most masses were what used to be called missae recitatae, but most people don't need singing at 7:15 on a weekday morning. There have always been a lot more Masses said during a week in Catholic Churches than there are "services" in Protestant churches (46 a week in St. Patrick's Cathedral, although that is an extreme example).
Even though I was a choirboy, I agree with Gerry Hunter and find music to be generally surplusage at Mass. When the singing is part of the Mass as in the five sung parts, it can be useful and even joyful. Other songs (except recessionals), though, often get in the way of our participation in the once for all sacrifice that brought us salvation. Mass has been working for 2000 years now and we ought to be drawing on our "notional" experience rather than on something non-Catholic.
"Regarding the solid musical food in Catholicism: it was more notional than real. That is, the vast majority of Catholic masses celebrated for centuries were free of music;"
No, it was not notional. Palestrina and Mozart are hardly notional.
True, most masses were what used to be called missae recitatae, but most people don't need singing at 7:15 on a weekday morning. There have always been a lot more Masses said during a week in Catholic Churches than there are "services" in Protestant churches (46 a week in St. Patrick's Cathedral, although that is an extreme example).
Even though I was a choirboy, I agree with Gerry Hunter and find music to be generally surplusage at Mass. When the singing is part of the Mass as in the five sung parts, it can be useful and even joyful. Other songs (except recessionals), though, often get in the way of our participation in the once for all sacrifice that brought us salvation. Mass has been working for 2000 years now and we ought to be drawing on our "notional" experience rather than on something non-Catholic.
3.17.2012 | 12:04am
Lumi Karu says:
Maybe Mr. Peters could institute some tradition of a Catholic "hymn-sing" outside of Mass for those who want to lustily sing hymns and be enlightened by them. Hymns simply don't belong at Mass, and they have kicked out chant. If one must have a hymn, now and then, fine, but instead, most parishes have a steady diet of (substandard) hymns, and very little chant, propers, etc. Why, why why do priests and bishops allow these texts to be ignored and discarded?
3.17.2012 | 1:10am
Alia says:
...the line "one is the breath of the star and the rose."
It would seem to me that this particular line is about the Incarnation, the Spirit breathing the Star of Jacob into the Virgin Mary (the rose). (At least, if I had thought up such a line, that is what I would have meant.) If so, it doesn't seem so objectionable. Of course, this doesn't absolve the hymn as a whole from being reminiscent of an especially ponderous Folger's Coffee commercial.
Shrug. At least I've been blessed to never have to "Sing a new church".
It would seem to me that this particular line is about the Incarnation, the Spirit breathing the Star of Jacob into the Virgin Mary (the rose). (At least, if I had thought up such a line, that is what I would have meant.) If so, it doesn't seem so objectionable. Of course, this doesn't absolve the hymn as a whole from being reminiscent of an especially ponderous Folger's Coffee commercial.
Shrug. At least I've been blessed to never have to "Sing a new church".
3.17.2012 | 5:07pm
Daniel C says:
I agree that beautiful, theologically sound hymns can do much for the faithful's participation in the liturgy. The key here is the 'theologically sound' part. There are altogether too many hymns these days that are simply worthless when it comes to theology. Truly sacred hymns, together with the chants and prayers that our Holy Mother Church has prescribed, will foster true participation in the Liturgy.
A great resource I've found for sacred, beautiful, and theologically sound hymns, together with a good balance of the chants, is the Corpus Christi Watershed. Their Website is: http://www.ccwatershed.org/
They have published a wonderful hymnal with tons of free online resources for sacred hymns, which can be found at: http://www.ccwatershed.org/vatican/
A great resource I've found for sacred, beautiful, and theologically sound hymns, together with a good balance of the chants, is the Corpus Christi Watershed. Their Website is: http://www.ccwatershed.org/
They have published a wonderful hymnal with tons of free online resources for sacred hymns, which can be found at: http://www.ccwatershed.org/vatican/
3.17.2012 | 6:33pm
Mark VA says:
I agree with Patrick Sarsfield and ARM.
Singing fine hymns during Mass may be congenial, plus an ecumenical nod, but we have a neglected treasure trove of music that was composed specifically for the Mass. These compositions are in an altogether different realm than are the hymns.
Music by composers in the class of Monteverdi, Palestrina, Vivaldi, or Mozart, can bring us back to the contemplation of the ineffable. Such music lights the way at the point where words themselves begin to fade. Our music directors, musicians, and choirs need to apply themselves to this class of music, with all their hearts and minds.
What church music we commonly hear today can compare itself to Mozart's Exsultate, jubilate, or Ave verum corpus?
Singing fine hymns during Mass may be congenial, plus an ecumenical nod, but we have a neglected treasure trove of music that was composed specifically for the Mass. These compositions are in an altogether different realm than are the hymns.
Music by composers in the class of Monteverdi, Palestrina, Vivaldi, or Mozart, can bring us back to the contemplation of the ineffable. Such music lights the way at the point where words themselves begin to fade. Our music directors, musicians, and choirs need to apply themselves to this class of music, with all their hearts and minds.
What church music we commonly hear today can compare itself to Mozart's Exsultate, jubilate, or Ave verum corpus?
3.17.2012 | 7:11pm
David DePerro says:
There is something to be said for a consistent musical style in the Mass. Still, the Duke Ellington maxim should not be forgotten: "If it sounds good, it IS good." The songs that teach us also move us to prayer, because they teach us about the Divine Person who died for us. Catholics approve of "Were You There," a slave spiritual, on Good Friday, but rarely would I hear "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," or the contemporary Christian "In Christ Alone," two of the most moving songs ever, and very appropriate for Good Friday service. When you sing them, they sound good. They do not ask you if "you were there," but they transport you "there." Then they teach you how to think about the cross and its scandal, and how to avail yourself of the graces of the death of Jesus Christ by gazing upon his lovely sacrifice. It is useless to sing one or two verses of such a song. They each demand all the verses. Songs like these make more bearable our way to venerate the cross in those long lines, and perhaps our cross in life. They focus us on what we are doing and why. More like that. More like that.
3.17.2012 | 8:04pm
Mike says:
I remember great Catholic Hymns as a kid. You can still sing them at Our Saviour in Manhattan. The 11 AM High Mass is stunning! Packed with 400 to 500 people, half the church is full with folks under 30. All joining in singing the Latin chant and traditional English hymns. Heaven come down to earth in of all places Manhattan!
3.17.2012 | 9:43pm
Carolina says:
Singing and prayer are not exclusive. I often find myself taking a moment to pray while others are singing.
3.17.2012 | 11:23pm
Deacon Jim Stagg says:
After a couple of years of straight "St. Louis Jesuit" songs, EVERY SINGLE STANZA, usually pounded out on a keyboard better suited to a saloon, murderous repetition in the Gloria, a choir-aria for the Sanctus, and echoing aria for the Great Amen, and an inordinate effort to rule the progression of the Liturgy with continuing banal instrumental (background) music, today I was treated to my all-time favorite (I'm being sarcastic), "Amazing Grace", that paragon of Catholic teaching. I was almost bowled over, until I realized this was yet another attempt at musical tyranny, with the keyboard pounding out every single stanza of this "hymn"..........while the priest-celebrant waited.....and waited.
Protestant hymns? Bring 'em on! ANYTHING has to be better than what we have. But, could we just have a plainsong Gloria, Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Great Amen.......please?
Protestant hymns? Bring 'em on! ANYTHING has to be better than what we have. But, could we just have a plainsong Gloria, Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Great Amen.......please?
3.17.2012 | 11:55pm
Chris says:
Two issues come to mind when I read this article:
1) Most people cannot sing--that is a fact. I'm a chanter in a Greek Orthodox parish and one thing I that inevitably happens is that certain members of the laity will try to "sing along" when they have no concept of what they are doing. Byzantine chant is a very hard thing to master; it doesn't have "sing-songy" qualities to it and since everything is done a capella, it requires a discipline and a musical vocabulary and understanding totally foreign and lost on most people. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to ask people to stop trying to chant along with the chanters because what they are doing is a needless distraction to us, the priest and the other congregants who are trying to pray. Just because you are not singing does NOT mean that you are not participating.
2) Catholic hymnody in the form of its proper chants was one of its great treasuries. It was axed thanks to the "reforms" of Vatican II which were done in consultation with 6 Protestants from Tuebingen, Germany. I don't understand why people like the author, Mr. Peters, think that the way to promote a Catholic identity is to import more and more non-Catholic things. You don't preserve the Catholic faith by making it more Lutheran or more Episcopalian.
1) Most people cannot sing--that is a fact. I'm a chanter in a Greek Orthodox parish and one thing I that inevitably happens is that certain members of the laity will try to "sing along" when they have no concept of what they are doing. Byzantine chant is a very hard thing to master; it doesn't have "sing-songy" qualities to it and since everything is done a capella, it requires a discipline and a musical vocabulary and understanding totally foreign and lost on most people. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to ask people to stop trying to chant along with the chanters because what they are doing is a needless distraction to us, the priest and the other congregants who are trying to pray. Just because you are not singing does NOT mean that you are not participating.
2) Catholic hymnody in the form of its proper chants was one of its great treasuries. It was axed thanks to the "reforms" of Vatican II which were done in consultation with 6 Protestants from Tuebingen, Germany. I don't understand why people like the author, Mr. Peters, think that the way to promote a Catholic identity is to import more and more non-Catholic things. You don't preserve the Catholic faith by making it more Lutheran or more Episcopalian.
3.18.2012 | 2:37pm
Frank Pray says:
I am a baptized Catholic who stopped attending Mass about 25 years ago to attend an evangelical mega-church here in Orange County [Saddleback Church, Rick Warren] and later Mariner's Church in Irvine. I therefore can see and feel the "difference" in the use of music as a form of worship. I feel I can speak to both communities. Yesterday, I attended Mass with my 25 year old daughter at a vibrant and "alive" Catholic parish, American Martyrs Church in Manhattan Beach. I was delighted to hear a rendition of a song "Open My Eyes Lord, I Want to See Jesus." That song was the theme song for a protestant pastor's radio show, Chuck Smith, of Cavalry Chapel, Costa Mesa.
I felt both "at home" at this Mass, with its nearly unchanged liturgy over the course of my 61 years, and the more relaxed, spontaneous, and open worship of the evangelical environment. Rigid liturgy and tight rules of worship have a freezing effect on the natural warmth of the heart released in relevant, yes modern, language and melodies. I could not restrain my raising of hands when hearing yet another Protestant worship song during this same Mass. I know I will offend some of my intellectually inclined Catholic brethren, but I so wanted my Catholic brothers and sisters to "loosen up" a bit, and really get into the singing and worship. The truth is that there was not a peep coming from anyone but the choir, and my off key enthusiasm was left naked for the hearing. Let there be life in this wonderful old church! So much control speaks of fear that has a way of locking out the power of the Spirit in what Protestants so glibly call a "worship service." Catholic brothers and sisters, rethink this: make Mass a "service of worship."
I felt both "at home" at this Mass, with its nearly unchanged liturgy over the course of my 61 years, and the more relaxed, spontaneous, and open worship of the evangelical environment. Rigid liturgy and tight rules of worship have a freezing effect on the natural warmth of the heart released in relevant, yes modern, language and melodies. I could not restrain my raising of hands when hearing yet another Protestant worship song during this same Mass. I know I will offend some of my intellectually inclined Catholic brethren, but I so wanted my Catholic brothers and sisters to "loosen up" a bit, and really get into the singing and worship. The truth is that there was not a peep coming from anyone but the choir, and my off key enthusiasm was left naked for the hearing. Let there be life in this wonderful old church! So much control speaks of fear that has a way of locking out the power of the Spirit in what Protestants so glibly call a "worship service." Catholic brothers and sisters, rethink this: make Mass a "service of worship."
3.18.2012 | 3:40pm
W. J. J. Hoge says:
I'm not a Catholic, but I was struck by the comment above expressing the view that hymn singing seemed to be an intrusion on the mass. Perhaps it is.
Let me offer the experience of a group of Protestants. Our worship is structured with a section of hymn singing and prayer that follows an arc that points us toward the Lord's table. The Eucharist follows. We have found that this provides focus on why we have come together. We can sing and pray and study as individuals, but we need to meet together to share Communion.
Oh, and you Catholics have some good hymns which we Protestants can put to good use as well.
Let me offer the experience of a group of Protestants. Our worship is structured with a section of hymn singing and prayer that follows an arc that points us toward the Lord's table. The Eucharist follows. We have found that this provides focus on why we have come together. We can sing and pray and study as individuals, but we need to meet together to share Communion.
Oh, and you Catholics have some good hymns which we Protestants can put to good use as well.
3.18.2012 | 7:22pm
greggo says:
the Anglican Ordinate will bring a wealth of well written musical literature, in English, to the Roman Church
3.18.2012 | 8:11pm
Matt Yonke says:
Chris -- As a cantor at a Byzantine Catholic parish, I disagree with your analysis a bit.
I love that fact that our parish sings and, with one or two exceptions, people raised in the tradition do a pretty good job of keeping up, even if they're not particularly strong singers. Byzantine Chant can be difficult, our Tone 5 is murderous, but I value the congregation's contribution and consider it my job to lead them at a pace and pitch range they can follow.
That said, I'm not a fan of hymns in the Liturgy. I'm a convert from Protestantism, and I do miss some of the hymns, particularly at Christmas, but the propers of the Liturgy, particularly in the East, contain some of the deepest theology we have access to.
I was struck particularly on the feast of the Dormition last year at how deeply the theology of that feast is drawn out in the stichera of the day. As nice as a good hymn is, it's no comparison to the theological depth and appropriateness of the propers for the day.
As others have suggested, resurrecting the evening hymn-sing would be a great idea for Christians of all stripes and would leave the Liturgy unmarred.
-- Matt
I love that fact that our parish sings and, with one or two exceptions, people raised in the tradition do a pretty good job of keeping up, even if they're not particularly strong singers. Byzantine Chant can be difficult, our Tone 5 is murderous, but I value the congregation's contribution and consider it my job to lead them at a pace and pitch range they can follow.
That said, I'm not a fan of hymns in the Liturgy. I'm a convert from Protestantism, and I do miss some of the hymns, particularly at Christmas, but the propers of the Liturgy, particularly in the East, contain some of the deepest theology we have access to.
I was struck particularly on the feast of the Dormition last year at how deeply the theology of that feast is drawn out in the stichera of the day. As nice as a good hymn is, it's no comparison to the theological depth and appropriateness of the propers for the day.
As others have suggested, resurrecting the evening hymn-sing would be a great idea for Christians of all stripes and would leave the Liturgy unmarred.
-- Matt
3.18.2012 | 8:16pm
Mike Morales says:
There are some great Catholic writers like Matt Maher and Tom Booth who are taking our church music in a different direction. I would call them evangelists for the new generations of young Catholics who grow up with music as a partnof their lives. you can continue to sing the old 60's and 70's songs if you ilke, but there is new music that fits the mass well.
3.18.2012 | 10:56pm
A Roodhouse says:
A great discussion about the proper role music in the Mass. However, even if the quality and relevance of hymns are corrected, even if we could get all to sing well, even if we could go back to just "singing the Mass," or even to just having a cantor do so, the main problem would not be fixed. That problem is having the "performers" in the front of the Sanctuary, competing with the Mass and our attention to it. Once they are returned to the choir loft . . . then the deep solemnity of the Mass and all its parts will return.
3.19.2012 | 12:42pm
Dan says:
Nathaniel Peters raises an interesting topic and one about which the Catholic Church ought to be seriously thinking.
As a Lutheran married for nearly 45 years to a Catholic, and a former 10-year member of the Board of a Catholic social services agency, I may have attended Mass more than some nominal Catholics. I fully agree that the worship music in most Catholic parishes in lacking in substance and seems to have been composed to appeal to the lowest common cultural denominator. Unfortunately, this is not unique to the Catholic church. There are far too many Lutheran churches where one can’t always know if they are in church or listening to a garage band at “open mic” night at a local lounge. However, where one of the standard settings for Devine Worship are used and the traditional hymns that Nathaniel references are sung, the music is quite good and inspiring.)
I have two observations, one a major similarity with Lutheran worship and one major difference between Catholic and Lutheran worship.
The similarity is that both churches follow the Roman Rite. If a Catholic were to inadvertently find his or her way into a Lutheran church on a Sunday morning, particularly one of our larger “high church” congregations, it might take a while to notice the difference. With the exception of a few, subtle theologically driven wording changes during the consecration, the liturgy, the lectionary, most of the prayers and the vestments will be quite familiar.
The big difference lies in the congregation’s participation. Invariably, the Catholic congregants will be more passive and the Lutherans much more involved in worship, not only in singing the hymns, but in chanting the liturgical responses and the psalm. One brief example is a personal experience last Christmas Eve when I attended mass with my family. The church was, as you might expect, packed with every pew filled and late-comers standing three-deep around the walls. There was easily 1,000 people in the sanctuary, yet the singing of even the universally popular “O Come All Ye Faithful” during the processional was, to be charitable, embarrassing. In my Lutheran congregation, with about 600 in attendance for Christmas Eve, it is only a slight exaggeration to say that the windows rattle, and it sets the mood of the entire service to one of worshipful joy and excitement that I found missing at the Mass.
This is not a criticism, just an observation which has been confirmed to me by many Catholics. I believe it is cultural and stems from the fact that we Lutherans have been singing in church for 500 years, while our Catholic brothers and sisters have been at it only for about 50 years.
My suggestion is don’t be afraid to sing the hymns and responses at Mass – try it and you may like it. Also, press your music directors to present good music at Mass. There is a lot of contemporary religious music that is excellent if someone is willing to seek it out. They might also look at the Lutheran Book of Worship for some new/old hymns. We won’t mind if you borrow them – after all, we borrowed your lectionary.
As a Lutheran married for nearly 45 years to a Catholic, and a former 10-year member of the Board of a Catholic social services agency, I may have attended Mass more than some nominal Catholics. I fully agree that the worship music in most Catholic parishes in lacking in substance and seems to have been composed to appeal to the lowest common cultural denominator. Unfortunately, this is not unique to the Catholic church. There are far too many Lutheran churches where one can’t always know if they are in church or listening to a garage band at “open mic” night at a local lounge. However, where one of the standard settings for Devine Worship are used and the traditional hymns that Nathaniel references are sung, the music is quite good and inspiring.)
I have two observations, one a major similarity with Lutheran worship and one major difference between Catholic and Lutheran worship.
The similarity is that both churches follow the Roman Rite. If a Catholic were to inadvertently find his or her way into a Lutheran church on a Sunday morning, particularly one of our larger “high church” congregations, it might take a while to notice the difference. With the exception of a few, subtle theologically driven wording changes during the consecration, the liturgy, the lectionary, most of the prayers and the vestments will be quite familiar.
The big difference lies in the congregation’s participation. Invariably, the Catholic congregants will be more passive and the Lutherans much more involved in worship, not only in singing the hymns, but in chanting the liturgical responses and the psalm. One brief example is a personal experience last Christmas Eve when I attended mass with my family. The church was, as you might expect, packed with every pew filled and late-comers standing three-deep around the walls. There was easily 1,000 people in the sanctuary, yet the singing of even the universally popular “O Come All Ye Faithful” during the processional was, to be charitable, embarrassing. In my Lutheran congregation, with about 600 in attendance for Christmas Eve, it is only a slight exaggeration to say that the windows rattle, and it sets the mood of the entire service to one of worshipful joy and excitement that I found missing at the Mass.
This is not a criticism, just an observation which has been confirmed to me by many Catholics. I believe it is cultural and stems from the fact that we Lutherans have been singing in church for 500 years, while our Catholic brothers and sisters have been at it only for about 50 years.
My suggestion is don’t be afraid to sing the hymns and responses at Mass – try it and you may like it. Also, press your music directors to present good music at Mass. There is a lot of contemporary religious music that is excellent if someone is willing to seek it out. They might also look at the Lutheran Book of Worship for some new/old hymns. We won’t mind if you borrow them – after all, we borrowed your lectionary.
3.19.2012 | 2:15pm
Lisa says:
It seems as though the music wars in churches are being fought in most denominations, and the fans of traditional music are losing. a few years ago, a teenage girl told me about the evangelical "mega-church" that she attended. I asked her if it had an organ, and she gave me a blank stare. It turned out that she had no idea what an organ was. The music at her church consisted entirely of a guitar-driven "praise" repertoire.
3.19.2012 | 4:43pm
Joe Z says:
Maybe we can have a provisional agreement as to hymns in the Mass: IF we are going to have hymns, they ought to be good ones. I think the article should be speaking to broad agreement here, even to those who think it would be better not to have hymns at all (or more than infrequently). The fact is, most Masses have hymns, and most of those are not very good hymns. That's a shame, at the very least.
3.20.2012 | 5:43pm
Richard M says:
" If a Catholic were to inadvertently find his or her way into a Lutheran church on a Sunday morning, particularly one of our larger “high church” congregations, it might take a while to notice the difference."
Unfortunately, that's a feature, not a bug, of the ordinary form mass, particularly as it's commonly celebrated.
Unfortunately, that's a feature, not a bug, of the ordinary form mass, particularly as it's commonly celebrated.
3.26.2012 | 9:34am
JudeThom says:
I have not heard any of the hymns of my childhood since the destructive forces of Vatican II changed the Church into a hybrid Protestant-Catholic Church. Generally, the hymns at the Novus Ordo Mass are bad and Baptist sounding. They offer nothing from the rich apostolic tradition of the Western Church. This is a tragedy. Chant should replace happy clappy evangelical foot stomping hymns one might hear on the 700 Club. This kind of Modernism is discombobulating and destructive. In Orthodoxy one does not hear novelty hymns but rather one is transported back to the 1st Century. Thank God for Orthodoxy. Vatican II has created a liturgical nuclear winter in the Western Catholic Church; this has led to empty convents and seminaries, not to mention pews on Sunday.
3.26.2012 | 6:10pm
AKO says:
1- I agree with what Phil said regarding the overall congressional cheeriness that can be brought with a few simplistic hymns. Hymns are written to be uplifting, and that is exactly what they do. When I’m at church, and a catchy hymn is sung, a smile is instantly put on my face. I believe that congressional hymns are an important aspect in mass, and undeniably weigh heavily on my overall mood after church.
No disrespect meant here, but I’d also like to point out that there are some difficult topics reflected on during mass. Let’s face it, sermons aren’t always lighthearted talks about paradise and salvation. There are dark stories throughout the bible that are frequently spoken about. I don’t see the harm in incorporating a few uplifting hymns here and there.
No disrespect meant here, but I’d also like to point out that there are some difficult topics reflected on during mass. Let’s face it, sermons aren’t always lighthearted talks about paradise and salvation. There are dark stories throughout the bible that are frequently spoken about. I don’t see the harm in incorporating a few uplifting hymns here and there.
3.27.2012 | 10:34am
GlucoSamine says:
I fully stand by the usage of congressional hymns. If not for any other reason than their ‘catchiness’. I’m sure many of you can relate to the effect that a catchy hymn will have on you. I frequently leave church humming or singing tunes that were enjoyed during the mass. Hymns keep you thinking about church throughout the week.
Additionally, there is no doubt that hymns portray positive messages. Not all church participants are able to recall the main message through the spoken gospel. Allowing for a catchy hymn to reside in the brain only strengthens the overall word of God.
Additionally, there is no doubt that hymns portray positive messages. Not all church participants are able to recall the main message through the spoken gospel. Allowing for a catchy hymn to reside in the brain only strengthens the overall word of God.
3.27.2012 | 3:47pm
Mike says:
Hymns, Catholic or otherwise, have no place in the Mass. Whatever is sung, is necessarily elevated to a higher status of importance, so in effect, we elevate these non-liturgical sing-a-longs called hymns, while we mumble through the Gloria and
the rest of the Propers.
,
I think that the weakness for hymns is the result of an inferiority complex common to Catholics in America, who being artistically illiterate, liturgically numb, ignorant and embarrassed by our own traditions, are continuously seeking acceptance and approval from the dominant Protestant culture, whether it be our Liturgy, economics, politics or common mannerisms.
I do not advocate any disrespect or non-cooperation with other Christians, I just think that numerous opportunities already exist to do so, without adding a measure of confusion to the Liturgy.
the rest of the Propers.
,
I think that the weakness for hymns is the result of an inferiority complex common to Catholics in America, who being artistically illiterate, liturgically numb, ignorant and embarrassed by our own traditions, are continuously seeking acceptance and approval from the dominant Protestant culture, whether it be our Liturgy, economics, politics or common mannerisms.
I do not advocate any disrespect or non-cooperation with other Christians, I just think that numerous opportunities already exist to do so, without adding a measure of confusion to the Liturgy.
3.27.2012 | 8:02pm
Verity says:
Most, if not all, Protestant hymns are based on scriptural passages. I have even seen hymnbooks that gave chapter and verse of every hymn.
I knew an elderly lady who was losing her sight. She memorized many hymns so that she could keep up with the singing and comfort herself when lonely by repeating them. I remembered her when I read Phil Brandt's remembrances of Norbert. Thank you, Phil, for that inspiration. Now that I am getting older, I need to sharpen my own memory of the good hymns.
I knew an elderly lady who was losing her sight. She memorized many hymns so that she could keep up with the singing and comfort herself when lonely by repeating them. I remembered her when I read Phil Brandt's remembrances of Norbert. Thank you, Phil, for that inspiration. Now that I am getting older, I need to sharpen my own memory of the good hymns.
12.27.2012 | 4:05pm
beriggs says:
Our Cathedral parish has wonderful music - Mozart on a Sunday morning is a great blessing. However, our music director thinks he must include "popular" songs as well at times. After suffering "Gather Us In" one too many times last summer, (when the choir is on hiatus), I finally complained, comparing it to a pirate drinking song. He must have heard me, because we haven't sung it for a year!
1.2.2013 | 8:51pm
Padre Dave Poedel, STS says:
As one who grew up in the Roman Catholic Church and being in my very late 50's, I went through Vatican II and the dreadful "Folk Masses". For all of the wrong reasons, I became a Lutheran (LCMS; not knowing there were different flavors of Lutheran until many years later...had I known....). Now a parish pastor (the fulfillment of my vocational call at age 7 at Blessed Sacrament School in Milwaukee) I am known in my little Synod as a traditionalist in theology and worship, but more open in practice. This means that Sunday morning is always Mass with seasonally appropriate hymnody, played by an excellent organist on a wonderful pipe organ.
The "song" phase of Lutheran worship is one that I avoided except for the 5 years I was the Head Spiritual Director of the Cursillo Movement in Arizona. While enjoying the pastoral care involved in that movement, the music was dreadful. The dread came from the fact that all of the songs came from a baptistic/pentecostal tradition, totally out of place in a Lutheran Eucharist.
Being back on a diet of solid hymnody, I disagree that hymns are alien to the Mass. The Mass I celebrate each Sunday (and many weekdays) is exactly the same ordo as the Roman Mass, except for some minor changes to the Eucharistic Prayer. We sing the Ordinary of the Mass as well as 4 hymns. We Evangelical Catholics love to sing and my little inner city parish has responded well to a new setting of the Mass found in the "Lutheran Service Book" (Setting 4 with modifications in the order to make it match the Catholic Mass).
I have done mid-week Eucharist during Advent and Lent using Taize music and have found that as much as I love it, my people don't sing it and I don't have the musicians to lead it well.
Anyway, thanks for the article and the opportunity to respond in a way that I pray is edifying to someone.
The "song" phase of Lutheran worship is one that I avoided except for the 5 years I was the Head Spiritual Director of the Cursillo Movement in Arizona. While enjoying the pastoral care involved in that movement, the music was dreadful. The dread came from the fact that all of the songs came from a baptistic/pentecostal tradition, totally out of place in a Lutheran Eucharist.
Being back on a diet of solid hymnody, I disagree that hymns are alien to the Mass. The Mass I celebrate each Sunday (and many weekdays) is exactly the same ordo as the Roman Mass, except for some minor changes to the Eucharistic Prayer. We sing the Ordinary of the Mass as well as 4 hymns. We Evangelical Catholics love to sing and my little inner city parish has responded well to a new setting of the Mass found in the "Lutheran Service Book" (Setting 4 with modifications in the order to make it match the Catholic Mass).
I have done mid-week Eucharist during Advent and Lent using Taize music and have found that as much as I love it, my people don't sing it and I don't have the musicians to lead it well.
Anyway, thanks for the article and the opportunity to respond in a way that I pray is edifying to someone.
3.4.2013 | 9:35am
grandame says:
Our Catholic choir has a director who sang professionally with a rock band, has no musical training and was raised in the Baptist tradition.Our organist, while not Catholic does plan to convert. She has played for many different Protestant churches. Some Sundays you might think you were in a Baptist church because of the music. Some of our older parishioners complain because we sing so many Protestant hymns. Everything we sing including the Mass setting, is transposed to a very low key with the intention of getting the congregation to sing. During parts of the Gloria the sopranos drop out because it is entirely too low for them to sing. The resulting sound is more of a rumbling and certainly does not serve to emphasize the importance of liturgy. While some of the Protestant hymns we sing are beautiful there are some we (the Catholics in the choir) feel just don't sound Catholic enough to use. When we suggest that something isn't appropriate we are deemed snobbish. It is disheartening to know how well we could serve our mission as church musicians and yet we led by those who have no appreciation for the Catholic musical tradition.
In reading the comments, I found that references to Pope Benedict's writing on music in the liturgy were missing. He places great emphasis or the treasures of Catholic music and encourages the Church to honor her musical heritage.
In reading the comments, I found that references to Pope Benedict's writing on music in the liturgy were missing. He places great emphasis or the treasures of Catholic music and encourages the Church to honor her musical heritage.
3.20.2013 | 1:02pm
David M. says:
To those who think the Catholic Mass had no congregational singing until Vatican II, you need to look into the way Mass was celebrated in Germany, France, and Scandinavia before the Reformation. Hymns in the vernacular were used before Mass, during Communion, and after the final Blessing. Many of the most beloved hymns in Protestantism come from the Catholic Tradition. Fairest Lord Jesus, Jesus the Very Thought of Thee, Crown Him With Many Crowns, to name but three out of scores, are all originally Catholic hymns. So we DO have singable, beautiful hymns we could be using at Mass. Now that we have a more correct and elevated translation of the Mass, it's time we stopped using dumbed down, culturally low music and use the great treasures we have.
Will our own local church one day, begin to love even its neighboring, rival church? Finding common hymns might be one way to help make that happen. Then we might move on to a more intellectual/theological demonstration, of common ties, and a common humility.
Nat? I enjoyed your own article on Conscience. Though I believe that often, beginning too firmly in local opinion, tends to ensure that in the end, for many, local prejudices will be merely reinforced. Often, many will see and fix on, only the familiar ideas in the essay. But they will not see the way to a wider theology. Or the way to the fuller outline of God and Good.
Best of luck in your efforts at BC, in any case however. The larger world of academic Theology of course, has long been more comfortable with such interdisciplinary ties.