MERGED: Evangelization and Music/Bishop Sample Music in the Mass

[opus101]

I’m concluding from the trickle of responses that there are very few venues for the use of secular/profane religious music outside of the Mass at most parishes.

If some parish music ministries think it is so important to include this type of music during Mass for evangelical/inculturation purposes, then why are they not also using it outside of the Mass as well? (Not that I’m saying it belongs in the Mass at all). If it’s so effective, why aren’t they out there, putting out into the deep, for the “new evangelization”?

Or has Mass become a reliable “stage” for them, a sort of religious “gig”?

 

[OraLabora]

I can say that when I was a “fundamentalist atheist”, Gregorian chant, which I loved, played a big role in bringing me back to the Church.

Then when I got back in, there was hardly any chant (like none at all). So I went seeking within the Church.

That brought me to the local Benedictine abbey where Gregorian chant is used daily at Mass and the Divine Office.

That exposed me to Benedictine spirituality. I then became an oblate.

Yeah, music can evangelize

But I guess different styles will suit different temperaments.

 

[mburn16]

I’m concluding…

Your conclusions are, sadly, correct. My home parish, for example, is very large (I’ve posted pictures in other threads of our church), and we have many man young people, from high school teenagers through young adults just starting their own families, to a good number of college students. Financially, our parish does not “go without” in any sense, and generally hosts a number of social events. You would think this would be the perfect type of parish to evangelize through music, particularly since we have a rather full music ministry, and to work to spread the good news to the unconverted and separated members of the flock.

Sadly, no. Outside of Taize during advent and lent, you see very little music-focused additional offerings.

This is one of the areas where the Catholic Church, unfortunately, has been beaten around the head with a club by the Protestant denominations, particularly the non-denominational evangelicals. We confine our worship mostly to mass, one hour a day, one day a week, and offer far fewer opportunities for laypeople to evangelize.

If we want to rebuild the position of the church, that has to change.

 

[Sarabande]

At one of the parishes where I work, they have a “Friends of Sacred Music” fund which helps to sponsor professional instrumentalists and singers for the liturgy as well as for outside events. We just did our first meditation concert of the year. It was a mix of scripture readings and prayers with instrumental and religious/sacred vocal music. Most of the music was classically-based, although there were a few spirituals sung by one of the classically-trained singers on staff there who did them beautifully and prayerfully. An example of one of the pieces that I performed for the concert which would not be appropriate for liturgy was Charles Gounod’s “O Divine Redeemer”. Because of it’s operatic nature it is really inappropriate for mass, although the music and the prayer that Gounod wrote himself is extremely powerful and moving. Many in the audience related to me that they had never heard the piece before and it brought tears to their eyes because of the music AND the words. There were also many similar sentiments for all of the selections, actually. I was so spiritually moved by my colleagues’ performances as well. You knew that none of us were doing it for our egos. We were there to express prayer through the music.

This is all moving and gorgeous music and text, some of which have been used in some form of liturgy or service, but most not really appropriate for liturgy. It can definitely be used to evangelize, though, and I know I would attend just as a listener, if I knew more parishes did this.

One of the most wonderful things about this concert was that we requested that no applause would be made during the entire concert until the very end. We did not want to break the flow of prayerful meditation and contemplation with the words from scripture, the prayers, the text in the music and the instrumental music without words. Even at the very end when the violist played the final Bach instrumental, there was this moving quietness before the applause began it.

Since this is a relatively new thing at the parish, though, the “advertising” for it wasn’t so great. The large, hard, poster which was in the vestibule of the church was not placed outside for passerbys. (The parish is in a town and a very “artsy” one. People in that area love to attend concerts… especially classical music ones.) It should have been posted the website as well. I did my best to promote it on Facebook and to my other colleagues and friends. We had a nice showing, but it could have been more.

Another very active parish I’ve had the pleasure to perform for (not for mass, obviously) does an annual Italian Festival and they have really gotten the music section of the festival to grow where they have concerts every night of the week, starting off with a big gala with a festival orchestra. They do a mix of “profane” music from operas and such as well as sacred music. All of it that takes place in the church is classical. They’ll have choirs, instrumentalists, soloist, etc. There are also outside performances for other genres. It’s well-attended every night (and day - they have thousands that come. It’s a HUGE deal there) and I am blessed to have been a part of it different seasons.

I think these kinds of things for all genres of religious music could be really successful if you have the right people advertising, promoting and running it. It also promotes a community atmosphere for the parish, rather than only showing up for mass and going home.

 

[Sarabande]

Your conclusions are, sadly, correct. My home parish, for example, is very large (I’ve posted pictures in other threads of our church), and we have many man young people, from high school teenagers through young adults just starting their own families, to a good number of college students. Financially, our parish does not “go without” in any sense, and generally hosts a number of social events. You would think this would be the perfect type of parish to evangelize through music, particularly since we have a rather full music ministry, and to work to spread the good news to the unconverted and separated members of the flock.

Sadly, no. Outside of Taize during advent and lent, you see very little music-focused additional offerings.

This is one of the areas where the Catholic Church, unfortunately, has been beaten around the head with a club by the Protestant denominations, particularly the non-denominational evangelicals. We confine our worship mostly to mass, one hour a day, one day a week, and offer far fewer opportunities for laypeople to evangelize.

If we want to rebuild the position of the church, that has to change.

I completely agree with you. I don’t think Catholics are “well-versed” with things like this. I don’t know why, but it does appear to be that way. And it’s surprising especially when you do have parishes which have good music programs. There is so much untapped potential to evangelize outside of the liturgy.