The following came from Fredericksburg.
[We usually redact names for anonymity’s sake.]
OUR RECENT ARTICLE—in which you posted a PDF download with repertoire ‘suggestions’ for Catholic couples planning their wedding—piqued my interest. Isn’t Mendelssohn’s wedding march largely frowned upon in the Catholic Church? Why would you suggest that over many other suitable pieces like Charpentier’s Te Deum? Also, why do you sing the KYRIE at a Nuptial Mass? I have heard it’s supposed to be omitted at weddings.
The following is Jeff Ostrowski’s response.
[This response was posted on 7 May 2025.]
FULLY endorse the idea that secular music should be excluded from the Roman Catholic Mass—especially music written in a secular style. The “march” you refer to is similar to “O Sacred Head Surrounded” and the marvelous INNSBRUCK melody, inasmuch as they were originally secular compositions. But there’s nothing wrong with singing “O Sacred Head Surrounded” at Mass because its secular associations faded away hundreds of years ago. The ‘nature’ of that melody is not necessarily secular. Indeed, the two hymns I just mentioned have been included in Roman Catholic hymnals for centuries.1
The KYRIE can be sung at the Nuptial Mass according to the current rubrics but omitting it is also a valid option. Whether we like it or not, the current rubrics are contradictory on this point.
1 I can’t remember which page it’s on, but somewhere the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal provides an elaborate chart proving that “O Sacred Head Surrounded” was included in more Roman Catholic hymn books than any other song except for MELCOMBE.
