CNA<\/a>).- Sacred music is \u201cintegral\u201d to the Catholic Church's liturgy, Bishop Alexander K. Sample said in a Feb. 13 pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Marquette.<\/p>\n\t\u201cIn any discussion of the\u2026'art of celebrating' as it relates to the Holy Mass, perhaps nothing is more important or has a greater impact than the place of sacred music,\u201d wrote the archbishop, who was recently appointed to lead the Diocese of Portland in Oregon.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe beauty, dignity and prayerfulness of the Mass depend to a large extent on the music that accompanies the liturgical action. The Holy Mass must be truly beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tIn a document titled \u201cRejoice in the Lord Always\u201d dated Jan. 21, Bishop Sample reminded the priests, musicians, and faithful of Michigan's upper peninsula that sacred music is not a subjective matter of taste, but that it is defined by \u201cobjective principles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tHe assured church musicians that the diocese will provide \u201ceducation and formation\u201d to provide \u201call the support, encouragement and assistance it can to musicians in implementing the Church\u2019s vision and norms for sacred music.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe letter makes frequent reference to the documents of the Second Vatican Council and subsequent teaching, including the writings of Pope Benedict and of John Paul II.<\/p>\n
\tSacred music, the bishop explained, is meant to glorify God and to sanctify the faithful. This twofold purpose must \u201cdirect and inform\u201d everything about the music used at Mass.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cChurch teaching emphasizes that the music proper to the Sacred Liturgy possesses three qualities: sanctity, beauty, and universality,\u201d the bishop stated.<\/p>\n
\tHe pointed out that these qualities are not arbitrary or subjective, but \u201cobjectively flow from the essential nature and purpose of sacred music itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tBishop Sample explained that \u201cuniversality\u201d means that sacred music, while it can reflect a particular culture, must \u201cstill be easily recognized as having a sacred character\u201d and be able to transcend cultures.<\/p>\n
\tOn this point, he said that \u201cNot every form or style of music is capable of being rendered suitable for the Mass.\u201d Not only the text makes a song sacred, but the actual style of the music matters. He gave the examples of polka and rock music as styles that cannot be sacred music, because they do not have all three qualities of sacred music.<\/p>\n
\tBishop Sample wrote that the treasury of sacred music foremost includes Gregorian chant, while also allowing room for polyphony, hymnody, psalmody, and the musical traditions of non-European cultures.<\/p>\n
\tThat \u201cone rarely if ever hears Gregorian chant\u201d in the liturgy is \u201ca situation which must be rectified,\u201d said the bishop.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIt will require great effort and serious catechesis for the clergy and faithful, but Gregorian chant must be introduced more widely as a normal part of the Mass.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tBishop Sample reminded his readers that there is an \u201cobjective difference\u201d between sacred and secular music. He re-iterated that it takes more than religious lyrics to make a song sacred. To think that \u201cthe music is exempt from any liturgical criteria and may be of any style\u201d is an \u201cerroneous idea,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\tWhile welcoming new compositions of sacred music for Mass, he said these must meet the criteria of sanctity, beauty, and universality.<\/p>\n
\tThe rest of Bishop Sample's letter laid down directives meant to \u201cguide the development of a deeper understanding of the place of sacred music with the liturgy of the Mass and to implement the fundamental principles\u201d in the letter.<\/p>\n
\tHe wrote that the directives will help to move the Marquette diocese \u201cin the right direction\u2026as we seek to renew the Mass in a way that respects, fosters and promotes the true nature of the Mass itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cAlthough the implementation of these directives may take some time and catechesis, these directives are to be considered normative within the Diocese of Marquette under the authority of the diocesan Bishop, to whom is entrusted the responsibility to moderate, promote and guard the entire liturgical life of the diocesan Church.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tBishop Sample acknowledged that his vision requires \u201ctime and patience,\u201d though he wrote that it \u201cmust be done\u201d in order to achieve the beauty that the Mass deserves.<\/p>\n
\tThe general standards expected by Bishop Sample include the fostering of active participation, which includes \u201cprayerful silent reflection\u201d; ongoing formation and \u201cjust compensation\u201d for music directors; knowledge of the Church's documents on sacred music.<\/p>\n
\tThe bishop made an important distinction between planning and preparing for Mass. There is no need to \u201cplan\u201d the music for Mass, he said, because \u201cthe Church has already provided us with a plan\u2026found in the liturgical calendar and the official liturgical books: the Ordo, the Missal, the Lectionary and the Graduale. Our celebrations should carry out the Church\u2019s plan as far as we are able.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tHe noted that rather than singing at Mass, we should sing the Mass. It is important, he said, to use the texts provided by the Church for the entrance, offertory and communion chants, instead of using hymns at these times.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe hymns and songs commonly sung at Mass every week at the Entrance, Preparation of the Gifts and Communion are not identified in the Missal. It is important to recognize that when we sing hymns at these moments during Mass, it is because we are omitting some of the Mass chants,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
\tBishop Sample concluded by noting his hope that the letter will be \u201cwell received\u201d in Marquette \u201c for the sake of an authentic renewal of the Sacred Liturgy according to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and the mind of the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI am especially counting on our wonderful and dedicated Church musicians to answer this call for renewal. May the renewal and reform of sacred music in the Diocese of Marquette lead us together to a beautiful and worthy celebration of the sacred mysteries of the Holy Mass, for the glory of God and the sanctification of all the faithful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
![](\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\")
<\/a>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews\/~4\/n27NKWu08fQ\")
<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Marquette, Mich., Feb 14, 2013 \/ 02:02 am (CNA).- Sacred music is “integral” to the Catholic Church's liturgy, Bishop Alexander K. Sample said in a Feb. 13 pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Marquette.<\/p>\n
\t“In any disc…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\n
Bishop finds sacred music essential for liturgy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Marquette, Mich., Feb 14, 2013 \/ 02:02 am (CNA).- Sacred music is “integral” to the Catholic Church's liturgy, Bishop Alexander K. Sample said in a Feb. 13 pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Marquette. “In any disc...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bishop finds sacred music essential for liturgy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Marquette, Mich., Feb 14, 2013 \/ 02:02 am (CNA).- Sacred music is “integral” to the Catholic Church's liturgy, Bishop Alexander K. Sample said in a Feb. 13 pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Marquette. “In any disc...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-02-14T09:02:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/\",\"name\":\"Bishop finds sacred music essential for liturgy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-02-14T09:02:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-02-14T09:02:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Marquette, Mich., Feb 14, 2013 \/ 02:02 am (CNA).- Sacred music is “integral” to the Catholic Church's liturgy, Bishop Alexander K. Sample said in a Feb. 13 pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Marquette. “In any disc...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bishop finds sacred music essential for liturgy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\",\"name\":\"Catholic News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\",\"name\":\"CNA Daily News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"CNA Daily News\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bishop finds sacred music essential for liturgy","description":"Marquette, Mich., Feb 14, 2013 \/ 02:02 am (CNA).- Sacred music is “integral” to the Catholic Church's liturgy, Bishop Alexander K. Sample said in a Feb. 13 pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Marquette. “In any disc...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bishop finds sacred music essential for liturgy","og_description":"Marquette, Mich., Feb 14, 2013 \/ 02:02 am (CNA).- Sacred music is “integral” to the Catholic Church's liturgy, Bishop Alexander K. Sample said in a Feb. 13 pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Marquette. “In any disc...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/","og_site_name":"Catholic News","article_published_time":"2013-02-14T09:02:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA"}],"author":"CNA Daily News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CNA Daily News","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/","name":"Bishop finds sacred music essential for liturgy","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-02-14T09:02:00+00:00","dateModified":"2013-02-14T09:02:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1"},"description":"Marquette, Mich., Feb 14, 2013 \/ 02:02 am (CNA).- Sacred music is “integral” to the Catholic Church's liturgy, Bishop Alexander K. Sample said in a Feb. 13 pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Marquette. “In any disc...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/bishop-finds-sacred-music-essential-for-liturgy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Bishop finds sacred music essential for liturgy"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}