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Views from the Choir Loft

Instruction on Sacred Music by Bishop John Doerfler

Fr. David Friel · April 24, 2016

ARLIER THIS YEAR, Bishop John Doerfler, the Ordinary of the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan, issued a very brief Instruction on Sacred Music in Divine Worship. This short letter crafts a bold vision for the future of sacred music in his territory, laying out a very concrete 5-year plan. Much of what the Instruction requires seems very good, but there are a few aspects of its requirements that leave open questions.

First, among the strongest points of Bishop Doerfler’s letter is the requirement that every parish & school “learn to chant the Communion Antiphon in English to a very simple tone that everyone can sing.” The letter further stipulates that this will be required at every Sunday Mass, permitting a hymn to be sung only after the chanting of the Communion Antiphon. The antiphons in the Missal, of course, are not the actual propers of the Mass, but chanting the antiphon would constitute, in most places, an enormous step in the direction of the propers.

Another part of the Instruction that I was pleased to see is the Bishop’s encouragement for all parishes & schools to learn the English Mass Ordinary chants as given in the Missal and the Latin Ordinary as set in the Missa Iubilate Deo. These settings should be universally known among Anglophones, and they should serve as the foundational ordinary chants for every parish & school. In Marquette, by December 31, 2020, they will.

Perhaps the best part of the Instruction is not a requirement, but a promise. Toward the end of the letter, Bishop Doerfler writes this:

The Diocesan Director of Sacred Music will provide annual, regional workshops for parish musicians to assist them in the implementation of these directives. He will also assist music teachers in Catholic schools to implement Sacred Music in the school curriculum and at school Masses. Finally, he stands at the service of parishes upon request to help implement Sacred Music in other ways.

It is no good, of course, to make mandates without the promise of support & resources. That Bishop Doerfler included this promise of multi-faceted support is essential.

This brief Instruction offers limited detail about a major reform to be undertaken, namely, the institution of a diocesan hymnal. Such a project will surely by criticized by some as too much of a micromanaging approach. Given the low quality of most mainstream publications, however, a case could be made in favor of the uniform approach that Marquette is embracing.

What is not entirely clear from the Instruction is whether parish and school choirs will be permitted to sing pieces from the choral tradition that one would not find published in a hymnal. Will polyphonic Masses, for example, be permitted? Will music directors be free to maintain their repertoire of quality motets and anthems? The bishop’s letter states that, after the publication of the new diocesan hymnal, “permission may be requested from the Diocesan Bishop to use choral settings that are not for congregational singing and are not in the diocesan hymnal.” Does this really mean that singing anything not published in the pages of the diocesan hymnal must receive the express permission of the bishop? It is hard to imagine a diocesan liturgy office efficiently responding to such requests.

Whether or not a diocesan hymnal is a good idea will be debated, I am sure. Of more significance to me, though, is the shape that this hymnal will take. So many English language hymnals are heavily slanted toward hymnody, with very little space devoted to the propers & ordinary. This is largely due to the influence of the Protestant liturgical tradition. I am hopeful that the structure and balance of this new hymnal, however, will reflect the priority on the propers and ordinary that is so prevalent throughout the bishop’s Instruction.

What are your thoughts about Bishop Doerfler’s Instruction on Sacred Music in Divine Worship? Are you grateful for it? What strengths/weaknesses do you see in it? What opportunities/limitations do you see in it?

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Bishop John Doerfler Sacred Music, Hymnbooks, Hymns Replacing Propers, ICEL Chants, Propers, Reform of the Reform, Singing the Mass Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    Introit • Candlemas (2 February)
    “Candlemas” • Our choir sang on February 2nd, and here's a live recording of the beautiful INTROIT: Suscépimus Deus. We had very little time to rehearse, but I think it has some very nice moments. I promise that by the 8th Sunday after Pentecost it will be perfect! (That Introit is repeated on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost.) We still need to improve, but we're definitely on the right track!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
    Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful. From “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium” you can hear a live excerpt (Mp3). I'm not a fan of chant in octaves, but we had such limited time to rehearse, it seemed the best choice. After all, everyone should have an opportunity to learn “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium,” which summarizes Candlemas.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Using the shoddiest, sleaziest material we have for the purpose of glorifying God is not very sound theology or even very good common sense. […] (In general, when you see a diminished seventh chord in a hymn, run.) And these chords are usually used in bad hymns in precisely the same order in which they occur in “Sweet Adeline.”

— Paul Hume (1956)

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