EVERAL YEARS AGO, when Archbishop Sample issued his letter “Sing to the Lord a New Song” on liturgical music, the reception was both mixed and pronounced; some felt affirmed, while others felt disappointed. Certain readers were unsettled by the directives— questioning why we should return to older practices—while others felt daunted, wondering how they could ever learn to sing Gregorian chant. Archbishop Sample, however, made his expectations clear: the diocese was to follow the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.
A Story • Shortly after this letter arrived, I was at a parish choir rehearsal. For this rehearsal, I was simply the organist and not leading the choir or making any liturgical decisions. When the choir director announced that we would begin learning the entrance and communion antiphons in response to the Archbishop’s guidance, two members of the choir reacted with immediate hostility. They expressed anger over the perceived loss of their music, the assumption that we would be required to sing in Latin, and the fear that we were returning to pre-Conciliar practices. Their response was ironic, as we continued to sing both an entrance and communion hymn, and neither of the proper antiphons was in Latin. At least one member stormed out of the rehearsal after some very terse exchanges. This is just one of many stories I could share, and I suspect you may have similar ones of your own.
A Pastoral Approach • In my two decades of teaching in seminaries, I have consistently emphasized a pastoral approach to guiding music toward a more sacred character. Resistance is to be expected whenever liturgical changes occur—especially when music is involved—but these transitions can be navigated with pastoral sensitivity and charity. To learn more about this approach, I invite you to join the free seminar offered by the Sacred Music Institute of America at sacredmusicinstitute.org.
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