Back to the Future: Working towards the education and empowerment of emerging liturgical music ministers in light of Instrumentum Laboris

While I always live in hope, the more I walk the journey of being a musical minister, the more I feel as though I am stuck between a rock and a hard place.

On the one hand, if I listen and take to heart the writings of many people on the internet via Blogs, Discussion Boards, eGroups etc – I could be mistaken in sometimes feeling as though my post-Vatican II lived experience with all its Liturgical Musical influences i.e.: St Louis Jesuits, Marty Haugen, David Haas etc [which have been instrumental to my faith development and growth] is somehow ‘not correct’, and such music should be avoided at all cost [so they say].

I am constantly surprised and concerned at the anger and loathing that some people have towards this kind of music and those who compose, play and pray it for use in Liturgy. I often feel when reading such scathing positions with such a staunch longing for a return to ‘the old ways’ that I am somehow ‘less than’ those who demand a return to Gregorian chant and polyphony.

On the other hand, I often feel like the [not so old] stooge to the younger liturgical musicians I encounter at a parish and school level. To some of these teenagers and young adults – I am sure that I come across as an unbending, opinionated old-school-fool who ‘has no idea’. My position on not using ‘relevant’ secular Top 40 or ‘meaningful rock’ music in Liturgy, my steering right away from Hillsong music is seen as out of touch and just plain lunacy. How do I know this? Because, even after all my workshops or seminars about the importance of interlocking music that fits the structure of the Liturgy has been blurted out for all to hear…it [Hillsong, Top 40] still gets played and old habits, long held - refuse to die.

Why not replace that rendition of U2’s ‘All I Want Is You’ as a Communion Hymn [!] with a spirited playing of David Haas’ ‘Glory Day’?

The young people’s response will probably fall along the lines of; ‘none of that Liturgical Music please…that’s so boring and lame. Can’t we do something good?’

Those others who long for a return to more traditional forms of Liturgical Music would probably also scoff at such a suggestion but would say something such as…this ‘dreck fills me with monotonous languor and the ennui of despair’.

While I feel no need to align myself to either camp of thinking, this is the tension that exists.

So what of the emerging ‘next generation’ of Liturgical Music Ministers? What can be done to form them in their ministry?

Reflecting on my personal experience may shed some light on possible answers.

I remember in the early 1990’s, our then Parish Priest being totally supportive of the young people taking an active role in parish music ministry and fiercely protective of us against any ill spoken words by unhappy parishioners (we had a few detractors). I remember vividly him saying: ‘If anyone has a bad thing to say about our young musos – they can come and talk to me’.

While he was Parish Priest – no one said a word. Clerical power has its good points I guess.

And while a great sense of community formed amongst those other musicians (with many of those friendships still alive and well today)…and while this period instilled in all of us a keen sense of commitment, week in week out – our Liturgical formation and the knowledge of what music to apply to Liturgy, in hindsight, was poor and wanting attention.

That didn’t stop us trying.

We chose some pretty liturgically inappropriate selections and the kind of songs that I now ironically suggest to my students and those who I workshop to avoid are precisely the kind of songs I often played. I remember on many occasions singing ‘Annie’s Song’ by John Denver (!?). On another occasion, I remember playing Midnight Oil’s ‘Put Down That Weapon’ to commemorate Hiroshima Day.

I do remember us needing to expand our repertoire as we felt we were playing the same songs over and over…but not knowing where to look or who to ask. The Parish Priest was a great admirer of our work and input to parish life, but wasn’t a Liturgist – or a musician, so in this regard, little help was found here.

There was the then-Parish Liturgy Committee, but they were a very demanding and non-compromising group which was a real turn off for the young people at the time. The life lines that were thrown to us were sheet music with forceful written demands that such a piece be played on such a particular Sunday. Once, we were even handed a piece of music literally five minutes before Mass was to begin – of which we had never even heard of before – and told that it had to be played as the song of Gathering! The Liturgy Committee members were not musicians – which on a practical level, didn’t help us at all. All they offered were commands and expectations. This was really off putting to the musicians and a tension developed that sadly became quite destructive.

This whole experience lead me to eventually fine tune my musical skills while at the same time learning about the Liturgy and how to best serve it with music. Ten years on, I feel I am now at a point that enables me to offer both an understanding and insight of Liturgy to others while at the same time being able to practically demonstrate with confidence the music that is being suggested. It’s taken me ten long years of honing a craft of playing and gaining a knowledge base – that continues to grow and develop.

Surely, this is the way to proceed when forming emerging music ministers?! To hold the knowledge, theory and tradition of Liturgy up on the one hand and on the other, actually play and sing its practical possibilities for people to take a look at and see for themselves how things could be when celebrating. (??)

The issuing of a recent preparatory document for the Bishop’s Synod, scheduled to be held for 2-23 October 2005 in Rome, has dampened this happy insight and joyful optimism. The document in question, Instrumentum Laboris, published on July 7 2005, is rather critical of certain types of music played at Eucharist. The document specifically mentions Youth Masses as a place where questionable selections have been reported. Section 62 reads ‘A few responses made particular mention of music and singing at Youth Masses. In this regard, it is important to avoid musical forms which, because of their profane use, are not conducive to prayer.’

This section of the document I find to be very unhelpful. By my own admission in this article, I have myself in the past contributed to selecting liturgically inappropriate music at Eucharist and am keenly aware that such poorly chosen selections of music for Liturgy continue today by various young people (and others).

While I can understand the gist of this statement, there are too many gaps in what is being implied that I find to be unsatisfactory and pastorally irresponsible.

The language is ambiguous and is not specific in solutions to issues it sees as a threat to the integrity of Liturgy. What is the issue here? The music? What does that actually mean? Does this mean secular music is being used? Does this mean post Vatican II music is being used and that is deemed as inappropriate? And what of singing? Does this mean the singing is not tasteful or tuneful? Does it mean perhaps the singing isn’t done enough in Latin?

And why does the document relegate abuses in Liturgical Music only to ‘Youth Masses’? While I am ideologically opposed to the idea of a ‘Youth’ Mass [Eucharist/ Mass is for everyone and should not be ghettoed to various interest or demographic groups!] – I see it as an injustice to highlight that Youth Masses are the cesspit of all that is bad and wayward in Liturgical Music. Equally poor and inappropriate music selections also happen elsewhere by ‘Demographically Challenged Masses’ too. Why are these not mentioned? Who exactly has made mention of and ‘reported’ the Youth Masses in the first place?

These questions must be asked. And even though the answers may not initially come [they may not come at all!], it is not at all helpful to just say such things without being more specific and offering solutions.

The Synod of Bishops will hopefully move towards such practicalities, but these practical steps are most certainly required so that written words, as expressed in Instrumentum Laboris that may be seen to condemn, are simultaneously held up with actions that address the issue.

These kind of blunt statements and demands like we read in Instrumentum Laboris remind me of the manner our old Liturgy Committee used to like to employ when communicating to the younger musicians. It never worked. It still doesn’t. This heavy handed and patronizing approach is actually counter productive in addressing the need of playing and singing great Liturgical music. A grounded, but gentle approach is called for with practical modeling to best address the issue of mediocrity of Liturgical Music across the whole spectrum of the Church. Mere words in the form of an ecclesiastical telling off are just not enough – or appropriate. Instrumentum Laboris’ section on Liturgical Song only seems to scapegoat and inflame an already tender issue in a sensational manner that various media outlets are able to latch on to [and have] quite easily to further perpetuate the often negative spin on Youth, whether the publishers are sympathetic to young people or not.

It would seem the Synod of Bishops have a lot of work to do in October.

Our emerging Liturgical Music Ministers need to be inspired. They need to have role models who not only inform them with words, but also form them with action and practical empowerment. They should be encouraged to look at scripture and watch Jesus closely as their greatest role model. They should be exposed to avenues of Liturgy like Evening and Morning Prayer so that when they come to Eucharist they are enriched in prayer – and sung prayer at that! Let music that reflects the person of Jesus who we meet through scripture be our song and cause for our hope.

‘Awake from your slumber; arise from your sleep,
A new day is dawning, for all those who weep.
A people in darkness have seen a great light,
The Lord of our longing has conquered the night’.

Extract from ‘City of God’,
- St Louis Jesuits

CD Review: TONY ALONSO, MICHAEL MAHLER & LORI TRUE - As Morning Breaks and Evening Sets: Psalms, Canticles and Hymns for the Liturgy of the Hours, GIA

First, some background.

With the onset of the 1980’s, US Publishing Company GIA Publications became very organised and efficient at packaging and marketing Liturgical Music to a worldwide market. Some would argue they continue to do so and are now a monopoly where Liturgical Music publishing/ recording is concerned. Whether this is true or not – one thing is certain: GIA have been responsible for putting out some of the most widely recognised (and loved) Liturgical Music in the past 25 years.

There are many artists and composers on the GIA roster, but, there are three who stand out more than the others who are considered giants in the Liturgical Music world: David Haas, Marty Haugen and Michael Joncas. Ground breaking albums such as ‘Come and Journey’ (1985), ‘Mass of Creation’ (1984), ‘We Come To Your Feast’ (1991) and ‘You Are Mine: The Best of David Hass Volume 2’ (1995) have cemented these three as true leaders in the field.

I have watched with interest the way GIA have been marketing and pushing their ‘up and coming’ artists in the past few years. In 2001, Tony Alonso’s debut recording ‘Fresh As The Morning’ was heralded with much fanfare with GIA boasting Alonso as ‘the new voice in Liturgical Music’ (!). Similarly, Lori True and Michael Mahler have released a couple of albums of their own to much liturgical-critical acclaim.

Indeed, Alonso’s ‘Fresh as the Morning’ was produced by none other than David Haas himself – in a move that could be construed as a ‘passing on of the baton’ to the ‘next generation’ of Liturgical music composers. I would argue this might not be too far from the truth…and if the 1985 album ‘Come and Journey’ was a crowning jewel for GIA showcasing the extraordinary talents of Haas, Haugen and Joncas – then I think ‘As Morning Breaks and Evening Sets’ is GIA’s attempt to hold up Alonso, Mahler and True as the next ‘Holy Trinity’ in Liturgical Music. Whether or not ‘As Morning Breaks and Evening Sets’ succeeds in doing this remains to be seen – but I get the strong sense this is what GIA are hoping for and moving towards. We shall see…

Enough postulating…let’s look at the music.

We are presented with 17 tracks whose primary purpose is for use in The Liturgy of the Hours (Morning and Evening Prayer). The bulk of these are psalms, which therefore have other potential application as Responsorial Psalms at Eucharistic Celebrations.

The recording is divided into three sections: Music for Morning Prayer, Psalms for Morning and Evening and Music for Evening and Night Prayer.

‘We Arise’ begins proceedings in a sprightly fashion with a noticeable and prominent alto saxophone line running throughout played by Kenni Holman whose prowess was most clearly demonstrated on the 1997 David Haas double CD live masterpiece ‘Glory Day’. The production is crisp and the song gradually evolves working towards an inspiring choral refrain while also displaying the solo singing skills of the composer Michael Mahler and a supporting vocal by Tony Alonso.

The song ‘Fresh as the Morning’ appears on this recording in a more acoustic flavour compared to grand antiphonal choral workout it received on Tony Alonso’s debut of the same name in 2002. However, the sentiment is still as strong with the text being provided by Shirley Erena Murray who like fellow US Liturgical lyricist Ruth Duck are currently doing amazing work and writing inspiring and empowering lyrics that are popping up on many liturgical recordings.

‘Let Us Sing!’ an adaptation of the standard ‘morning’ psalm - Psalm 63, appears next with the vocal powers of Lori True rising to the occasion. The track is highlighted by the synthesizer work of Tom Franzak using a Hammond organ sound, which accentuates the gospel feeling of the song.

These first few tracks are presented in a vibrant and energetic way that would start anyone’s day off on a prayerful and joyous note. Placed in the context of Morning Prayer, these would be inspirational settings to engage with that have singable refrains.

The next section of the record is a collection of 8 Psalms that we are told can be used for either Morning or Evening Prayer. The picks of the bunch are Tony Alonso’s setting of Psalm 138 ‘You Answered Me’ which is beautifully composed and soothing on the ear…a good choice for Evening Prayer. Michael Mahler kicks things up a gear with his rollicking setting of Psalm 27 ‘The Lord Is My Light’ which could have application to the themes of the rising sun and resurrection in Morning Prayer, or could be used to highlight the Lucernarium, or lighting of the lamps or ‘Christ Light’ at Evening Prayer. The other stand out track is Tony Alonso’s ‘I Have Found My Peace’, which is a setting of Psalm 131. This is an acoustically based track with some lovely three way harmony work occurring in the refrains. An Irish tin whistle also played by Dominic Trumfino rounds the track off very well.

The recording concludes with a section devoted solely to Evening and Night Prayer. Lori True’s ‘Stay With Us, Lord’ is reminiscent of ‘Go Now In Peace’ from her 2002 ‘A Place at the Table’ recording and is quite good as an Evening Hymn. My pick of the bunch here is Tony Alonso’s ‘Let Evening Fall’, which also is an Evening Hymn. The remaining tracks, Psalm 141, and the Canticles of Mary and Simeon are solid, but do not surpass other versions I have heard elsewhere. Nevertheless, they create a prayerful mood that would be a happy addition to Evening Prayer services.

While the CD is geared towards use in Morning and Evening Prayer, I would argue that this music presented could also be used in small prayer groups or individual prayer and reflection. As Morning Breaks and Evening Sets highlights the power and adaptability of the Psalms as a wonderful resource of scriptural prayer and would be a fine addition to your music collection. It also displays the emerging talents of Tony Alonso, Lori True and Michael Mahler and certainly suggests other wonderful recordings will see the light of day by these three in the future. You need this – you know you do. Go on then…make a mad dash to Pauline Books and Media and grab yourself a copy. You won’t be disappointed.

Evening Prayer: Reclaiming and living our Liturgical Tradition

Throughout Lent this year, Evening Prayer was offered to Henley Parish. People from the Parish and elsewhere, gathered together on Friday evenings for the duration of the Lenten Season to partake in something that for many was a new and unique experience, but I would like to think, not an isolated one.

Earlier on, in January this year, I spoke at all Mass times one weekend and informed the various congregations about my plan to offer Evening Prayer to the Parish with an extended invitation. The response was very positive, with quite a number expressing interest and support for the idea. What I found most fascinating in this process was that a number of people approached me after Mass to say they had never heard of the Liturgy of the Hours and also didn’t know what to really expect if they were to come to Evening Prayer. What was the format? What was the structure? What’s actually going to happen? What are we going to do? These were the questions being asked.

The lack of information and knowledge about what Evening Prayer is - which was expressed by many Henley Parishioners was interesting, but not really surprising.

The Liturgy of the Hours, has also gone by the name of the Divine Office, or Breviary, and, nearly exclusively, has been a Liturgical practice only celebrated by cloistered religious communities and the clergy. Some Liturgical scholars would argue that such a format of prayer at set times of the day has been with us from the earliest moments of Christendom, with many Jewish religious practices and observances fusing themselves to become what we now know to be the Liturgy of the Hours.

From its Jewish ancestry, the consecration of time in the early Christian Church had taken root by middle to late antiquity and certainly by the time of St Augustine in the fifth century, variations of the Liturgy of the Hours in both a monastic and ‘Cathedral-style’ had taken root and become very much an intrinsic part of people’s prayer life, both in the West and in the East for clergy and laity alike.

This developed throughout the centuries, with a growing tendency for the Hours to be celebrated in only monastic settings, as religious and clergy not connected to the cloister were driven into missionary works (i.e.: the Jesuits, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart etc) and consequently could not commit the time necessary to honor the complete daily cycle of the Liturgy of the Hours, known as the Horarium.

So, more and more, the Hours became a liturgical celebration only experienced by monks, cloistered sisters and also clergy who were able to carry with them a portable collection of daily readings known as the Breviary. It was a foreign liturgical practice to the laity not readily accessible for centuries – until Vatican II.

Sacrosanctum Concilium, Vatican II’s prime document on the Liturgy urged for all religious to engage with the richness of spiritual treasures found in the Liturgy of the Hours, but also put the invitation out to all lay people; ‘The laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually.’ (S.C. 100)

The documents of Vatican II are essentially only 40 years young and we have a long way to go to fully reap the benefits and richness of ideas that were presented. I believe the Liturgy of the Hours and moments of daily prayer like Evening Prayer are yet to be widely rediscovered and reclaimed. For many of us, we simply do not know of the existence of such prayer. Over 1500 years of liturgical tradition that for the most part has not been experienced in the public sphere of the laity – is unlikely to change over night…even in 40 years since Vatican II!! This much was made clear from the partially confused response I received from many parishioners when I flagged the idea in January 2005.

However, I also believe by offering Evening Prayer, in a parish setting like we did this Lent at Henley, will undoubtedly give people an experience of what it is actually about and begin to raise awareness of it - and perhaps even move people towards integrating into their own prayer life. It is a largely untapped area of our liturgical tradition which has all kinds of potential possibilities and applications. I would like to return to this point later on.

Wherever possible, I attempted to utilise music during Evening Prayer. This proved to be a very powerful and attractive part of the whole experience for people. I took the line of thought when preparing for Evening Prayer very similar to what David Haas suggests when he says; ‘It is one thing to say Alleluia…and it’s another thing to sing it!’

To give you an idea as to what actually happened on any given night, I will attempt now to describe the format and structure of Evening Prayer as it happened at Henley…

People entered the Church via the foyer areas which had a little table with a candle burning. Welcomers were present to greet people as they came in and were given handouts to accompany the evening’s prayer.

Upon entering the Church, people may have thought they were at the Monday night candle lit Mass…as the Church was dimly lit with some quiet instrumental music playing in the background. Indeed, this kind of ambience so familiar to us at the candle lit Mass was something I deliberately wanted to establish and link in people’s minds. My original idea was to have Evening Prayer offered on a Friday night in a similar, atmospheric and ambient manner complete with candles so that the week could in a sense be ‘bookended’ on the Monday evening with Mass and then on Friday evening with Evening Prayer. I hope it worked. I think it did.

We began at 8:30pm sharp every week and began with me welcoming and greeting people. A few cursory thoughts were given, usually linking the Gospel of the previous weekend and how that was sitting with us as we were moving towards the Gospel of the next weekend.

Following this, the Service of Light began utilizing a sung antiphon while someone processed down the centre aisle of the Church with a candle to then arrive at the foot of the Sanctuary to light our ‘Christ Light’. This ‘Christ Light’ was in fact Lemon Essence which we have used here in Henley on occasions such as Pentecost and the annual Mass of Remembrance. It was a stunning visual element to the drama of the unfolding Liturgy.

Following the Service of Light, was a hymn that spoke to the themes of evening. Songs which were used at these times were rotated and included ‘At Evening’ by David Haas and ‘God of Day and God of Darkness’ by Marty Haugen.

Next came the first Psalm for the evening which was always a sung setting of Psalm 141 which reads ‘Let my prayers rise up like incense’. As this psalm was sung, incense was burned – again a very powerful symbol that tapped into the senses of sight and smell! The setting of Psalm 141 remained constant throughout Lent.

After a brief silence, the second psalm was sung and this psalm was different each week. The second psalms were all composed by myself and were simple antiphonal style pieces that were very quickly learned so that participation of the gathered faithful was at a maximum.

In response to the psalms, a short New Testament Canticle was sung and this was set each week based on a passage from Revelation.

After another silence, a passage of scripture was read. This was the first reading of that day’s Mass and for Lent this year, those readings were taken from many of the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures; Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea and others. These proved to be very rich texts that provided many Lenten themes to be extracted for a detailed reflection. A reflection was then given on the reading and tied in Lenten themes and ways in which we can live out the underlying messages explored from the reading in practical and active ways.

This reflection on the Word was then highlighted further by a sung setting of the Magnificat. The version used throughout our Lenten Evening Prayer was a setting that appears on Marty Haugen’s 1990 ‘Now the Feast and Celebration/ Holden Evening Prayer’ recording and was particularly lovely.

General Intercessions were then offered with a sung response to each prayer, with time at the end of the set written prayers for spontaneous petitions. The culmination of all of this prayer was a collective singing of the Lord’s Prayer which was a new ‘evening’ setting I had composed especially for Evening Prayer.

To conclude, a Presider spoke a concluding prayer and then I sang a sung blessing. A sign of peace was then exchanged between all who were present and while this was happening, I either lead the singing of ‘Prayer for Peace by David Haas, ‘Watch, O Lord’ by Marty Haugen or a setting of the Nunc Dimittis.

And that, in a nutshell, is how we experienced Evening Prayer at Henley for this Lent!

There were many positive things that came out of conducting Evening Prayer this year. Firstly, the experience itself for the participants. Many people, who came, were very moved by the impact of the liturgy itself and commented very positively on it. Some said the use of music was a highlight. Others said the use of symbols such as the fire of the Lemon Essence and the incense added an extra sensory dimension to the process. Some made particular comment about the impact and relevance of the reflections on the Scripture that were given each week. Many commented that it was a very fitting way to mark the Lenten period.

But perhaps the most frequent comment that came was ‘Are we going to have this again at Henley?’

On a personal level, I have found the whole journey of preparing and actually offering Evening Prayer to be a very faith enriching and empowering experience. When I started to think about how Evening Prayer could be offered at Henley, I was basically starting from scratch. I certainly had never experienced the Liturgy of the Hours in a predominately sung format like I was hoping to offer, (as a matter of fact, I hadn’t experienced the Liturgy of the Hours at all!!), so I had to research the area, read a lot of books and listen to a lot of music to see what might work. It was very time consuming!

This process alone was fascinating and gave me a good grounding in the structure and flow of the format of Evening Prayer so I could prayerfully lead the sessions with confidence.

In addition to the format research of Evening Prayer was the rather difficult choice of which musical settings of the psalms should be used. Part of this process was the actual composition of Psalms, responses and Canticles which I did. This above all, was probably the most time consuming element of the whole process – and also the most rewarding. As each setting of the Psalms was being composed, it gave me a greater sense of appreciation for the Psalms and the way they can be used in one’s prayer life. My spirituality has been deepened and made richer through this experience and realisation of scriptural based song.

An unexpected and really pleasing outcome of my Evening Prayer experience this Lent has been the adaptation of Evening Prayer into our own family’s prayer life at home. Following Lent, we began a ‘mini Evening Prayer’ every night before our boys go to bed. Each night, a candle is lit (which at first, reminded the boys of the candles on a birthday cake and they were very excited!!). The Service of Light Antiphon is sung as we did it at Henley. We then give thanks and praise to God for one positive thing we have experienced that day and each take a turn to say that followed by an ‘Amen’ at the end of the prayer. We then light a stick of incense and sing the refrain of Psalm 141. The songs are short and simple and have been easy for our boys Declan (4) and Darcy (2) to pick up and sing. Our nightly Evening Prayer at home is something that our boys actually ask us to do each night and they are very much active participants in the liturgy. It’s really great to watch.

In a similar way, I have been able to adapt the format of Evening Prayer used at Henley for a recent Year 11 Retreat I directed at Loreto College. On this occasion, I also offered Morning Prayer on the second day of the retreat and the girls responded very positively to the symbols, music and structure in both instances.

While all of this has been happening, I have been studying my Masters in Theology which has dovetailed very nicely to all these varied set of experiences. Over the course of the first semester this year at Uni, I met with a lady from Seacombe Gardens Parish who was in some of my classes. After telling her of my experiences here at Henley with Evening Prayer, she became very excited and after some initial discussions we are now working in partnership towards Seacombe Gardens Parish hosting Evening Prayer in Lent 2006 which will be offered to the entire southern region of parishes.

Over the next six months, while I am assisting Seacombe Gardens to prepare for their own experience of Evening Prayer, I too will be preparing for the next chapter of Evening Prayer at Henley. It promises to be prayerful and inspiring journey...I look forward to sharing the time with you in Lent 2006.