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Views from the Choir Loft

The Danger of Praise and Worship

Andrew Leung · August 20, 2015

CTL Praise and Worship FRIEND OF MINE wrote an article for Life Teen recently, entitled: Leading Worship with Purpose – The Temple Model. Even though I am not a big fan of Praise and Worship, I still know a lot about it because I grew up with it and I went to the College in Steubenville. And I was interested in what she has to say. Personally, I don’t think Praise and Worship music is bad. I think it is a good devotion and can be a great way to pray. However, it is not Sacred Music (and to be honest, I have never heard anyone call it Sacred Music, have you?), and therefore should not be used during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Her “model of worship” is very creative. The way she connect the Temple to Praise and Worship is very interesting. Her suggestion is very practical and I think it will help people to pray better. However, this article also brings up a great danger and confusion. Is “Praise and Worship” really a “Worship”? In the Catholic Church, the only form of prayer that is referred as “Worship” is the Mass. It is very confusing when people start referring Praise and Worship as “Worship”, because IT IS NOT! The title of the article is an example of that.

The same danger came up again when the Temple Worship and Praise and Worship being compared, and creating a sort of “rubrics”. I am glad that the act of sacrifice itself was not mentioned in the article. But I still don’t think it is appropriate to link up Temple Worship and Praise and Worship. The Liturgy of the Eucharist or the Mass of the Faithful is the unbloody sacrifice of the Lamb of God, originated from the Jewish Temple Worship. And this Worship should not be confused with Praise and Worship. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Praise and Worship is dangerous, but confusing it with the Liturgy is dangerous.

Going off my friend’s article, may I suggest that we all sing the Mass following a “Temple Model”? We believe that Old Roman Chant, later became Gregorian Chant, was developed from the Chant they sing in the Temple Worship. The Jews used the Psalter as a hymnal in their Worship, and we should also use ours in the Mass. Ours is a little different from the Jewish Psalter, because scriptures from the New Testament were added to our Official Roman Catholic Hymnal, the Graduale Romanum. By chanting the Propers and Ordinaries of the Mass, we are picking up the “Temple Model”.

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 Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

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