In this, it builds upon what Sing to the Lord says at nos. One purpose of this recent letter, entitled “Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church,” is to expand upon the liturgical judgment of Sing to the Lord by giving greater intention to the theological content of hymn texts. Music must be evaluated for its liturgical, musical, and pastoral appropriateness. Many are familiar with the “ Three Judgments” of liturgical music outlined in the USCCB’s 2007 guidance Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship. But because of its outsized impact on the liturgy, music deserves to be near the top of the list of concerns for the future of our beloved Church. Their responses could be summed up as: “Doesn’t the Church have bigger problems?” “This is just a distraction.” “Micromanagement.” “Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” I get it. Some readers encountered the letter differently. The impact of liturgical music deserves more attention, and any attempt to improve its quality is most welcome to me. That’s virtually undisputed on the ground, so I am often frustrated that the Church doesn’t speak of music more frequently and more vigorously. After preaching, or perhaps even ahead of it, music is consistently the key to engaging liturgy. A great church music program stirs the hearts of the faithful and communicates reverence for the liturgy and attention to excellence in execution. This vitality, by the way, mostly transcends musical style. If there is a litmus test for parish vitality, it’s the music at Sunday Mass. Nurturing high-quality liturgical music is one of the most effective things a parish can do to boost its profile – that is, to make it an attractive place to worship and one to which people wish to return week after week. So when the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Doctrine recently issued a letter to bishops on the topic of Catholic hymnody, my initial reaction was enthusiastic. ![]() In my visits to many different parishes over the years, I find that nothing so clearly indicates the strength of a church community as the state of its liturgical music. Have you ever walked into an unfamiliar church for Mass and, after the opening hymn, wished that you could retreat unnoticed? This reflection by Karen Shadle is a response to the article by Michael Joncas, “ Reflections on ‘Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church: An Aid for Evaluating Hymn Lyrics.”
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