Singing in California churches banned

[MrsAngelala]

I ran into a much less explicable situation last week. I live on the border of two dioceses, and I sing (cantor/soloist) funerals in both dioceses, so I’m subject to two completely different sets of rules. I just do what I’m told.

Last week I sang in two different parishes in the same diocese. The first parish - business as usual, no changes. The second parish (same diocese) tells me that diocesan rules prohibit me singing the funeral because the church is too small. I asked for the document, which they forwarded to me. It was really, truly bizarre. One of the guidelines said that cantors and organists must each be 20 feet apart from each other and from everyone else. The guideline just above it said that congregational singing should be eliminated “or at least limited.” Which means the congregation was allowed to sing.

So, in this diocese, congregants could sing six feet from each other. Cantors had to be twenty feet away from the organist and everyone else. The organist had to be twenty feet away from the cantor and everyone else: because, somehow, the organist’s normal breathing-without-singing is so very powerful that it can transmit COVID to everyone less than twenty feet away… though the congregation’s singing can’t transmit COVID to other people even six feet away. What?

None of this makes the slightest bit of sense. And the worst part is that the Church is behaving exactly like the world.

 

[Margaret_Ann]

That’s insane! I’m the lay cantor at my parish in PA and sing while wearing a mask.

 

[Rau]

I’m not even sure what to say? Protest day after day after day with no masks, but people can’t sing in church? Terrible discrimination.

Anyone from California? Is your church going to listen to this nonsense?

This is currently the practice in other countries too, Eg. The congregation aren’t to sing though the priest or a choir may. No biggie.

There are many inconsistencies in rules relating to covid, but these should be forgiven on the grounds of simplicity vs perfection, or simple oversight, or some other factor. No one is seeking to be mean to church-goers.

 

[Rau]

Definitely not going to die on the hill for singing… it’s just really frustrating they can tell us what to do inside of a church that’s all. Feels like they are talking down to us. “You can all go play church now, but here are the rules”

In many countries, there are rules for other kinds of indoor establishments: Eg. How many people may visit your home, spacing in restaurants, whether indoor patrons must be seated or can stand at the bar, and in churches: Spacing or density, whether congregation may sing etc. I see no reason to exclude places of worship from rule-making in these circumstances. I’m not too aware of the extent of rule-making in the US, but the huge number of infected people and deaths in the US suggest a lack of rules (precautions) or a lack of compliance with rules.

 

[Reverent_Howler]

We have no singing other than by the celebrant and cantor. Unless you count those murmuring along with the celebrant following The Petitions. A custom of his in which he would sing some unknown work rather than render a blessing. Lately it’s been a Psalm possibly relating to the COVID.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

The Gloria isn’t said at daily Masses either, because they are considered less special than Sunday (which is absolutely the wrong wording, but I don’t know the technical terminology for this). That doesn’t make the Gloria a minor matter.

This has nothing to do with the Gloria. Singing is not on the same level as a prayer required by the Mass rubrics.

 

[babochka]

TepeyacTraveler:

I’m not even sure what to say? Protest day after day after day with no masks, but people can’t sing in church? Terrible discrimination.

Anyone from California? Is your church going to listen to this nonsense?

This is currently the practice in other countries too, Eg. The congregation aren’t to sing though the priest or a choir may. No biggie.

Just to be clear, the current directive prohibits all singing or chanting during religious services. This applies to services that are both indoors and outdoors. It does not prohibit just the congregation from singing. There is to be no singing or chanting by the priest nor by a cantor.

Additionally, it mandates that all “ritual clothing” (vestments) and linens be laundered after everything service. This is absolutely impractical.

 

[Odilon]

How would he know if you were singing or not - is he going to send his goons in to see? I say this is a time for action - sing even louder!

 

[phil19034]

I’m not even sure what to say? Protest day after day after day with no masks, but people can’t sing in church? Terrible discrimination.

Anyone from California? Is your church going to listen to this nonsense?

I see this two different ways.

1. the inconsistency of the governments is pretty amazing. Protestors can scream, chant, sing, etc in close proximity to one another & cant be stopped because of the First Amendment; while Churches can have be clamped down unequally without regard to the First Amendment. It’s insane and one judge in just ruled that both the Gov of New York & the Mayor New York City were both guilty of discriminating against religions because of the way they handled (or didn’t) protests.
2. for Catholics, many dioceses are making rules against lay people singing at mass. I know in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (where our COVID rules are pretty lax compared to other dioceses), the Archbishop doesn’t want the people singing in the pews. For Latin Catholics, singing isn’t a requirement for “active participation,” praying is the requirement. So there is nothing wrong with having the laity simply listen. Besides, maybe the cantor / choir can start singing more Gregorian Chant!?!? Point is, for us Latin Catholics, we don’t sing as part of our worship. Singing is just praise, not worship.

I see this as a bigger issue for evangelical Protestants, not for Latin Catholics. However, I do fear every time the govt says what a religion can & cannot do as part of their service. It’s a very dangerous slope.

God Bless

 

[babochka]

For Catholics, singing isn’t a requirement for “active participation,” praying is the requirement.

As the famous saying (attributed to St. Augustine) goes, “He who sings prays twice.” In the Mass or Divine Liturgy, singing is prayer.

Besides, maybe the cantor / choir can start singing more Gregorian Chant!?!?

I don’t think you get it. Gregorian Chant is forbidden. Plainchant is forbidden. Having the priest chant the words of institution is forbidden.

Point is, for us Catholics, we don’t sing as part of our worship. Singing is just praise, not worship.

Can you clarify what you mean by this? When we sing (or chant) at Mass, it is part of our worship. It is a prayer. In the context of the Mass, we don’t separate praise from worship. If it is within the Mass, it is worship? Perhaps not strictly necessary for validity, but I don’t see how you are making a distinction here between praise and worship.

 

[phil19034]

phil19034:

For Catholics, singing isn’t a requirement for “active participation,” praying is the requirement.

As the famous saying (attributed to St. Augustine) goes, “He who sings prays twice.” In the Mass or Divine Liturgy, singing is prayer.

Besides, maybe the cantor / choir can start singing more Gregorian Chant!?!?

I don’t think you get it. Gregorian Chant is forbidden. Plainchant is forbidden. Having the priest chant the words of institution is forbidden.

Point is, for us Catholics, we don’t sing as part of our worship. Singing is just praise, not worship.

Can you clarify what you mean by this? When we sing (or chant) at Mass, it is part of our worship. It is a prayer. In the context of the Mass, we don’t separate praise from worship. If it is within the Mass, it is worship? Perhaps not strictly necessary for validity, but I don’t see how you are making a distinction here between praise and worship.

I’m talking about validity. We don’t have to have singing for the Mass (which is our Worship) to be valid.

Singing parts of the mass is extra.

Where as in some evangelical groups, singing is the highlight because they don’t have the Eucharist.

 

[phil19034]

I don’t think you get it. Gregorian Chant is forbidden. Plainchant is forbidden. Having the priest chant the words of institution is forbidden.

So it’s more than just the lay people singing? A priest and/or cantor can’t sing either?

Honestly, I can’t see that holding up in court. It’s one thing to ask people in the pews to refrain from singing (and even that is a dangerous slope). But it’s a totalMy different thing to say priest and/or cantor can’t sing.

That’s going too far

 

[Peaceable]

That and government operatives who are Anti-Christian.

Umm… no. The actual mandate affects all houses of worship—temples, mosques,synagogues—the news article’s focus on “Churches” in the text of the article unnecessarily stirs controversy.

My cultural tradition is one in which singing/chanting is a big part of worship and I fully support these recommendations.

 

[babochka]

babochka:

I don’t think you get it. Gregorian Chant is forbidden. Plainchant is forbidden. Having the priest chant the words of institution is forbidden.

So it’s more than just the lay people singing? A priest and/or cantor can’t sing either?

Honestly, I can’t see that holding up in court. It’s one thing to ask people in the pews to refrain from singing (and even that is a dangerous slope). But it’s a totalMy different thing to say priest and/or cantor can’t sing.

That’s going too far

Here is the document, if you’d like to read it for yourself.

https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-places-of-worship.pdf

 

[Peaceable]

Bay Area hospitals receiving Imperial County COVID patients

Above is a news article out this weekend indicating that patients are being sent up to Northern California from Southern California due to lack of beds.

This is not good.

I would support at this point any measure that would contain this. And have little regard for armchair theorizing that might put more healthcare workers and citizens at risk.

 

[Peaceable]

I don’t think that too many people are disagreeing with the fact that poor social distancing in any context including protests, is problematic too.

 

[babochka]

Bay Area hospitals receiving Imperial County COVID patients

Above is a news article out this weekend indicating that patients are being sent up to Northern California from Southern California due to lack of beds.

This is not good.

I would support at this point any measure that would contain this. And have little regard for armchair theorizing that might put more healthcare workers and citizens at risk.

This is the key fact in this article.

Imperial has become the entryway for U.S. citizens living in Mexico seeking medical care.

Mexico’s system is in danger of being overwhelmed, so any US citizens who become ill in Mexico (while living or visiting) are being sent to California hospitals. This has been going on for a few weeks.

 

[LisaB]

How would he know if you were singing or not - is he going to send his goons in to see? I say this is a time for action - sing even louder!

You never know. In San Francisco the City sent spies to various churches to see if they were holding public Masses against the city rules, to check if people and priests were wearing masks, etc. Then they issued a 7-page letter with their findings. God help California.

 

[MrsAngelala]

Actually, there are sung propers required by the Mass rubrics. In the U. S., we treat them as much more optional then they are, which is one element that contributed to my parenthetical statement.

More than one essential element of our Faith has been treated like fluff during this crisis. The Eucharist is the first and most important. The singing isn’t even a close second, but it does matter.

 

[babochka]

I’m talking about validity. We don’t have to have singing for the Mass (which is our Worship) to be valid.

Singing parts of the mass is extra.

Singing/chanting parts of the Mass is not extra, it is normative. The deprivation of that doesn’t affect validity, but it should not be minimized. There is a whole lot that could be cut from the Mass and still maintain validity, but we should acknowledge that doing so is not for ordinary circumstances.

We are living in extraordinary circumstances, but it is for the Church to decide how to best adapt the liturgy to those circumstances, not for the state to mandate.

Regarding the importance of singing at Mass, the Introduction to the Roman Missal says the following:

"39. The Christian faithful who gather together as one to await the Lord’s coming are instructed by the Apostle Paul to sing together psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (cf. Col 3:16). Singing is the sign of the heart’s joy (cf. Acts 2:46). Thus Saint Augustine says rightly, ‘Singing is for one who loves.’ There is also the ancient proverb: ‘One who sings well prays twice.’

"40. Great importance should therefore be attached to the use of singing in the celebration of the Mass, with due consideration for the culture of the people and abilities of each liturgical assembly. Although it is not always necessary (e.g., in weekday Masses) to sing all the texts that are of themselves meant to be sung, every care should be taken that singing by the ministers and the people is not absent in celebrations that occur on Sundays and on holy days of obligation.

"In the choosing of the parts actually to be sung, however, preference should be given to those that are of greater importance and especially to those to be sung by the priest or the deacon or the lector, with the people responding, or by the priest and people together.