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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

Why the Mass is the Key to the New Evangelization

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · August 21, 2014

PERSON WHOM I greatly respect voiced the opinion that achieving a friendly opening to conversation with an unbeliever or a fallen-away Catholic is a more important task, or at least a more urgent one, than getting the “details” of the liturgy right. Such an opinion is, I believe, extremely common.

But is this not to turn things upside down? The liturgy is the “tip of the spear,” as Fr. Zuhlsdorf rightly says―the alpha and the omega, the source and summit, the primary locus and vehicle of evangelizing hearts. We have books and catechism classes to educate the mind, but the heart is captivated above all by the majesty and mystery of divine worship. Remember the story of the ambassadors of the ruler of Kievan Rus? After witnessing the Divine Liturgy in all its beauty and splendor, they declared that heaven had come to earth and they had to become Byzantine Christians.

We hear a lot these days about the New Evangelization, and how imperative it is for us to roll up our sleeves, get busy knocking on doors, engage the world, change the culture, confront the enemies. But we run a very real and serious danger when we tread this line of activism, which can externalize, disperse, and dilute us if we are not absolutely rooted in and centered on the sacred mysteries. The very Gospel itself is embodied and expressed in the liturgy, so getting it right is not only the most important thing for us to do, but the very first and last concern we should have. Everything else comes after this, and everything should lead up to it.

Two of our most heroic preachers of the faith today concur with this judgment. An interview with the National Catholic Register, Archbishop Alexander Sample was asked: “Can a Mass be a form of evangelization and transform the culture?” His Excellency responded:

I am solidly convinced that an authentic and faithful renewal and reform of the sacred liturgy is not only part of the New Evangelization ― it is essential to its fruitfulness. The liturgy has the power to form and transform the Catholic faithful. We must live by the axiom lex orandi, lex credendi (the law of praying is the law of believing). What we celebrate in the Mass expresses the essential content of the faith, and it also reinforces our faith when celebrated well and with fidelity.

The liturgy both teaches us and expresses what we believe. If we do not get the sacred liturgy right, I fear that we will just be spinning our wheels rather than getting the New Evangelization going in the right direction. If we are transformed by the sacred liturgy, then we, as believers, can help transform the culture.

THIS IS IT, FOLKS: straight talk that gets cause and effect in the right relationship. Then there are the words of the great Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith in an interview conducted by Edward Pentin for Zenit:

People have misconceptions about evangelization as if it is something we ourselves, with human effort, can achieve. This is a basic misunderstanding. What the Lord wanted us to do was to join him and His mission. The mission is His mission. If we think we are the ones to be finding grandiose plans to achieve that, we are on the wrong track. The missionary life of the Church is the realization of our union with Him, and this union is achieved in the most tangible way through the liturgy. Therefore, the more the Church is united with the Lord in the celebration of the liturgy, the more fruitful the mission of the Church will become. That is why this is very important.

We are constantly being told that “There are things far more important than the liturgy… Charity… Discipleship…. New Evangelization… Natural Law…” But is it really true? How does the Lord come to us? How do we receive His very self―body, blood, soul, and divinity―for our salvation? Where and when do we most perfectly respond to His revelation of Himself in Word and Sacrament, and receive from Him an abundant increase of grace? How do we most of all fulfill the obligations of the virtue of religion and the exercise of the theological virtues? When all is said and done, what are we evangelizing people for the sake of? Answer: their personal encounter with Jesus Christ in his flesh and blood reality, since He Himself says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (Jn 6:53) and “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). Without the Bread of Life, there is eternal death for us. That is why, as long as the New Evangelization means what it should―the proclamation of the truth that Jesus is Lord and there is salvation in no one else, either for the individual or for society―it will also always and everywhere begin and end in the sacraments, and in particular, the Most Blessed Sacrament, in which, says St. Thomas, the common good of the entire universe is found.

A LAST THOUGHT. What we have said here about the liturgy in general applies in a special way to the apostolate of sacred music, as Pope Benedict XVI explained in an address to Schola Cantorum Pilgrims in 2012. Having spoken of how authentic sacred music gives apt expression to the Faith and supports our life of faith, the Pope Emeritus continued:

The second aspect that I propose for your reflection is the relationship between sacred song and the new evangelization. … [P]recisely in countries, such as Italy, where evangelization occurred centuries ago, sacred music―with its own great tradition, which is our Western culture―can and does have a relevant task of assisting in the rediscovery of God, a return to the Christian message and the mysteries of the faith. We think of the celebrated experience of Paul Claudel, the French poet, who converted while listening to the singing of the Magnificat during the Christmas vespers at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris: “At that moment,” he writes, “there occurred the event that dominated my entire life. In a twinkling my heart was touched and I believed. I believed with such a powerful adherence, with such an elevation of my whole being, with such a strong conviction, in a certainty that did not leave space for any sort of doubt that, after that moment, no reasoning, no circumstance of my troubled life, was able to shake or touch my faith.” But we need not have recourse to illustrious persons to think of how many people have been touched in the depths of their soul listening to sacred music; and of how many more have felt themselves, like Claudel, newly drawn to God by the beauty of liturgical music.

Please visit THIS PAGE to learn more about Dr. Kwasniewski’s Sacred Choral Works and the audio CDs that contain recordings of the pieces.

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 Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. in Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy), Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is currently Professor at Wyoming Catholic College. He is also a published and performed composer, especially of sacred music.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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) 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
    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
    “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

    “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
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man’s mind to God and to higher things.”

— Vatican II Council

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