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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Participating Actively despite all of that Active Participation

Andrew R. Motyka · April 10, 2013

t’s something I’ve confessed more than once: my failure to engage in what is happening during the Mass. Despite the fact that I am singing, playing the organ, or conducting for almost half of the Mass, I often completely fail to participate. How can this be? Isn’t this what is meant by the “active participation” that is one of the liturgical goals of the Second Vatican Council? Isn’t the involvement of the laity in the liturgy a success? Well, yes, but not necessarily in the way you think.

What am I doing here, if this is my internal monologue:

Downbeat tenors, sopranos on two. Basses next, followed by altos. Offbeat entrances by basses, then tenors, altos, sopranos. Don’t forget to crescendo across the stong beat…

Why, I’m conducting the first phrase of Giovanni Croce’s O Sacrum Convivium this coming Sunday, the Third Sunday of Easter.

Do you know what I’m not doing? Praying:

O Sacred Banquet in which Christ is received…

Sure, you might argue that I am praying this piece in a different way than the congregation is, but I am not engaging the music, and certainly not the action of the liturgy, in the same way that the non-singer or non-director is. I’m working right now.

And that’s fine. We all have our jobs and our roles in liturgy. However, I’m a Catholic, too, and should be actively participating in the liturgy (there’s that phrase again). I should be praying. The question here is, “How do we engage the liturgy prayerfully when we’re busy doing all of the ‘things’ that need our attention?”

It isn’t easy. There are a few tips I’ve figured out over the years, but I can’t say I’ve mastered them. Here are some starting points, though:

1. Prepare for the liturgy.

Oh, why didn’t you say so? Here I’ve been just showing up and doing it all this time. Actually, what I mean is to take care of all of the mundane “extras” before the Mass begins. I make a binder that has every piece of my music in it, in order, so I don’t have to “fish” for a single thing once the Mass begins. This includes all of the hymns, ordinaries, choir pieces, and even organ interludes. Don’t leave anything to chance; the fewer non-liturgical concerns you have during Mass, the better.

2. Prepare for the liturgy.

If I have to focus on every single cue, on every fingering passage, or on every entrance, I’ve lost the battle for liturgical focus before I’ve even begun. These things need to be worked out long before the bells ring to begin the Mass. I strongly recommend using an old musician’s trick, which consists of studying and repeating the planned music several times before executing it live. Sometimes we call this trick “practice.”

3. Prepare for the liturgy.

Seeing a trend here? The reality is that none of us is ever really perfectly disposed for prayer. We get distracted by all sorts of things (You think I have it bad? Ask my wife, who watches my two children, ages 4 and 5, during Mass. She’s my heroine). Take a minute before Mass and pray to the Holy Spirit that you be focused on the prayers of the Mass. Ready yourself spiritually to engage in the mysteries before you begin. This puts you in the proper disposition prior to the first downbeat.

So how do you actively participate despite all of that participation? Focus yourself during the non-musical moments. Don’t look for the next piece of music. Don’t micro-manage your choir regarding the next entrance. You’ve done the preparation. Now pray: there’s a miracle going on up there on the altar, and you don’t want to miss it.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Now we are aware of the fact that during recent years some artists, gravely offending against Christian piety, have dared to bring into churches works devoid of any religious inspiration and completely at variance with the right rules of art.”

— Ven. Pope Pius XII (25 December 1955)

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