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Wednesday 6 August 2008

"Returning To A Sense Of The Sacred in Catholic Liturgy"

It is not only musicians who gripe about the dog's dinner we have managed to make of the Liturgy.
Hugh McNichol asks Where is the Institute for the Sacred Arts in the United States?Why haven’t the bishops established this particular institute for the United States? in this article http://www.bloggernews.net/116840.
And it set me to wondering, out of the, what? 194 or 5? dioceses in the United States how many established that Institute of Sacred Music that was part of the mandate of the Vatican Council?
And why so few?
Was it because, just as Mr McNichol laments, "It confounds me that our own Catholic clergy persist in absolute decision-making authority when it comes to the execution and implementation of new liturgical spaces or the commissioning of sacred art. Most clergy with which I am familiar do not know the difference between Baroque and Bauhaus but they insist on making the decisions about church design and architecture," a similar reluctance to engage those with some degree expertise obtained in matters musical? that those in authority didn't want the musically knowledgeable putting in their 2 cents and thwarting their own preferences?

Seriously, how many diocesan, or even regional for metropolitan archdioceses, Institutes of Sacred Music are there in this country?
Given the hoopla surrounding Fr Webers appointment, I imagine...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember a Pontifical High Mass where the choir in which I sang offered (I fairly despise the word "performance" when it comes to the Liturgy, fwiw) a polyphonic Mass and motet.

When the celebrant greeted some of us after Mass, he complimented us on our singing of Palestrina.

Problem is, none of the pieces we sang were of Palestrina's pen.

Oh well, at least he knew the name...

Scelata said...

LOL.
"Offer" is good, very good. "Present," "render," ... I guess "execute" suggests the too often accomplished MURDER of a piece of music.
And look at it this way, he not only knew the name, he appreciated the music.
I heard an introit chanted once, and the celebrant, when he reached the altar said, "Whew, wasn't THAT solemn! Why don't you all turn to the person next to you and smile and say hello!"

(Save the Liturgy, Save the World)

Dad29 said...

IIRC, Cd.Georgel has established some sort of orthodox liturgical institute in Chicago--but it is not precisely a "Sacred Arts" school.

Dad29 said...

By pure accident, another blogsite gave me this URL for Chicago's Institute:

http://www.usml.edu/liturgicalinstitute/liturgicalinstitute.htm

Scelata said...

Yes, Dad29, the LI at Mundelein, from whence issued the Mundelein Psalter, and which is the site of any number of excellent seminars and retreats, (featuring the likes of Dr Ed Shaefer, Fr Samuel Weber, Scott Hahn, and the Institute's own Linda Cerabone, Fr Douglas Martis, Dr Denis McNamara)
I have been told there is some kind of serious disconnect between the Liturgical Institute and the Seminary at which it is located. Anyone know anything about that?

(Save the Liturgy, Save the World)

Dad29 said...

Read Tom Roeser's column and you'll know...