The music of this season has a noticeable change from the other
seasons of the church year. An example is singing the Latin Sanctus and
Agnus Dei, as in years past, and introducing the chant Attende
Domine. Attende Domine, Be merciful, O Lord, graciously hear us..., is a
penitential hymn written specifically for the Lenten season. This hymn is
regarded as a monument of the liturgy of the Catholic Church and is
believed to have been written for the Mozarabic liturgy celebrated in
Spain during the 10th century at a time when Christians were being
persecuted for their faith. It is written in prose form, including a refrain
with verses.
Also is the inclusion of more moments of silence. I would like to
share a quote from Pope Benedict XVI’s paper titled Liturgy and
Church Music:
He writes: By “lifting up the heart;” true liturgy allows the
buried song to resound in man once again. Indeed, we could now
actually say that true liturgy can be recognized by the fact that it liberates
from everyday activity and restores to us both the depths and the
heights: silence and singing.”
“True liturgy is recognizable because it is cosmic and not limited to
a group. True liturgy sings with the angels, and true liturgy is silent with
the expectant depths of the universe. And thus true liturgy redeems the
earth.”
For more information about the Apostolate of Sacred Music, please
contact Brenda Rebilas, (919) 570-0070 ext. 107
Last Updated ( Feb 24, 2010 at 07:29 AM )
The Apostolate of Sacred Music
Music has been an integral part of worship throughout the ages.
Think of David praising God on the harp and singing his songs of prayer and praise; Miriam leading the people of Israel in praise as they rejoiced in their freedom from captivity; the angels who praised God at the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Holy Roman Catholic Church has shown through the ages the importance of music at Mass. From the beginnings of unaccompanied chant, the great polyphonic masterpieces which invoked the faithful to join the realm of angels and saints, to contemporary compositions using scripture as the sung text, the common refrain is the desire to honor our God. Music has helped the faithful respond to Jesus command to "do this in memory of me".
The celebration of the Mass, as stated in the documents on liturgy and music, is made fuller by the full, active participation of the faithful. It is our hope that everyone worshipping at St. Catherine of Siena will find the music a source of prayer and praise and will be drawn into a deeper spiritual understanding of the sacred mysteries of our faith.
