Catholic Mass Too Protestant?

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Phemie said:
Well, I’m 56 and I’ve never experienced the musical ideal. Even back before Vatican II there were hymn (granted more of them were in Latin).

While I would love to hear the antiphons at Mass, unless we get a proper organist and a proper Musical director, our parish, like so many others, is stuck with someone who can sing and strum a guitar gathered with a few of her friends who are there because of her and would be gone if she decided to quit.

They sing the songs that they were singing when they were teenagers 30 years ago, with the odd newer hymn thrown in because they have heard them on the tapes that are available with our hymnal.

If anyone comments that something is inappropriate the response is generally, “I’m sure God doesn’t mind.”
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Phemie:

I’ve realized listening to everyone that I live with what I could call “an embarrassment of riches” when it comes to Liturgy. and, One reason why is that all three of the parishes I’m dealing with are willing to PAY for an Organist/Choir-Director, 2 to 3 Singers and a Canter (who together with the others may form a Quartet). They’re willing to PAY money to insure that they have sound music to accompany/complement the Liturgy. In the great scheme of things, hiring these musicians (many of them are parishioners in the parishes in which they “perform”) not only helps to insure better music for the liturgy, it insures they worship every Sunday and helps them to pay their bills… And, It does this fairly inexpensively (One parish has an good organist and Canter with two other paid musicians). Another had the full compliment + A Conductor/Director and a Cantor (The Liturgy involves a LOT of music).

I think it would be well worth asking your fellow parishioners how many would be willing to put an extra $5 in the Collection Plate to have decent music (send them emails with decent music BEFORE you ask this question). $200/week should you an Organist and a Canter. $330/week should get you an Organist and a Quartet (one of whom would be your Canter). You then would need to get a second or third quartet with VOLUNTEERS (Getting a couple of Professionals doesn’t mean you don’t need to recruit members of the Congregation to sing in the Choir). The Professionals just make it easier for the amateurs to “Stay in step and on tune”.

My feeling is this will be a very hard sell unless you have at least 80 people say they’re willing to put an extra $5 in the Collection Plate every Week for this. We all know about 20% of the people who say they’re going to do something don’t follow through with it (That leaves 65), and those who do follow through tend to forget 1 out of 5 times (You’ll need 80 pledges to be assured of $260 extra/week). Once you do this, you’ll have more people going to that Liturgy, because it’ll be more alive and less “flat”.

You don’t necessarily need a Professional organist, or even an organist, if you have some really good singers who can hold and carry a tune. But, they have to be good, and they have to be dedicated. and this is what I call “The Hard Way” - You do this if you can’t get at least $300/week in pledges…

I hope this helps - I’m not real thrilled with what you described.

Your brother in Christ, Michael
 
Catholic_Wife said:
I’m sure the first Christians chanted in ‘Gregorian Mode’ (and spoke Latin) . . . . :rolleyes:
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Actually Pope Paul VI issued an encyclical in about 1974 called Jubilate Deo, which contained what he refers to as a “minimum chant repertoire for every parish” including chants of the Mass itself as well as quite a few hymns. Google it and see how many of these you have heard in your parish recently.
In my parish the number is zero. Other parishes less than 100 miles away use a similar music repertoire to ours.

As to what the first Christians sang, it sure as heck wasn’t protestant hymns and OCP pop-slop. I would also bet that their parishes did not pay copyright royalties to Protestants, dissident nuns, and defrocked priests for the music they did sing.
 
Traditional_Ang said:
Road Send
I hope this helps.

Your Brother & Servant, Michael
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Thank you.
I have been watching EWTN for quite a while and sending them a significant portion of my weekly offering as well.
 
CDNowak said:
Some of us have… Catch you in Traditional Catholic Forum? 😉
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Foul move. There are many traditions of the Catholic Church that I’m glad we got away with. Many things on the Traditional Catholic Forum are simply the opposite extreme of the “Protestant” changes that can be found in some parishes.
 
All the more reason why the up and coming liturgical change should be welcomed.:highprayer:
 
Traditional_Ang said:
Phemie:

I hope this helps - I’m not real thrilled with what you described.

Your brother in Christ, Michael
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Our situation doesn’t make all you described feasible. The only professionals in town are the 4 music teachers at the 4 local schools and they have their hands full with what they have to do.

The community has recently complained about how much the parish spends on salaries. Fr. gets $1000/mo and I’m paid minimum wage for 25 hours/week after 12 years of employment. Minimum wage has risen over the past two years to meet and surpass the salary they had been paying me since 2001. I opted not to request more because I’m aware of the parish’s financial situation. I honestly think the parishioners thought I worked for free.
 
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