By Angie Pometto
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 8/19/04)

SACRED SONG: CELEBRATING THE EUCHARIST. Liturgical Press (Collegeville, Minn., 2004).

"O Lord my God when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made," "God of wonders beyond our galaxy, you are holy, holy."

"Joyful, joyful we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love," "I will give You all my worship. I will give You all my praise."

The lyrics for two different styles of music, when put together, seem to fit. The first quote in each pair comes from a song selection found in Sacred Song: Celebrating the Eucharist, published by Liturgical Press. The second quote is an example of praise and worship music that can be found on "Worship with Steubenville," volumes three and four. Unfortunately, there is a tendency to set styles of music against each other in a traditional vs. contemporary argument, when in reality, the two styles complement each other and can work hand in hand to bring the congregation into the celebration of the Mass.

Music for Mass typically falls into three categories: hymns, traditional, and praise and worship. Sacred Song incorporates the hymns and traditional styles within one booklet, but Church worship has not yet included praise and worship songs within a "hymnal." In seeking to define each of these categories, however, it will be possible to see how they intertwine and belong together.

Hymns are very familiar to most Catholics. Classics include "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee," "All Creatures of Our God and King" and "Hail Holy Queen." These types of songs, originating anywhere between the 12th century and late 19th century, are best accompanied with a pipe organ. They stem from the strong historical tradition of the Church with words from great saints and music by great composers. Hopefully, such classics will never be lost from the liturgy.

By labeling the next category "traditional," it may sound as if these songs are also dated; instead, they have mostly been written within the past 40 years. They are nearly universal and are sung in most Catholic churches around the country. These include songs like "Here I am, Lord," "You are Mine," "Gather Us In" and "We are Called," and a majority of them have been written by three men: Dan Schutte, Marty Haugen and David Haas.

The three modern composers wrote songs for the post-Vatican II Mass and helped make the Mass more accessible to the congregation. Along with lyrics taken from Scripture and tradition, they found creativity through their own meditation and inspiration. The parts of the Mass were also affected. The "Gloria," "Alleluia," "Holy, Holy, Holy," "Memorial Acclamation," "Amen" and "Lamb of God" did not have to be chanted in Latin but could be sung in the vernacular.

Praise and worship is the next step in this evolutionary pattern. Not only is praise and worship music written in the vernacular, it aims to help the congregation focus and, as the name suggests, praise and worship God through song. Songs like "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High," "Draw Me Close," "I’m Trading My Sorrows" and "God of Wonders," have spread like wildfire through Protestant revivals. Catholics are a little slower to pick up the style, although it has become popular for teen Masses, youth conferences and college campuses. Lyrics are usually personal, written in first person and directed to God, but they also take lines from Scripture. The music varies from prayerfully meditative to upbeat music that encourages hand-clapping.

Both traditional songs and hymns can be found in the Sacred Song book, proving that over the years, the context of liturgical music has grown and expanded to include music that speaks to the current needs of the people. Within the Arlington Diocese, some parishes use praise and worship music, but overall the style found on the "Worship with Steubenville" CDs, hasn’t made its way into local parish churches. As the generation familiar with praise and worship ages, it may become more prevalent within the liturgy.