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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

Sacred Music As Entertainment

Guest Author · July 10, 2014

0319_Card-Flute-LG UMMER AND AUTUMN in the Midwestern United States are filled with church and parish festivals. Anyone armed with a copy of the diocesan newspaper, opened to the “date book” section, could spend every weekend or so visiting a new city, a new parish, and taking in the sights and sounds of the parish festival. These festivals, however, also bring out the annual “Polka Mass” for the parish.

If you’re not familiar with the “Polka Mass,” it is a regularly celebrated Ordinary Form Mass in which the music is done by a polka band and choir. The Ordinary of the Mass and all the hymns are sung in the style of polka music. Unfortunately, very often the texts of the Ordinary are paraphrased, changed, or from previous English translations. The melodies are often traditional polka tunes with the Mass text or hymn pasted onto the melody. While it’s not my desire now to critique these so-called “Polka Masses,” a recent headline in a Midwestern newspaper encouraged me to think.

The headline read Polka choir marks 40 years of entertaining. Entertaining? A church choir is all about entertaining? I wasn’t taught that in my years of seminary. And yet there are so many people who feel that Mass needs to be more “fun” (or, in other words, “entertaining”). If only the choir wasn’t so dull, some say, those pews might be full. It’s really one symptom of a larger problem that the headline alludes to: is Sacred Music simply for entertainment value?

ET’S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME of the Church’s teaching in regard to Sacred Music. St. Pius X in his motu proprio Tra le Sollecitudini calls Sacred Music “a complementary part of the solemn liturgy” and states that its “principal office is to clothe with suitable melody the liturgical text proposed for the understanding of the faithful” and that its “proper aim is to add greater efficacy to the text.” I don’t see anything in there about Sacred Music’s entertainment of the congregation.

In Pius XII’s encyclical Musicae Sacrae, Pius explains that Sacred Music has a special power and excellence that should lift up to God the minds of the faithful who are present. Pius further explains that Sacred Music “should make the liturgical prayers of the Christian community more alive and fervent so that everyone can praise and beseech the Triune God more powerfully, more intently, and more effectively.”

Finally, the 1967 Instruction on Music in the Liturgy, Musicam Sacram, from the Sacred Congregation of Rites, written after the Second Vatican Council, makes clear that the duty of the choir is “to ensure the proper performance of the parts which belong to it, according to the different kinds of music sung, and to encourage the active participation of the faithful in the singing.”

HAT IS THE POINT OF ALL THIS? Sacred Music and the choir of a church aren’t there for entertainment value. Music isn’t part of the liturgy to add “spice and flavor” to the liturgical action. St. Pius X described Sacred Music’s function as “suitably clothing” the liturgical text and its aim as adding greater value to the text. Pius XII elucidated the effect that Sacred Music has on making the community’s prayers more alive and more fervent, so that everyone can praise and entreat God “more powerfully, more intently and more effectively.” Musicam Sacram continues in this thread by stating clearly that a choir should encourage the active participation of the faithful in the singing.

The Liturgy and Sacred Music aren’t the theatre―a place built for entertainment―but rather a place for worship of God and prayer to Him. The Liturgy is “a sacred action surpassing all others; no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree” (as says Sacrosanctum Concilium). We go to theatres and cinemas for entertainment. The newspaper article I read headlined the forty years of “entertaining” that that polka choir has done: I hope there’s also been forty years of encouraging the active participation of the faithful in the singing; and “suitably clothing” the liturgical text so that the community’s prayers can be more alive and fervent.


We hope you enjoyed this guest post by Fr. Alan M. Guanella.

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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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.

— ‘His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)’

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