Diocese reverses hymn ban in favor of ‘synodal’ selection of sacred music

[Michie]

Just days after implementing a formal ban on a dozen “doctrinally problematic” hymns, a Missouri bishop has rescinded his original decree, instead opening a yearlong consultation process to determine how sacred music can best be used to encourage active participation in the liturgy.

In his original decree, dated Oct. 24, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of the Diocese of Jefferson City listed a dozen commonly used contemporary hymns that were to be “absolutely forbidden” in the diocese after Nov. 1.

The list included such songs as “All Are Welcome” by Marty Haugen, “God Has Chosen Me” by Bernadette Farrell, “Led By the Spirit” by Bob Hurd, and “Table of Plenty” by Dan Schutte.

Continued below.

Diocese reverses hymn ban in favor of ‘synodal’ selection of music

Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri, had listed a dozen contemporary hymns to be “forbidden” in the diocese.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

 

[RileyG]

I actually enjoy Table of Plenty. All Are Welcome gets on my nerves, but I still listen to it.

 

[Wolseley]

Oh, no! A ban on the music of Haugen, Haas, Hurd, Schuette, Farrell, et al? Horrors!

I could live quite contentedly to my dying day without ever hearing one of those early 1970s hippie anthems again. For me, they bring back the blah days of nuns with guitars and felt banners, stripped churches, and screwball liturgies that resembled a cross between an infomercial selling plastic tableware and a sportscaster dissecting a lost football game. Yuck.

Gather Us In the choir is moaning
Gather Us In is our "entrance song",
Gather Us In---it sounds more like groaning
With chords that are minor and notes that are long.

Gather Us In we sing every Sunday
Gather Us In we sing every Mass;
Give us a break and play something different---
Gather Us In's getting old really fast!

 

[RileyG]

David Haas has been banned in many Catholic and Protestant Churches because he’s a sexual predator.

 

[Wolseley]

David Haas has been banned in many Catholic and Protestant Churches because he’s a sexual predator.

I heard reports, years ago, after Daniel Schutte left the Jesuits, that he was living in San Francisco with his boyfriend in an open homosexual relationship. And searches on the net have reinforced just that: reports, nothing more. Undisputed truth is hard to nail down in the matter, because Schutte wisely refuses to discuss his private life in any capacity whatsoever. It's unlikely that anything more concrete will surface until after the man has gone to his reward, or maybe not even then.

 

[RileyG]

I heard reports, years ago, after Daniel Schutte left the Jesuits, that he was living in San Francisco with his boyfriend in an open homosexual relationship. And searches on the net have reinforced just that: reports, nothing more. Undisputed truth is hard to nail down in the matter, because Schutte wisely refuses to discuss his private life in any capacity whatsoever. It's unlikely that anything more concrete will surface until after the man has gone to his reward, or maybe not even then.

Yikes!

 

[Markie Boy]

I heard reports, years ago, after Daniel Schutte left the Jesuits, that he was living in San Francisco with his boyfriend in an open homosexual relationship. And searches on the net have reinforced just that: reports, nothing more. Undisputed truth is hard to nail down in the matter, because Schutte wisely refuses to discuss his private life in any capacity whatsoever. It's unlikely that anything more concrete will surface until after the man has gone to his reward, or maybe not even then.

I found the same things. These guys all seem to have some issues with sexual misconduct in one way or another, weather it's what they have done or what they promote.

Nobody would listen to me when I said we should not support them. When you buy those hymn books with their junk, they get paid. Just like I don't want money from the plate going to support gender transitioning.

If this is grey area for clergy shows me they are not fit for leadership.

 

[Michie]

I found the same things. These guys all seem to have some issues with sexual misconduct in one way or another, weather it's what they have done or what they promote.

Nobody would listen to me when I said we should not support them. When you buy those hymn books with their junk, they get paid. Just like I don't want money from the plate going to support gender transitioning.

If this is grey area for clergy shows me they are not fit for leadership.

Markie, I do hope you are kind concerning the Church this time. You left the Church long ago. I really do not see how this concerns you anymore. Clergy not fit for leadership because of hymnal books? C’mon.

 

[concretecamper]

Amazing Grace is my #1 on the please ban list

 

[Wolseley]

Amazing Grace is my #1 on the please ban list

"How Great Thou Art" has always been very low on my favorites list. There was a lady who used to sing on a Sunday morning religious show when I was a kid, and it was one of her faves. Unfortunately, her singing was decidedly sub-par; she always sounded like she was saying "I'll Break Thou Arm."

 

[Chrystal-J]

When I went to Mass in the 70's, the youth group leader played "Here Comes the Sun" and said it was really "Son".

 

[RileyG]

Amazing Grace is my #1 on the please ban list

That played at my confirmation back in 2012.

It’s an ok song.

But maybe not in Church.

 

[RileyG]

When I went to Mass in the 70's, the youth group leader played "Here Comes the Sun" and said it was really "Son".

“Morning has broken” is a song choice for morning prayer in shorter Christian prayer (the divine office)

I think some religious communities pick and choose.

 

[RileyG]

"How Great Thou Art" has always been very low on my favorites list. There was a lady who used to sing on a Sunday morning religious show when I was a kid, and it was one of her faves. Unfortunately, her singing was decidedly sub-par; she always sounded like she was saying "I'll Break Thou Arm."

I actually really love that song. It’s also a favorite of many Mormons lol

 

[Wolseley]

Amazing Grace is my #1 on the please ban list

I heard it sung once like this:
"A-M-A, Z-I-N-G, G-R-A-C-E";
to the tune of:
"M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E".

 

[RileyG]

I heard it sung once like this:
"A-M-A, Z-I-N-G, G-R-A-C--E";
to the tune of:
"M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E".

That’s just blasphemous

 

[Wolseley]

That’s just blasphemous

One of my least favorite hymns is the Advent slow drag, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"; I understand that it's supposed to reflect the centuries of longing the people of Israel had for the coming of the Messiah, but the slow tempo and the minor chords are a real downer for me....I always feel depressed afterwards.

I told my pastor once that I'd like it better if they'd use a different tune for the hymn, something a little more upbeat. He asked what I would suggest, and I started singing, "O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel," except I was singing it to the tune of, "Off we go, into the wild blue yonder, climbing high into the sky." He burst out laughing. One of the ushers who was a Navy vet was standing there listening to this, and he said, "Well, that's fine for the Air Force, but what about the Navy?", and I launched into "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee," to the tune of "Anchors aweigh, my boys, anchors aweigh." Another burst of laughter from them both.

I know, it's sacrilegious. But a venial sin, at worst. Certainly nowhere near as bad as, oh, "liturgical dance", for example.

 

[Hamlet7768]

One of my least favorite hymns is the Advent slow drag, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"; I understand that it's supposed to reflect the centuries of longing the people of Israel had for the coming of the Messiah, but the slow tempo and the minor chords are a real downer for me....I always feel depressed afterwards.

I told my pastor once that I'd like it better if they'd use a different tune for the hymn, something a little more upbeat. He asked what I would suggest, and I started singing, "O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel," except I was singing it to the tune of, "Off we go, into the wild blue yonder, climbing high into the sky." He burst out laughing. One of the ushers who was a Navy vet was standing there listening to this, and he said, "Well, that's fine for the Air Force, but what about the Navy?", and I launched into "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee," to the tune of "Anchors aweigh, my boys, anchors aweigh." Another burst of laughter from them both.

I know, it's sacrilegious. But a venial sin, at worst. Certainly nowhere near as bad as, oh, "liturgical dance", for example.

I love "O Come O Come Emmanuel"--the tune is actually from the original medieval chant! If you want an actually more upbeat hymn with similar lyrics, Steve Angrisano wrote a nice one called "Emmanuel," which I'll embed below.

Necessary caveat: this is much more contemporary in arrangement than how it ever was done at my parish, which would just back it up with a piano and maybe a guitar. No drums

I find a lot of the reverence in a given hymn comes from how it is played and sung more than how it was written. My parents' parish is full of the "hippy" anthems Wolseley decries, complete with guitar, strings, bongo drums, and not a chorister under the age of 50, but they sing with a love of God such that I can't complain about it anymore, even having served at a parish that's exclusively ad orientem with chant, a rail, communion mostly on the tongue, etc.

It helps that the priest is one of my favorite preachers and has a great chanting voice, even if he only chants the Preface and the Sursum Corda dialogue. The parish certainly doesn't fit the stereotype of a thinning, geriatric parish that tries in vain to appeal to the yutes, even if it does skew older.

More to the point of the original topic: It sounds like there's more an outcry about the unilateral way this was done. If there's anything good we can take out of the Synod on Synodality, it's that more cooperative leadership is generally a good principle. It may seem silly to us Americans, but I think that's because many parishes operate in that kind of mode already--Father Pastor may be in charge, but he delegates, whether to the PV's or to lay volunteers, and I think the parishes are typically better for it, so long as they stay within the lanes of orthodoxy in doing so. But I may be biased, living in a vibrant and solidly orthodox diocese (Arlington).

 

[RileyG]

I'm not a fan of guitar Masses. They just seem to Protestant to me..if that makes any sense. Would people play guitar at the Last Supper or at the foot of the cross? Me thinks not.

 

[Hamlet7768]

I'm not a fan of guitar Masses. They just seem to Protestant to me..if that makes any sense. Would people play guitar at the Last Supper or at the foot of the cross? Me thinks not.

I wouldn't play an organ, either! I used to be very opposed to guitar at Mass, but I've moderated my stance somewhat. Still not a fan, mind you, but given that it's my parents' parish and the other points in its favor, I'm not going to say it's a bad parish simply because their music isn't to my taste. I think it's done well for what it is.