How a Protestant Instantly Became Catholic As He Heard a Beautiful Sung Mass

[mdgspencer]

http://catholicherald.co.uk/comment...ian-chant-converted-a-baptist-to-catholicism/

This priest sang the liturgy in ethereal tones, mysterious sounds to the young Protestant with a musical background…

But the reverberations coming from the priest defied the musical logic Bouck had come to expect and it mesmerized him throughout the Mass.

“It absolutely took me to another place altogether,” he said. “There was something about it that immediately brought to my mind, ‘I am experiencing something that is holy right now. There’s something very solemn and very reverent going on in a way that I have never experienced in a Protestant church.’”

 

[njmah16]

That is incredible. This type of story makes me wonder why many parishes, including some I have attended Mass at, incorporate songs that were written by Protestants and are often used in Protestant worship services. I struggle with this, because I am very familiar with Protestant worship (I am currently a student at an Evangelical university). I do not like hearing the same songs at Mass that I hear at chapel at this school. That said, I take some time to think about the lyrics of the songs. They are not inherently anti-catholic. However, the use of these “Protestant” songs feels like a doing away with music that is sacred. I AM OPEN TO OTHER OPINIONS. I have gotten flak in these forums for favoring traditional elements of the liturgy, so I feel I should put that.

 

[jfz178]

I have been a liturgical musician for about 40 years. I have some fine points to make on this:

• I have made an informal study of religious chant, including Gregorian Chant. The purpose of chant is to put the worshipper in a meditative, “alpha state” through repetitive sounds and sacred words, leaving them more open to God’s message. Being able to do this takes years of practice.
• I have heard choirs at 15 parishes do hymns based on Gregorian Chant, but they are not religious chant. They are just hymns based on chant. True chant is very rare and mostly done only in monasteries. When people “rant about chant” they should realize most of Catholicism doesn’t really do it, they just pretend to.
• You say Protestant Hymns are not inherently anti-Catholic. I have done some study of this and concluded some are and some aren’t. Some lyrics contain subtle theological language that is not in line with Catholicism, particularly the various “Solas” that can even constitute heresy.
• I have taken a strong position against the use of Protestant hymns at one parish. I got completely shot down by the Monsignor/Pastor. I am no longer there.
• I had an older pastor say in a homily, “I hardly remember any of the homilies I heard growing up, but I remember all of the hymns. That is the power of Church music.” Music at church can “burn the teachings into the brain.”
• Different people react differently to different kinds of music and if the Church is going to reach as many people as possible, it needs variety. Gregorian Chant-based hymns are great, but not for everyone.