Patriotic Masses

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Peeps said:
I always go all out on the organ when I play a patriotic hymn–all the horns, bells, whistles–tutti all the way!! The congregation loves it! I think it’s good for us as part of the family of God to express our love for our country, our thankfulness to our Heavenly Father for allowing us to live in the United States, and request to God, in one voice, to please help us to have “liberty in law.”
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I think this is a good thing too. People need to be reminded that the USA is actually a pretty good place to live, regardless of whether a politician you support is in office or not. And also be reminded to pray for our country and those who serve and those who work in government all the time, not just in times of war or major disaster or once a year at a Red Mass.
 
Suggest next time they select something more fitting for Mass, like the National Hymn “God of Our Fathers” or “Faith of our Fathers”
 
This is applicable to each country with Catholics, but Korea has a very long history of martyrdom and persecution. Catholics in Korea were killed in masses (8,000+) because they refused to give up their faith. Therefore, Catholics whom descended from that history, whether converts or direct descendants of survivors, keep the history of martyrs deeply and revere them.

Korea has a month reserved for Korean martyrs and Catholic churches go on pilgrimages to different sites where martyrs were murdered.

For Catholics in Korea, national identity is embedded on this history. But not with national symbols, but with cultural symbols. For example, traditional clothing, traditional veils that Catholics used in early times of persecution, etc. I have rarely seen national symbols being used.

We have about 200 martyrs canonized for their martyrdom, and they are depicted with hanbok (Korean traditional clothes) and missionaries who were martyred with them are sometimes depicted in Korean clothes. The angels are sometimes depicted in Korean forms as well.

So culture is more important in my country, I believe. We’ve experienced a lot of oppression from the government in 1950s-1980s as well who did not appreciate freedom of religion. In fact, it was a priest who testified against a South Korean dictator of the horrors he has seen. May he rest in peace.

I hope this explains the situation of how patriotism is expressed here in South Korea amongst Catholics.
 
“America the Beautiful”, which references God in every verse, has been sung regularly at the end of many 4th of July and Veterans’ Day/ Memorial Day Masses I have attended over the last 5 decades in many different parishes. It’s probably the most frequently used “patriotic” hymn in Catholic churches. I think it is deemed generally appropriate, and is to my knowledge in the approved Catholic songbooks, because it contains the prayers to God.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
the approved Catholic songbooks,
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Interestingly, there is not an approval process for Catholic hymans/songbooks. Heck, “Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Knees” is in at least one well distributed book!!
 
I know, but by “approved” I mean books such as Breaking Bread and the hymns in the Missalette. Someone picks them out, approves them for inclusion, and then the books are permitted to be used in church. In my experience it is pretty hard to get approval at most churches for songs not in the regular hymnbooks, unless the pastor specifically permits some special “contemporary Christian” Mass in which case he is usually also personally approving all the hymns (and “America the Beautiful” probably wouldn’t be chosen for those Masses).
 
Many years ago at our rather large church built on 13th century foundations we had a first class organist with multiple international muscial recognition under his belt. We have a loft organ as well, old and immense.

He played the American national anthem just before Mass one morning. Bearing in mind we are a church in England. It did raise the hairs on the arms it was so immense like the organ and a bit other worldly as if you can imagine it being played in a Lord of the Rings scene.

Can’t remember why we did this. It was good, though
 
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blackforest said:
This is a loaded topic, so please try to focus on Church teaching.

There are plenty of threads with people expressing their opinions about patriotic music during the liturgy, but I’m curious about an entire spectrum of practices including the music - e.g. bringing a flag forward while parishioners place hands on their hearts or asking parishioners to wear red, white, and blue to a liturgy.

Bearing in mind that Catholicism is practiced all over the world, to what extent does the Vatican permit integrating patriotism/nationalism into liturgy? Are there any relevant guidelines as to what is acceptable versus what crosses any boundaries?
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Countries and secular governments are NOT ordained by God, hence borders and forms.of government are subject to change. I can’t imagine anyone would tolerate Catholics in China, Saudi Arabia or North Korea singing songs expressing devotion to, or calling for God to favour, their leaders who are specially hostile to Christ.
 
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TheLittleLady said:
Interestingly, there is not an approval process for Catholic hymans/songbooks. Heck, “Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Knees” is in at least one well distributed book!!
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At least in Australia a process has been followed for having approved hymns. The 2001 Instruction Liturigiam Authenticam has in 108:

“Within five years from the publication of this Instruction, the Conferences of Bishops, necessarily in collaboration with the national and diocesan Commissions and with other experts, shall provide for the publication of a directory or repertory of texts intended for liturgical singing. This document shall be transmitted for the necessary recognitio to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.”

The process followed by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is described at https://www.catholic.org.au/nlmc/recommended-hymns-and-songs-approved-by-the-acbc

It has links to the lists of approved songs. One of the songs is the Australian national anthem, Advance Australia Fair.
 
I don’t want to see any flags or to hear any “patriotic” music during the celebration of the Eucharist .

They are inappropriate to the worship we give to God in the Eucharistic Sacrifice , the memorial of the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection .
 
America the Beautiful and the Battle Hymn of the Republic are the only so-called patriotic two songs I can remember being sung in our Church.
 
They are sometimes sung at our church after mass. Usually for a mass near 4th of July or Labor Day. Our pastor, near Labor Day, who normally does not stay for more than one verse, remained for all 4 verses, with a slight smile on his face. As our parish has a majority of over 50 year olds, most of the congregation is over 70, it is one of the most belted out songs sung after mass.
 
I think I’m with you here. It’s not serious enough for me to run and make a stink of it; I can grin and bear it. I wouldn’t even mind a patriotic theme at coffee hour or little U.S. flags handed out after Mass. Integrating into the Mass itself, save for the Petitions, makes me feel uncomfortable.
 
Now that the thread has gone for a while, I have to ask, exactly what practices have you seen that involved patriotism and went against the GIRM?

As has been already discussed,
  • some type of color guard or bringing a flag down the aisle either before Mass begins or after Mass ends doesn’t violate GIRM because it’s not “during Mass”
  • suggesting that people wear red, white and blue clothing doesn’t violate GIRM and people are free to ignore the request anyway
  • the handful of traditional “patriotic hymns” that are either in the hymnal or otherwise approved by the pastor for use on patriotic holidays may irk some people who don’t want to hear them, but they don’t appear to violate GIRM; also, as with all music choices, people have a wide range of opinions on hymn choices
  • the General Intercessions prayers for our country, government leaders etc happen at most Masses and do not violate GIRM
I’m racking my brain to think of when I might have seen some patriotic “addition” to Mass and not coming up with anything, not even at the Veterans’ Masses. The most I can think of is at the Red Mass in DC when the major government officials in attendance like the Attorney General process down the aisle to their VIP seats as part of the opening procession with the priest.
 
So did mine, all the time I was growing up! The flags were never in the sanctuary, but off by the side altar to the Sacred Heart at the front of the church. I believe they’re still there! I will have to look again next time I’m in that church.

I also have visited the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa a couple of times and it has huge stained glass windows depicting scenes from the history of Poland and scenes from the history of USA, and there is stuff on both windows that could be called “patriotic”…also pretty sure there is a stained glass window with some Founding Fathers type stuff in the cathedral in Philadelphia…
 
blackforest said:
Integrating into the Mass itself, save for the Petitions, makes me feel uncomfortable.
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Before the reform of the liturgy , at Mass on Sundays we used to have the Prayer for the Queen .

Such a prayer for the Queen would not be fitting as one of the Bidding Prayers .

As for bringing the Union Flag into the Eucharistic Sacrifice , the memorial of the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection , I see no place for it .
 
In Korea, the Prayer of the Faithful section often refers to Korean Peninsula as “this land”.
 
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