"Sing a New Church"

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I recently sang a hymn at Mass that uses the music of an old hymn (“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”), but this “new and improved” one is entitled “Sing a New Church.” I’ve got some problems with this 1990s hymn re-make. Anyone else feel like their singing more the praises of diversity than to God?

Here’s some words by Father Paul Scalia.

"Aside from the fact that this song radically distorts Our Lord 's “Bread of Life” discourse, it also leaves God out of the conversation: we talk to ourselves. As the communicants come forward to receive the living God, they are singing about themselves. “Sing a New Church”, a triumphalist paean to diversity by Delores Dufner, OSB, also fosters the Cult of Us:

Let us bring the gifts that differ
And, in splendid, varied ways,
Sing a new Church into being,
One in faith and love and praise

So the chorus goes, and the verses similarly proclaim us to ourselves. Passing over the tremendous ecclesiological problems in the text, we should question what the song communicates to the congregation: songs about us constitute worship of the Almighty. We have replaced Him as the focus of worship."

Does this song raise concerns with anyone else–or am I just too critical? 🙂
 
Writer said:
I recently sang a hymn at Mass that uses the music of an old hymn (“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”), but this “new and improved” one is entitled “Sing a New Church.” I’ve got some problems with this 1990s hymn re-make. Anyone else feel like their singing more the praises of diversity than to God?

Here’s some words by Father Paul Scalia.

"Aside from the fact that this song radically distorts Our Lord 's “Bread of Life” discourse, it also leaves God out of the conversation: we talk to ourselves. As the communicants come forward to receive the living God, they are singing about themselves. “Sing a New Church”, a triumphalist paean to diversity by Delores Dufner, OSB, also fosters the Cult of Us:

Let us bring the gifts that differ
And, in splendid, varied ways,
Sing a new Church into being,
One in faith and love and praise

So the chorus goes, and the verses similarly proclaim us to ourselves. Passing over the tremendous ecclesiological problems in the text, we should question what the song communicates to the congregation: songs about us constitute worship of the Almighty. We have replaced Him as the focus of worship."

Does this song raise concerns with anyone else–or am I just too critical? 🙂
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Have you asked your priest about this?
 
I really hate this song because of the lyrics and the implication that the ‘old’ church was defective. To me, it is especially offensive as a communion song.
 
Hate it. Refuse to sing it. There’s nothing wrong with the original Church, thank you.

Betsy
 
It seems to be one of my bishop’s favorite songs, I’ve heard it every time there is a special Mass.
 
We had that as a recessional once during my college days at one of the “liberal” Newman Centers. I refused to sing it period… quite theatrically threw the hymnal back on the pew and then folded my arms.

I’m glad that after a while, God in his infinite wisdom retired the choir director and replaced her with a wiser guy. Never had to endure such music thereafter. Honestly, I think the song borders on heresy.
 
Thank you for everyone’s feedback. Glad to know I’m not the only one out here. It’s not often that I stop singing and begin to read the words in the hymnal with a more critical eye–at least in Catholic Churches. I am still debating the best way to address this…
 
It comes from OCP’s Spirit and Song. I refuse to sing it when the director programs it into the rotation. I’ve tried to talk to my pastor but, he’s bought into the OCP mess lock stock and barrel. I may ask him once again, maybe bribe him over dinner with something, anything, to see some solid traditional music.

I have lent him my copy of Spirit of the Liturgy in the hopes that maybe the Holy Father’s words might make a dent into his subconscious regarding the importance of sacred music.🤷
 
Ugh… I haven’t heard the song but it reads as though it would have a catchy feel good tune to it.

I definitely wouldn’t sing it. Brings new gifts? What are they talking about? A playstation perhaps?
 
This song is perhaps one of the most blatant incursions of New Age (“sing a new church into being”) and Wiccan (“shape a circle ever wider”) theology that OCP has yet forced upon its subscribers. Apart from systematically neutering hymns containing masculine references to God or mankind with every year’s edition, this company has flagrantly ignored liturgical directives about music in the liturgy for many years and has virtually destroyed the Catholic musical tradition in most English-speaking countries. Maybe this coming economic crisis will put them out of business.
 
This is one of the many reasons why, if I were a pastor today, I would terminate my parish’s subscription to OCP at my earliest opportunity.
 
Come to think of it, OCP pretty much did the same thing to Come Holy Ghost. Bernadette Farrel thought that she could improve upon the text and it is completely washed up. It sounds horrible and I refuse to sing it during Mass. :mad:
 
For what good it will do, I sent a letter to OCP and copied The Archdiocese of Portland. If anyone else would like to join me, the more the merrier!
 
Writer said:
I recently sang a hymn at Mass that uses the music of an old hymn (“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”), but this “new and improved” one is entitled “Sing a New Church.” I’ve got some problems with this 1990s hymn re-make. Anyone else feel like their singing more the praises of diversity than to God?

Here’s some words by Father Paul Scalia.

"Aside from the fact that this song radically distorts Our Lord 's “Bread of Life” discourse, it also leaves God out of the conversation: we talk to ourselves. As the communicants come forward to receive the living God, they are singing about themselves. “Sing a New Church”, a triumphalist paean to diversity by Delores Dufner, OSB, also fosters the Cult of Us:

Let us bring the gifts that differ
And, in splendid, varied ways,
Sing a new Church into being,
One in faith and love and praise

So the chorus goes, and the verses similarly proclaim us to ourselves. Passing over the tremendous ecclesiological problems in the text, we should question what the song communicates to the congregation: songs about us constitute worship of the Almighty. We have replaced Him as the focus of worship."

Does this song raise concerns with anyone else–or am I just too critical? 🙂
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I, as to many others I know, refuse to sing any song that promotes a NEW Gospel or Church.
 
In my own opinion, the text of the song itself is not quite as problematic as it’s use by certain groups.

The text is actually scriptural; it speaks of the many and varied gifts that Paul wrote about that we all have and which we use to bring about the Kingdom of God and mold and shape the Church.

I have not been beholden to this text after seeing it used by FutureChurch and Call to Action. For the modern association alone one could vote to not use it. We must note, however, that Call to Action and other dissident groups also use some other appropriate liturgical music in their liturgies as well.
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
This is one of the many reasons why, if I were a pastor today, I would terminate my parish’s subscription to OCP at my earliest opportunity.
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And if I were in your parish, I would thank you, buy you dinner, and increase my weekly contribution…
 
The text is actually scriptural; it speaks of the many and varied gifts that Paul wrote about that we all have and which we use to bring about the Kingdom of God and mold and shape the Church.
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I beg to differ.

I’m reminded of Pope Benedict’s recent reminder to us, that the Church is God’s creation, God’s gift to us. Therefore, we don’t create the Church, let alone sing a “new” church into being. A “new church” is not the ekklesia that God wanted, but the synagogue of Satan, which St Paul also reminds us to be wary of.

Just because the song peppers a few passages of Scripture doesn’t mean it is in line with Vatican II, or even good. Don’t forget that Satan is an expert in the Scriptures.
 
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