café theology

Concerts in Churches

Protocol number 1251/87

November 5, 1987

(The following declaration of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments was sent to the presidents of the national conferences of bishops and through them to commissions on Liturgy and sacred art.)

III. PRACTICAL DIRECTIVES

8. The regulation of the use of churches is stipulated by canon 1210 of the Code of Canon Law:

“In a sacred place only those things are to be permitted which serve to exercise or promote worship, piety and religion. Anything out of harmony with the holiness the place is forbidden. The Ordinary may, however, for individual cases, permit other uses, provided they are not contrary to the sacred character of the place.”

The principle that the use of the church must not offend the sacredness of the place determines the criteria by which the doors of a church may be opened to a concert of sacred or religious music, as also the concomitant exclusion of every other type of music. The most beautiful symphonic music, for example, is not in itself of religious character. The definition of sacred or religious music depends explicitly on the original intended use of the musical pieces or songs, and likewise on their content. It is not legitimate to provide for the execution in the church of music which is not of religious inspiration and which was composed with a view to performance in a certain precise secular context, irrespective of whether the music would be judged classical or contemporary, of high quality or of a popular nature. On the one hand, such performances would not respect the sacred character of the church, and on the other, would result in the music being performed in an unfitting context.

It pertains to the ecclesiastical authority to exercise without constraint its governance of sacred places (Cf. canon 1213), and hence to regulate the use of churches in such a way as to safeguard their sacred character.

9. Sacred music, that is to say music which was composed for the Liturgy, but which for various reasons can no longer be performed during a liturgical celebration, and religious music, that is to say music inspired by the text of sacred scripture or the Liturgy and which has reference to God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the saints or to the Church, may both find a place in the church building, but outside liturgical celebration. The playing of the organ or other musical performance, whether vocal or instrumental, may: “serve to promote piety or religion.” In particular they may:

a. prepare for the major liturgical feasts, or lend to these a more festive character beyond the moment of actual celebration;
b. bring out the particular character of the different liturgical seasons;
c. create in churches a setting of beauty conducive to meditation, so as to arouse even in those who are distant from the Church an openness to spiritual values;
d. create a context which favors and makes accessible the proclamation of God’s word, as for example, a sustained reading of the Gospel;
e. keep alive the treasures of Church music which must not be lost; musical pieces and songs composed for the Liturgy but which cannot in any way be conveniently incorporated into liturgical celebrations in modern times; spiritual music, such as oratorios and religious cantatas which can still serve as vehicles for spiritual communication;
f. assist visitors and tourists to grasp more fully the sacred character of a church, by means of organ concerts at prearranged times.

10. When the proposal is made that there should be a concert in a church, the Ordinary is to grant the permission per modum actus. These concerts should be occasional events. This excludes permission for a series of concerts, for example in the case of a festival or a cycle of concerts.

When the Ordinary considers it to be necessary, he can, in the conditions foreseen in the Code of Canon Law (can. 1222, para. 2) designate a church that is no longer used for divine service, to be an “auditorium” for the performance of sacred or religious music, and also of music not specifically religious but in keeping with the character of the place.

In this task the bishop should be assisted by the diocesan commission for Liturgy and sacred music.

In order that the sacred character of a church be conserved in the matter of concerts, the Ordinary can specify that:

a. Requests are to be made in writing, in good time, indicating the date and time of the proposed concert, the program, giving the works and the names of the composers.
b. After having received the authorization of the Ordinary, the rectors and parish priests of the churches should arranged details with the choir and orchestra so that the requisite norms are observed.
c. Entrance to the church must be without payment and open to all.
d. The performers and the audience must be dressed in a manner which is fitting to the sacred character of the place.
e. The musicians and the singers should not be placed in the sanctuary. The greatest respect is to be shown to the altar, the president’s chair and the ambo.
f. The Blessed Sacrament should be, as far as possible, reserved in a side chapel or in another safe and suitably adorned place (Cf. C.I.C., can 928, par. 4).
g. The concert should be presented or introduced not only with historical or technical details, but also in a way that fosters a deeper understanding and an interior participation on the part of the listeners.
h. The organizer of the concert will declare in writing that he accepts legal responsibilities for expenses involved, for leaving the church in order and for any possible damage incurred.

11. The above practical directives should be of assistance to the bishops and rectors of churches in their pastoral responsibility to maintain the sacred character of their churches, designed for sacred celebrations, prayer and silence.

Such indications should not be interpreted as a lack of interest in the art of music.

The treasury of sacred music is a witness to the way in which the Christian faith promotes culture.

By underlining the true value of sacred or religious music, Christian musicians and members of scholae cantorum should feel that they are being encouraged to continue this tradition and to keep it alive for the service of the faith, as expressed by the Second Vatican Council in its message to artists:

“Do not hesitate to put your talent at the service of the Divine Truth. The world in which we live has need of beauty in order not to lose hope. Beauty, like truth, fills the heart with joy. And this, thanks to your hands” (Cf. Second Vatican Council, Message to Artists, December 8, 1965).

Rome, November 5, 1987
Paul Augustine Card. Mayer, O.S.B.
Prefect
Virgilio Noë
Tit. Archbishop of Voncaria

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity serves as a vivid reminder of the fragmentation that exists within the body of Christ, and the need for Christ’s Church to be made whole again. But what does it mean to be unified, and how do we bring about unity?

The mortal enemy of unity is relativism. Relativism proclaims with ironic certainty the non-existence of Truth. While one generally associates relativism with secular culture, it has made its abode within the realm of the religious as well. A prime example is the drawn-out implosion of the Anglican Union. Rather than embrace Truth, the Archbishop of Canterbury instead suggested that there can be two separate tracks within Anglicanism, one that accepts practicing homosexual clergy and same-sex “marriage” and one that does not. I like to think of it as the Rodney King solution…”Can’t we all just get along?” It isn’t that easy. Either homosexual acts are gravely immoral or they are not. The same is true of abortion. Either the embryo is a human life, or it is not. Contraception is intrinsically evil or it is not. The Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ, or it is not. It is impossible for two opposing beliefs to be simultaneously true.

Yet, that is exactly what many Christians proclaim, for it is far easier to say “Let us agree to disagree” than to undertake the daunting task of seeking the Truth. In many ways, this is the inevitable result of the Protestant Reformation. For, it is the only way to justify the existence of over 30,000 Protestant “denominations”, all disagreeing with each other on matters of doctrine and discipline. It is also the only way to justify the notion of biblical perspicuity, the idea that any man, uneducated or educated, can rightly interpret the scriptures for himself. If each man can glean the fundamental Truths of Christianity, then why are there so many ecclesial communities, each opposed to the others on the most fundamental issues?

The relativism which has infected the Church has brought about a false sense of unity. It is a superficial unity in which all appears well on the surface. In reality, this superficial unity is disunity of the worst kind, self-perpetuating disunity. Unless we stop pretending, we will never attain true unity. For, true unity requires that we examine those things which divide us in an unbiased endeavor to seek the Truth, no matter how painful the task.

A key to doing this is to move beyond the fear of somehow offending our brother. In the Church today, there is much talk about “sheep stealing.” When Benedict XVI created a pathway to unity for disaffected Anglicans, some in the Vatican stumbled over themselves to proclaim that the Catholic Church is not “sheep stealing.” Even some within our country’s Bishops’ Conference rail against “sheep stealing”, strictly warning the faithful that proselytizing is forbidden. But what is proselytizing? By definition, to proselytize means to “to induce someone to convert to one’s faith” (Webster). Likewise, to induce is “to move by persuasion or influence” (ibid). So, what exactly is wrong with moving someone by persuasion or influence to convert to one’s faith? Granted, the use of violent force is never permissible, but there is nothing wrong with proselytizing in a prudent manner. Our Lord commanded us to make disciples of all nations (cf. Mt 28:19). That does not happen by keeping our faith closeted for fear of causing someone discomfort or offense. Rather, it means proclaiming the Truth to the world, despite discomfort. If those who hear our message and see our witness grow uncomfortable, it is probably because they are troubled by the knowledge of the Truth. Discomfort, or lack of peace, is a great motivator of man’s soul. It tells him that his heart is not where it should be and that only conformity to Christ will bring him the peace he desires.

Before we can proselytize, or witness, to others, we must be able explain to them, with one voice, the hope which we possess (cf. 1 Pt 3:15). Each of us must seek the Truth, embracing even those “hard teachings” (cf. Jn 6:60) we would prefer to ignore. We must be strive together to heal the wounds we have inflicted upon ourselves, “building up the body of Christ until we attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness and deceitful wiles.” (Eph 4: 13-14)

Our Lord warned us that a house divided against itself cannot stand (cf. Mt 12:25). While we sit on the sidelines fretting over “sheep stealing”, the Church is being assailed from every side with alarming effect. Should we not enter the fray? Or are we of too little faith?

Nicholas

The Cathedral of St. Patrick Young Adults announced that the Archdiocese of New York will be conducing its 2nd annual “24 Hours of Confession” from 5-6 March 2010 at parishes throughout the Archdiocese. While I commend the Archdiocese of New York for taking this step, much more is needed if the importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is to be increased in the lives of Catholics.

A sense of Catholic culture, in general, must be restored. This begins with re-capturing the liturgical traditions that have been lost in the misinterpretation of Vatican II. It seems that, in much of America today, it is difficult to tell whether one is attending a Catholic mass or a Protestant service (e.g. Life Teen). Many of the parish structures look the same, and much of the music sounds identical as some mistakenly see the way forward as shifting with the whims of the age in liturgy and/or thought. As a result, many Catholics have lost sight of what separates us from our Protestant brethren, especially with regard to the Eucharist as the focal point of the mass, instead basing faith on fleeting emotional highs that cannot be sustained indefinitely.

Additionally, the past several decades have left us a laity that is poorly catechized. I will offer myself as a case in point. I attended school at Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, MI for much of my youth. Thankfully, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati still wore habits at that time (They’ve since removed their habits and engaged in open revolt against the Church.). However, the downward trajectory of catechesis was apparent in the fact that I learned little else from the sisters than 1) Jesus loves me and 2) I’m special. At the age of 25, I was so ignorant of my faith that I was unable to explain to a well-meaning Protestant friend the difference between mortal and venial sin. That embarrassing realization of ignorance began my “awakening”. Prior to that experience, I saw no importance in confession. After all, I thought, should not my sins be between me and God? Why should I tell them to some priest? After my eyes were opened, the need for repentance became clear. Forming a properly catechized laity that reveres the Eucharist is vital to drawing more Catholics to the confessional.

To properly catechize the laity, the clergy must take their vocation seriously. The priesthood is not a job. It is a calling, and that calling requires that the priest devote his whole life and his entire being to feeding Christ’s sheep. In battle there is no time for rest lest mortal lives be lost. In spiritual battle, the stakes are infinitely higher, as eternal souls are at stake. The devil does not rest and does not consider his prowling about the Earth a mere hobby. Neither should the priest become lax in his vocation to defeat this enemy and save the souls that Satan seeks to devour. This requires heroic virtue.

For me, the embodiment of the priestly vocation is a dear friend and mentor, Fr. George Rutler. He is the pastor of, and only priest at, The Church of Our Saviour in mid-town Manhattan. Yet, despite being the only priest at the parish, he reverently celebrates mass twice daily and four times on Sunday. He also hears confessions every day of the week, including before the 1100 mass on Sunday. Furthermore, he speaks the Truth, as proclaimed by Christ and His Church, rather than watering down the Faith or simply telling others what they wish to hear.

As Fr. Rutler pointed out to John Janaro in the 1986 book “Fishers of Men”: “[A] priest should never spend more time eating in any given day than he does hearing confessions.”

It is a shame that more priests do not take this advice, for it would do far more to draw people to the confessional than a once a year push.

Nicholas

It was Christmas Day at my old parish. At the end of mass, parishioners found it difficult to pray as a gentleman’s 2-year old son ran amok. It was then that a prominent parishioner approached the man and asked him to control his child. The man indignantly refused, exacerbating the situation, and thus causing the prominent parishioner to respond by loudly chastising him in front of the sanctuary. In the midst of the melee, another parishioner, a young woman, approached the the distinguished parishioner. The young woman, somewhat annoyed at this point, asked the distinguished parishioner to move her chastisement outside the church. Shortly before this happened, an unknown person remarked of the child “Two-year olds cannot control themselves.” The distinguished parishioner, assuming the young woman made the remark, replied by harshly and loudly telling the young woman “You’re what’s wrong with the Church. You’re a fool.” To which the young woman replied “If I’m a fool for asking you to respect that Christ is right there–gesturing to the tabernacle–then God bless you and Merry Christmas.” The young woman left the Church visibly upset at the insult blindly hurled her way.

This situation offers several lessons for all of us as Christians. The first lesson is the importance of prudence. Was the child’s behavior disruptive to other parishioners? Yes. Was the child’s father wrong in his unwillingness to discipline his child? Yes. However, prudence dictates that one not create a bigger scene than the one he is trying to end. The distinguished parishioner showed a severe lack of prudence in berating the father and creating more noise and disruption than that created by the unruly 2-year old. The prudent choice would have been to do what the young woman asked the distinguished parishioners to do and take up a reasoned and civilized discourse outside the Church.

The second lesson is one of charity. Sometimes, harshness can be the greatest charity. However, the distinguished parishioner proved most uncharitable in three regards. First, she berated a man without attempting to understand his predicament. She made a rash judgment of his character without exploring mitigating circumstances. After all, we are all fallible and have bad days. Second, she showed an inexcusable lack of charity toward the young woman in telling the young woman “You are what’s wrong with the Church. You’re a fool.” What entitles the distinguished parishioner to make such a bold and foolish judgment of the young woman? Her friendship with the pastor? Her piety? The Apostle Paul told us not to judge before the day of the Lord. If the distinguished parishioner knew the young woman as I do, she would have known that the young woman is the opposite of what she declared her to be. The young woman is everything that is right with the Church. Third, the distinguished parishioner showed an overall lack of charity by setting a bad example in front of our Lord in the tabernacle. The parish where the incident occurred is frequented by many visitors who travel to hear the pastor preach the Word of God. I would not blame any of them for leaving the parish and thinking to themselves “What a bunch of self-righteous bastards.” And that truly embarrasses me.

The mass is a time of contemplation of the mysteries of Christ and appropriate reverence is necessary within the parish walls to enable that contemplation. However, we must exercise virtue to creating and maintaining that reverence.

Nicholas