The Recovering Choir Director

It is sad. I had a recent experience of this scenario last week. It was my son’s high school ‘praise choir’ and band. They filled up numerous nooks and crannies in the sanctuary, like animals on display at the zoo. They all looked like they felt awkwardly and conspicuously out of place : you could see it in their faces and body language. The ‘director’ wandered from place to place playing ‘band mom’. It was obvious these kids love jazz. The electric guitarist played some secular jazz Christmas Holiday tune for the beginning of offertory. I kept saying to myself, “that couldn’t really be Jack Frost nipping at my toes, could it?”

Of course the music was poor enough, but when we arrived at the consecration the priest changed some of the words altogether, and all of a sudden the bad music was right at home!

And here I was, an accomplished organist, choir director and composer, standing in the back of the church feeling like I certainly am no longer wanted or needed.

Sincerity? Well, hell, devoted sinners and pagans are very sincere at what they do too! Being sincere doesn’t make it right or acceptable.

Hi Tony:

I think locale also has some to do with the freedoms (abuses) allowed in Liturgy.

What part of the country are you in? (State, Diocese, etc.)

May God Bless your efforts to restore beauty to our tattered state of being.

I think there are a lot of parishioners, priests, and musicians who might object to the notion that their parish Masses aren’t reverent and holy. Certainly there are performance situations that are both. And frankly, some of the concerns are more matters of style than spirituality.

A reminder also that Church teaching holds the purpose of the Mass is not only the worship of God, but also the sanctification of the people.

I suspect the Mass as a whole is a lot more effective in the cultivation of holiness than some suspect.