Archbishop Samples in his excellent guidelines for chanting the Mass (two posts below this) threw out this bomb but His Excellency doesn't name names. I want names please!!!!!
Hymn and song texts must conform to the teachings and doctrines of the
Church, especially with regard to the Eucharistic Sacrifice and the Real
Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Any texts which promote teachings
which are ambiguous or contrary to the Faith must be retired from the
parish repertoire. It must be sadly acknowledged that some hymns in
approved hymnals, music issues and missalettes do not reflect Catholic
theology and should not be used. Musicians should be attentive to this
point and think carefully about the selection of hymns, seeking guidance
from the pastors of the Church when needed. With this in mind it
follows that just because a particular piece is published in a Catholic
hymnal or worship aid does not necessarily mean that the piece was
intended to be sung at Holy Mass.
I would like comments to suggest names of hymns in Catholic hymnals that should be weeded out because "Any texts which promote teachings
which are ambiguous or contrary to the Faith must be retired from the
parish repertoire."
20 comments:
Do the musicians have the knowledge to make that decision? They have been making the hymn list with these tunes all this time without raising questions. Did they see the problem? I think specific guidelines need to come from the bishops. Also, a lot of hymns are lyrics put to well known tunes so the hymns will need to be scrutinized stanza by stanza.
The problem isn't the musicians in parishes who presume that hymns in CATHOLIC hymnbooks are CATHOLIC. It is the shirking of responsibility of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops who have not, will not and never will reign in the profit making machine of publishing houses who produce hymnals and missalettes with music of not only questionable doctrinal and devotional quality, that ain't Catholic, but also the melodies that are used set to sacred words which often sound like pop music, Broadway ditties and worse!
We need a national hymnal and the Doctrine and Liturgy committees of the USCCB need to examine everything about hymns including especially Protestant ones but the newer ditties too.
You can start with "On Eagle's Wings," then get rid of all the Kumbaya type stuff.
"Gather Us In" and "Lord of the Dance" are two pagan items that need to go. (and probably 90% or more of the "Glory & Praise" hymnal)
I second Gene’s list and nominate “Dance in the Morning” or whatever its real name is.
Gene,
Right on!
In my opinion (thus it is a fact), the essential problem is that we are not really singing the Mass but singing AT Mass. If were were singing the Propers and the Ordinary, there really would be no need for hymns other than perhaps a Motet at the offertory and communion sung by a schola. In the 50 plus years since Vatican Disaster II, I can state that I have NEVER seen a vernacular Mass done in this fashion but only at an OF in Latin and the EF.
My former pastor was taught at seminary not to trust any "Catholic" hymn composed after Vatican II for fear of heretical content. We need an Imprimatur or Nihil Obstat with specific names of bishops who approved these supposedly Catholic hymnals since only God knows what nameless Modernist/dissenting/quasi-heritical/ignorant bishop approved one them in his diocese which has been interpreted to mean it is automatically approved for all the dioceses of a country.
Christian Hymns were invented by St Ambrose to fight the Arian heresy. Hymns were used by Protestants to fight against Catholic doctrine. Hymns are means to teach people doctrine. The Church is in self-destruct mode when Catholic hymns are either heretical or un-Catholic in doctrine.
While "On Eagles Wings" has been the poster child of all that is bad in contemporary hymnody for some time, the problem with it is the saccharine melody, not the content.
The text of "On Eagle Wings" is merely the 91st Psalm, recited by everyone who prays the office on Sunday evenings. As such, I don't think it entirely falls in the "Kumbaya" category. It is merely a liturgical text rendered poorly.
Gaudete in Domino Semper!
considering the fact that our current pastor told us that he just loved lord of the dance, it was the entrance and recessional at his ordination, fat chance of that one ever leaving the list
"Sing a New Church" is definitely a tool of indoctrination for the concepts 1) the Catholic Church was created in 1962 and the nearly 2000 years prior to that are invalid, and 2) the most important Catholic doctrine is social justice and diversity--if you ain't a progressive democrat, then you ain't Catholic.
Lord of the Dance? LOL. Your pastor is definitely a musical philistine
"All Are Welcome" is the ultimate kumbaya, we-are-great-because-we-are-liberal anthem.
"I Have Loved You" (Joncas)sounds like a very nice pop love song you could hear on the radio...but is it appropriate for Mass?
Star-Child. I was shocked to find it in the hymnal.
There are some great, theologically correct protestant hymns that Catholics should explore. "A Mighty Fortress" is one of them. Hymns like "The Solid Rock," "God of Our Fathers," "My Faith Looks Up to The," and "At theCross," all are compatible with Catholic doctrine and teaching.
But Gene the other consideration is the devotional sound or quality of the melody. Most of those hymns have a Protestant devotional sound. For example the melody of ave Maria or Hail Holy Queen would strike a. Artist as Catholic sounding in it evocative devotional quality.
Should read STRIKE A BAPTIST!
I would love to know how a "Protestant devotional sound" could be described or defined.
'Singing the Mass' is easier said than done. Most people cannot read music, and although they can learn very simple chant settings (such as those in the missal) for the Ordinary, the same ferial chants Sunday after Sunday are not only wearisome, but take no account of the seasons.
As for the Propers, it takes a highly competent schola to deliver them. Simpler versions require the people to repeat a refrain which punctuates the cantor's declamation of the verses (in the manner of the RP in the lectionary) which is hardly inspiring. I have noticed that the only melody for the Alleluia that the people sing is the three-fold version (mode 6) from the end of the Easter Vigil (GR p.195) which is used day in, day out.
Small wonder that people would rather sing non-liturgical hymns - at least they provide some variety.
Another problem is clergy who are too lazy to chant their parts. How many permanent deacons have you heard sing the Gospel, let alone the Exsultet? it should be part of the job specification.
Many protestant hymns are to melodies from Bach, Haydn, Scarlatti, and Mozart. I, too, would like to know what is a "protestant devotional sound."
John Nolan,
When I was in grade school (I was there when the Liturgy was being destroyed) we learned to sing the propers in Latin and then sang them when we went vernacular. I wish I could remember the name of the sourcebook we used. It was not the musical settings of the propers in the Liber Usualis, but one designed to introduce young children to singing them. The tones were very simple, similar to the simpler versions of the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei. I agree if one uses the propers in the Liber, a trained schola would be the only way they could be done.I would prefer that to hymns like "Gather us In"
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