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A collection comprised of nearly 50 “queer hymns” has been recently published by an ecumenical non-profit association that seeks to promote congregational singing. Songs for the Holy Other: Hymns Affirming the LGBTQIA2S+ Community was released in July by the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Anglican Journal, the publication of the Anglican Church of Canada, publicized the songs, which were promptly shared online by the U.S.-based Episcopal Church. Both of the neighboring churches regularly promote LGBT causes throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion, but some of the hymns trample on a number of core Christian teachings, in addition to...

Sacred Music and Your Parish February 1st, 2010 by Trent Beattie One can walk into nearly any parish today and hear almost any type of music, from Gregorian chant to folk music to heavy metal.  While most parishes offer one type of music within a given Mass, some parishes even provide a musical contrast within the same one.  I actually attended a funeral Mass in which an electric guitar was used alternately with a harp.  Figure that one out if you can.Unusual combinations aside, isn’t it a good thing to have something different for everyone?  The old people can listen...

Photo by Chris LightJeffrey Tucker, Sacred Music correspondent for the New Liturgical Movement, is understandably thrilled to see that the Archabbey of St Meinrad in Indiana is making its music available in pdf form free of charge on the internet with an explicit Creative Commons licence. If you wish to buy a printed copy of one of the books, you can do so. St Meinrad have chosen to publish their books via Lulu. There you can see that some works are still only available as e-books (with a small charge) but the monks are committed to making them all available...

In a recent address to the bishops and priests of St. Peter’s, Pope Benedict called for a greater “continuity with tradition” in the music of the Church, and spoke of the value of the Church’s older musical traditions, among them the baroque sacred music of the 17th and 18th centuries and Gregorian Chant. The address followed the pope’s issuance, in July, of an Apostolic Letter (accompanying letter in English here) in which he permitted broader use of the Latin Mass, the “Tridentine” rite authorized by the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century and promulgated most recently by John XXIII...

WASHINGTON(October 9, 2007) – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will vote at their annual Fall General Assembly on the approval of the document Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship, a revision of the guidelines for music at Mass. The document “represents a significant rethinking of the structure and substance of what needs to be said about this important aspect of the liturgical renewal,” said Bishop Donald Trautman, outgoing chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, in the documentation sent to the Bishops for their review. The document retains and refines some of the more important...

Building bridges, creating unity, and recognizing that all are one in the body of the Lord --- regardless of cultural, ideological, musical and liturgical differences --- were themes stressed by speakers at the National Pastoral Musicians' Western Regional Convention in Sacramento Aug. 1-4."We need to resist going down the black hole of anger regarding how we translate our texts, what we will sing, or which musical styles are most appropriate for our Masses," said liturgical composer David Haas in his convention-opening keynote Aug. 1. "Because we still have something wonderful to sing about: God is still here, calling all of...

Working Paper Suggests Return to More Prayerful Hymns VATICAN CITY, JULY 22, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The working paper of the next Synod of Bishops suggests that "songs used at present" in the liturgy should "be reconsidered." The proposal appears in No. 60 of the working document for the assembly of bishops from all over the world, which will be held Oct. 2-23 in Rome, on the theme "The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church." Based on responses from dioceses, religious and the laity to a questionnaire, the text acknowledges in No. 61 that "to enter...

MILWAUKEE — It can cause noses to wrinkle in disgust or it can create an environment more conducive to worship. Some pieces remind happy couples of their wedding day, others bring tears to one’s eye at the recollection of a funeral Mass. It is a vital, necessary, and integral part of the Mass. It is the music. While music can enhance or detract from a prayerful experience for one person, musicians are finding it impossible to make everyone happy, for a full-fledged style war is occurring in the Catholic Church. “I believe any style of music may potentially bear the...

  The New Seekers would have cleaned up, not to mention the New Zoo Revue. Neither of these formative influences on modern Catholic liturgical music were in the running, however, at the annual Unity Awards hosted by the United Catholic Music and Video Association (UCMV). So Clothed in Love by Tom Kendzia took the honors for Liturgical Album of the Year and Liturgical Song of the Year ("The Eyes and Hands of Christ"). Listen to a few representative cuts (I find saving the mp3s to my desktop and playing them back works best): "The Eyes and Hands of Christ" *...

p>President of Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music Says VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Given the great importance of liturgical music for the Church, a Vatican entity is needed to preserve it, says Father Valenti Miserachs Grau, president of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. 'The maestro,' as he is known in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he holds the post of chapel canon maestro, thinks it is opportune to establish an institution to safeguard sacred music. Father Miserachs spoke to ZENIT after his return from Spain, where he gave several talks on the occasion of the first...

Director of Sistine Chapel Choir Views the State of Affairs ASSISI, Italy, AUG. 30, 2002 (ZENIT.org-Avvenire).- Post-Vatican II reform opened great possibilities for composers "so long as they enter into the spirit of the rite," says the director of the Sistine Chapel Choir. For the past 10 years Monsignor Giuseppe Liberto has been the official composer of the national Liturgical Week, which was just held in Assisi. Here, he evaluates the liturgical evolution since the Second Vatican Council. Q: Next year the liturgical reform will be 40 years old. How do you evaluate it, from the musical point of view?...