Which hymns do Catholics & Protestants share?

[DAML72]

Others have listed the ones most commonly used in my parish, like Amazing Grace, Lift High the Cross, and Jesus Christ is Risen Today. There are one or two more that don’t come to mind right now. Usually these hymns are reserved for the processional at the end of Mass, so a lot of people are leaving, but being a born and raised Protestant - in the pew every Sunday unless my mom was sick or too hung over from bridge club the night before (which was rare), I stand and sing alone to the end - or at least to the end of the second verse when the organist quits. lol!

Lots of Christmas hymns are the same, but my experience has been that they are reserved for the last week of advent and/or Christmas eve.

But don’t fret - there are some beautiful Catholic hymns (like ‘I am the Bread of Life’) and songs that you will come to love - as long as you are in a parish with a good music director.

 

[janeway529]

Lots of Christmas hymns are the same, but my experience has been that they are reserved for the last week of advent and/or Christmas eve.

If you’re in the Philippines or a parish that celebrates Simbang Gabi, you will hear Christmas songs during Advent. Actually, the Christmas songs start playing in the country in September.

 

[ProVobis]

I think some of contemporary Catholic Offertory and communion hymns (Christ be Our Light, This is my body) have also made their way into non-Catholic hymn books.

You’re right about that. I’ve heard the works of Richard Proulx, for example, have been quite popular among the non-Catholic crowd. Also of Peter Jones’ and others. That is, until the new English translation came along (which by the way, I have no position on, just observing).

 

[Granum_Frumenti]

The “contemporary” hymns sung in Catholic parishes are never sung in Baptist (or any Evangelical Protestant) churches. These hymns would be considered “too Catholic.” You will hear them in Lutheran churches and perhaps in other mainline denominations.

There will be exceptions.

I grew up in an Evangelical, Baptist-like church, not too overtly hostile to Catholicism, in which our congregation sang mainly “contemporary music” (even the occasional “traditional hymn” was conformed in style).

We sang at least one exception, “Here I Am, Lord,” pretty often. I’m not familiar enough with the background of everything in our repertoire to name every exception right now, but maybe there were others. (Any exceptions would most likely be ones that stayed fairly close to a biblical text–at least close enough for the references to be obvious to anyone with sufficient knowledge of the text.)

 

[27lw]

Just as an FYI - -
Hymns are really supposed to be a 3rd or 4th choice at Mass. There are other short chant-based piece of music, called “the Propers” which very few parishes use, but are generally Scripture set to music. Hymns are not really supposed to be the first choice, according to GIRM. But no one follows this. : ) Many hymns that Catholics think are “traditional” are about 40 or so years old, and they come out of the post-Vatican II style of liturgical practice. So if Catholics don’t want their own tradition, they probably also don’t want anybody else’s tradition.

 

[Pancras]

.
I had a friend who used to be protestant and he entered the Catholic Church after a long time. He was afraid that his ‘move’ would not endure, but he persisted and prayed and went to Mass regularly. After he had spent some years in the Catholic Church, I spoke to him about music, and he told me that he was glad that the Catholic hymns were very solidly Catholic. I asked him if he would like to hear any of the old protestant hymns he used to know and he said that would remind him of the teachings that he left behind. He said that even hearing the melodies of those old hymns would revive in him the spirit of anti-Catholicism that had been all around that music in his previous years.

Does this sound familiar to anyone here on Cath Answ?
.

 

[Pancras]

Among the hymns we share are some of the greatest.
…
Amazing Grace

(Amazing Grace contains some lines or phrases that some theologians argue conflict with Catholic Theology, but I think that takes a certain interpretation of the song. It can be interpreted in a way that creates troubles, I think - a bad idea, I think…

…I interpret it in a way that does NOT contradict Catholic Theology…)

Are you saying that so long as what you think, in your own mind, is according to Catholic Theology, then what someone else hearing the same music thinks (like if it means non-Catholic theology to him) is of no importance to anyone, except perhaps that one person? Or, is my asking this question “creating troubles” – in your opinion?
.

 

[Pancras]

Just as an FYI - -
Hymns are really supposed to be a 3rd or 4th choice at Mass. There are other short chant-based piece of music, called “the Propers” which very few parishes use, but are generally Scripture set to music. Hymns are not really supposed to be the first choice, according to GIRM. But no one follows this. : )

Many hymns that Catholics think are “traditional” are about 40 or so years old, and they come out of the post-Vatican II style of liturgical practice. So if Catholics don’t want their own tradition, they probably also don’t want anybody else’s tradition.

Sorry I missed your post, 27lw, because it was really nice to read it. Why do you suppose that no one follows the GIRM guideline that you cite? It sounds like a great idea (the guideline, that is, not ignoring the guideline). I know some choirs where they do follow this, in fact, Gregorian Chant is making a come-back in several parishes in the area. Chant Propers are a lot of work but the payoff is tremendous. Often times they leave you transfixed in contemplation of the mysteries. A few years ago Chant started to become widely circulated as recordings and people were using those in their cars to keep focused on the road and not be upset by all the noisy pop music that the radio offers.

But I’m not sure I know what you mean when you say, “So if Catholics don’t want their own tradition, they probably also don’t want anybody else’s tradition.” Could you explain that better for me?
.

 

[pnewton]

Sorry I missed your post, 27lw, because it was really nice to read it. Why do you suppose that no one follows the GIRM guideline that you cite? It sounds like a great idea (the guideline, that is, not ignoring the guideline).

Choosing the fourth option is not ignoring the others, it is simply choosing that option. There are also options on the Eucharistic Prayer. A priest is not ignoring the GIRM if he used the third prayer. The option for hymns exist because it is a legitimate option.

 

[AveryLeigh]

I’m a convert too. About a year ago, the communion hymn at Mass was an old altar call song I remembered from the Protestant Church I grew up in. I think the title is “Come Home” It starts off “softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling to you and to me”. That was the moment when I realized that receiving the Eucharist is an altar call at its highest, it’s submitting to Christ with your body and soul. Very enlightening experience.

 

[27lw]

Sorry I missed your post, 27lw, because it was really nice to read it. Why do you suppose that no one follows the GIRM guideline that you cite? It sounds like a great idea (the guideline, that is, not ignoring the guideline). I know some choirs where they do follow this, in fact, Gregorian Chant is making a come-back in several parishes in the area. Chant Propers are a lot of work but the payoff is tremendous. Often times they leave you transfixed in contemplation of the mysteries. A few years ago Chant started to become widely circulated as recordings and people were using those in their cars to keep focused on the road and not be upset by all the noisy pop music that the radio offers.

But I’m not sure I know what you mean when you say, “So if Catholics don’t want their own tradition, they probably also don’t want anybody else’s tradition.” Could you explain that better for me?
.

Okay - - I’m probably guilty of being snarky. When I said that Catholics don’t want their own tradition, I suppose I meant that many Catholics seem to not like Gregorian chant, or anything with Latin in it. So many Catholics just seem to want the new / recent hymns, I would suspect that they don’t want older Protestant-style hymns either.

That’s nice to hear that some people are hearing the propers, though!

 

[27lw]

Choosing the fourth option is not ignoring the others, it is simply choosing that option. There are also options on the Eucharistic Prayer. A priest is not ignoring the GIRM if he used the third prayer. The option for hymns exist because it is a legitimate option.

Yes, I know it is a legitimate option. I just think it’s weird that an awful lot (maybe most) parishes NEVER do any of the propers.

 

[pnewton]

Yes, I know it is a legitimate option. I just think it’s weird that an awful lot (maybe most) parishes NEVER do any of the propers.

I believe it is reflective of the culture, and of the changing times. Hymns, though they once might have been new, have become part of our heritage. In time, maybe they will cease to be used, or maybe incorporated more directly into the liturgy of the Mass as in they are in the LOTH.

 

[ProVobis]

I believe it is reflective of the culture, and of the changing times. Hymns, though they once might have been new, have become part of our heritage. In time, maybe they will cease to be used, or maybe incorporated more directly into the liturgy of the Mass as in they are in the LOTH.

I agree somewhat but I think the cultures have transcended religion lines so instead of Protestant vs Catholic, it’s now become English hymns vs Spanish hymns vs Polish and so forth.

 

[pnewton]

I agree somewhat but I think the cultures have transcended religion lines so instead of Protestant vs Catholic, it’s now become English hymns vs Spanish hymns vs Polish and so forth.

I am sure that the language of most hymns are determined by the language most of the people speak. In cases where a Mass is said in Spanish, for example, I would expect most hymns to be in Spanish.

In the case of our bilingual Masses, we mix the two languages, well three when you count Latin. It works well as long as one doesn’t try to measure and make sure everything is “fair”. We give no credence to such inane complaints.

 

[uncle_joe]

Lilla,
You’re welcome for my earlier answer about specific hymns. I went today to sing and pray before Christ in the tabernacle. That reminded of one I forgot to tell you about. I sing Tantum Ergo almost every time I pray as I did today - before Christ in the tabernacle. It’s a beautiful hymn written by Thomas Aquinas. The whole poem that he wrote actually has several more stanzas. We usually sing only the last two, and we name that hymn for the first two words of those last two stanzas, “Tantum Ergo”. The whole hymn is called “Pange Lingua Gloriosi”.

I think the best way to learn a little Latin is to sing it. I can say the “Hail Mary” in Latin, and know what I am saying, because I learned to sing “Ave Maria”, and I learned it word-by-word, line-by-line, so that I know what the words mean. That’s the only way I can sing it and feel like I am not lying to Mary - I want to know and understand the words as well as I can.

The same is true for “Tantum Ergo”, a great and glorious hymn of appreciation and love for Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, for God the Father, and for The Holy Spirit. The hymn is a delight to sing. It is one of the hymns that can remove all distractions from my attention if I sing it correctly. It is utter praise, worship and real adoration of God from beginning to end. It ends with an acknowledgement that The Holy Spirit proceeds from BOTH the Father and the Son, so this is not a hymn that is likely to be sung by our Orthodox brothers and sisters. Sometimes, though, it is sung even by the Orthodox I think.

Look for Tantum Ergo in the hymnals in your parish. It usually has an English translation of sorts. By “of sorts” I mean that the song is rewritten in English, but is not a literal translation. It still is a very good and reasonable interpretation of the original, and good and right to sing with joy and awe.

Peace be with you,
and Peace be with your family and all whom you love,
especially with any who might be less than delighted about your becoming Catholic.

I am Catholic.
Peace be with you.

 

[Cat]

Lilla,
You’re welcome for my earlier answer about specific hymns. I went today to sing and pray before Christ in the tabernacle. That reminded of one I forgot to tell you about. I sing Tantum Ergo almost every time I pray as I did today - before Christ in the tabernacle. It’s a beautiful hymn written by Thomas Aquinas. The whole poem that he wrote actually has several more stanzas. We usually sing only the last two, and we name that hymn for the first two words of those last two stanzas, “Tantum Ergo”. The whole hymn is called “Pange Lingua Gloriosi”.

I think the best way to learn a little Latin is to sing it. I can say the “Hail Mary” in Latin, and know what I am saying, because I learned to sing “Ave Maria”, and I learned it word-by-word, line-by-line, so that I know what the words mean. That’s the only way I can sing it and feel like I am not lying to Mary - I want to know and understand the words as well as I can.

The same is true for “Tantum Ergo”, a great and glorious hymn of appreciation and love for Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, for God the Father, and for The Holy Spirit. The hymn is a delight to sing. It is one of the hymns that can remove all distractions from my attention if I sing it correctly. It is utter praise, worship and real adoration of God from beginning to end. It ends with an acknowledgement that The Holy Spirit proceeds from BOTH the Father and the Son, so this is not a hymn that is likely to be sung by our Orthodox brothers and sisters. Sometimes, though, it is sung even by the Orthodox I think.

**Look for Tantum Ergo in the hymnals in your parish. It usually has an English translation of sorts. By “of sorts” I mean that the song is rewritten in English, but is not a literal translation. It still is a very good and reasonable interpretation of the original, and good and right to sing with joy and awe.**Peace be with you,
and Peace be with your family and all whom you love,
especially with any who might be less than delighted about your becoming Catholic.

I am Catholic.
Peace be with you.

When the Latin songs are done in our parish, I don’t sing.

This is so incredibly contrary to my life-long practice in church music–I believe that we should ALWAYS make an effort to sing the hymns selected even if we don’t like them. So I must have a very serious reason to stand mute, right?

I won’t sing the Latin hymns in our missallette because of what you said above–the translation isn’t accurate.

When we first became Catholic, I thought it was a direct translation, since I don’t remember enough of my high school Latin to know. But one day my husband pointed out that the translation was just a paraphrase.

I won’t sing songs and I won’t recite words if I don’t know what I am singing or saying. For all I know, I could be singing a blasphemy or worse. I just won’t do it.I have no idea what those Latin hymns are saying, and until I do, I won’t sing them.

I hope that eventually, the translations will be the direct translations, even if they aren’t as poetic or pretty. Christians shouldn’t be singing something just because “it’s tradition” or because “it’s beautiful.” Everything we sing should be sung with our brains as well as our hearts.

 

[Cat]

.
I had a friend who used to be protestant and he entered the Catholic Church after a long time. He was afraid that his ‘move’ would not endure, but he persisted and prayed and went to Mass regularly. After he had spent some years in the Catholic Church, I spoke to him about music, and he told me that he was glad that the Catholic hymns were very solidly Catholic. I asked him if he would like to hear any of the old protestant hymns he used to know and he said that would remind him of the teachings that he left behind. He said that even hearing the melodies of those old hymns would revive in him the spirit of anti-Catholicism that had been all around that music in his previous years.

Does this sound familiar to anyone here on Cath Answ?
.

This isn’t my experience at all.

When I hear or sing the old Protestant hymns now, I find that they are more touching to me because now, they make sense. They are “completed.”

Of course, I didn’t grow up in anti-Catholic churches or with anti-Catholic parents.

 

[ProVobis]

the translations will be the direct translations

As one CA priest put it, translations are more art than science. And even science using different methods of measuring has its flaws.

Look at it this way. Scientists don’t go around saying all we have to do is to convert all the data, accumulated over hundreds of years, into English units and we’ll be fine forever. The failure of the Mars probe showed that over time this fails. Hardly unity in diversity.

If we call ourselves part of the Latin rite, then we keep things in Latin. Worked okay for many centuries going almost all the way back to Christ. Napoleon may have put the final stab to the Roman Empire, but he didn’t destroy the Church nor its language.

.

 

[27lw]

When the Latin songs are done in our parish, I don’t sing.

This is so incredibly contrary to my life-long practice in church music–I believe that we should ALWAYS make an effort to sing the hymns selected even if we don’t like them. So I must have a very serious reason to stand mute, right?

I won’t sing the Latin hymns in our missallette because of what you said above–the translation isn’t accurate.

When we first became Catholic, I thought it was a direct translation, since I don’t remember enough of my high school Latin to know. But one day my husband pointed out that the translation was just a paraphrase.

I won’t sing songs and I won’t recite words if I don’t know what I am singing or saying. For all I know, I could be singing a blasphemy or worse. I just won’t do it.I have no idea what those Latin hymns are saying, and until I do, I won’t sing them.

I hope that eventually, the translations will be the direct translations, even if they aren’t as poetic or pretty. Christians shouldn’t be singing something just because “it’s tradition” or because “it’s beautiful.” Everything we sing should be sung with our brains as well as our hearts.

I’ve got bad news for you, Cat. The WHOLE entire Mass is written in what language? Latin. When we attend Mass, and it’s in English, it’s a translation. What are you going to do now? Are you going to learn Latin, so you can make sure it’s accurate?