What is the Mass, What is Sacred Music, What is the Sacred Music of the Mass?
The following sections address each of these questions.
What is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?
In the presence of Christ,
by the power of His Word and His Spirit,
we, the body of Christ on this earth,
re-enter through anamnesis into Christ’s one eternal self-Sacrifice at the Altar –
His crucifixion on the Cross at Calvary –
for the sake of our salvation
(Catechism of the Catholic Church §1358-).
From His Sacrifice,
Christ gives us His very self, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity,
through Holy Communion, in the same way that the Apostles received them from the hands of Jesus Christ Himself
(General Instruction of the Roman Missal §72).
With all that is concentrated into this perpetual gift of the Eucharist, the Sacrament from which all other sacraments flow,
we should always be in awe of the Mystery of our Faith.
We should offer our thanks, in a dignified celebration worthy of Christ’s Sacrifice.
What is Sacred Music?
“The more closely a composition for church approaches in its movement, inspiration, and savour the Gregorian melodic form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes; and the more out of harmony it is with that supreme model, the less worthy it is of the temple” (Saint Popes John Paul II and Pius X).
Pope Francis, addressing the Italian Saint Cecilia Association in 2019, offered that Sacred Music is Holy Music, for the liturgical rites which are holy. Sacred music is to be adorned with nobility of art, because we must give our best to God. And it must be universal, that is Catholic, so that everyone can understand and participate. Especially it should be well distinct and separate (holy) from music used for other purposes. Sacred music must be joined with the beauty of the Mass in a harmonious and devout synthesis.
Pope Francis exhorted them, and us, to devote ourselves to the Sacred Music that is an integral part of the Liturgy, with Gregorian chant inspiring us as the first model. “Take care together for artistic and liturgical preparation, and promote the presence of the schola cantorum in every parish community.”

To hold the title of Basilica, a church must have a schola cantorum. This is to help the whole parish. As Pope Francis said in his address: ‘sacred music builds bridges, brings people closer, even those far away; it knows no barriers of nationality, ethnicity, skin color, but draws in everyone, in a higher language, and always succeeds in bringing into harmony people and groups, even of very different origins. Sacred music brings people closer, even with brothers to whom we sometimes do not feel close. For this reason, the singing group in every parish is a group where there is an atmosphere of availability and mutual help.’
Saint Pope John Paul II, who conferred the title Minor Basilica to Saint Michael the Archangel Church in 1989, agreed that sacred music must possess the proper sense of prayer, dignity, and beauty – in order to not preclude entry into the sacred liturgy.
“From the smooth coordination of all – the priest celebrant and the deacon, the acolytes, the altar servers, the readers, the psalmist, the schola cantorum, the musicians, the cantor and the assembly – flows the proper spiritual atmosphere which makes the liturgical moment truly intense, shared in and fruitful. The musical aspect of liturgical celebrations cannot, therefore, be left to improvisation or to the arbitration of individuals but must be well conducted and rehearsed in accordance with the norms and competencies resulting from a satisfactory liturgical formation” (Chirograph§8).
This is not simply papal preference, this is the Law and teaching of the Church, through its Second Vatican Council, in Sacrosanctum Concilium §116: “The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.”
For the purpose of Sacred Music is “the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful”(SC§112).

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal instructs us on the Liturgy and the Word to be offered each day, along with the ministries to be served and the vestments to be worn, down to the colour. Music can be no different.
The Church’s instruction includes a section on the importance of singing the Mass (GIRM§§39-41): ‘The main place should be given, all things being equal, to Gregorian chant, as being proper to the Roman Liturgy… to foster the participation of all the faithful.’
The oft-heard phrase ‘full, active, conscious, participation’ in the Mass actually refers to the singing of the Mass parts in Gregorian Chant (see the first use of the phrase in the papal document Tra le sollicitudini).
What is the Sacred Music of the Mass?
Bishop Kemme offers a beautiful exhortation, in his recent letter, Let us Sing with the Lord: “my humble guidance is to turn our attention toward the texts of the Mass, which the Church herself invites us to sing. For example, just as the Church proposes texts for us to sing for the Responsorial Psalm and Alleluia, we also have proper texts intended to be sung at the Entrance, Offertory, and Communion processions.”
“These scripture verses, commonly called the Entrance, Offertory, and Communion Antiphons, are chosen by the Church to help reveal the particular mystery being celebrated. Therefore, rather than agonize over which hymn to choose, it seems fitting and preferable to use the texts provided by the Church as they are found in the Roman Missal and the Roman Gradual.”
“At first, singing the antiphons may seem like a significant shift; however, it is a form of singing that we are already familiar with since singing the antiphons with their Psalm verses resembles the singing of the Responsorial Psalm. The antiphons, with their Psalm verses, are a part of Christ’s prayer to the Father, and when we sing them in the liturgy, we unite our voice to the voice of Christ.”
“What I desire most for sacred music in the liturgy is to shift our mindset from singing AT Mass to singing THE Mass. This may seem like a minute distinction, but I believe it is crucial. Utilizing the texts Christ has given us through the Church, we can restore the sacred and transcendent nature of the liturgy, emphasizing three important principles: the sanctity of sacred music, the intrinsic beauty of sacred music, and the universality of sacred music.”
A conclusion
Picture Christ and His apostles at the Last Supper, before Gethsemene, before Golgotha, before His Crucifixion. “Father, take this chalice from Me, but not My will, but Yours, be done…” (Luke 22:40–46; Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42).
What music is worthy of this moment that we are entering into?
Sacred Music.

‘The whole point of our life in this world is to get us ready for Heaven. We have to be capable of the life of Heaven. Sacred music is one of the key ways we are able to do that. The beauty of sacred music opens our heart to the beauty of God. Spending time with God gets us ready for Heaven.’ (Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, quoted from the Square Notes podcast season 6 episode 13).
What’s so great about Gregorian Chant?
Gregorian plainchant is wholly concentrated on the text of Sacred Scripture, the Word of God, not on external musical structures.
Chant is naturally, rhythmically, free, unrestricted by rigid musical structures. Chant is exalted, elevated speech, beyond the mundane, providing ritual impact.
Gregorian Chant actually fosters participative singing. It is authentic dialogue, in a natural flow, simple to hear and learn by ear. It is what we do with the Psalms, chanting one verse back, in response to the verses chanted by the cantor or choir. Responding in chant is more authentic than disjointed, jarring, interruptive music.
Gregorian Chant also fosters an appreciation of what God wishes to speak to us through Sacred text, without disruptive musicality interrupting and distracting from the Word.
What about praise and worship music?
Great. We need it. We need to hear it, to celebrate it, to praise God, to lift our spirits with music.
But not at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Christ’s self-offering to God the Father in the Holy Spirit, the fruits of which we experience in Holy Communion. In the Mass, we are to enter into what Christ asks us to do, in “Remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19–20; Matthew 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–24).
Praise and worship is not necessarily true to the Biblical and liturgical texts of the Mass; that is not its intent. Praise and worship is about experiencing and living and ‘feeling’ the faith in the here and now… not about the Transcendence of the timeless anamnesis of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
What does the General Instruction of the Roman Missal ask, for Music in the Mass?
The entirety of the Mass may be sung, in accord with the Solemnity of the celebration. If the entirety of the Mass will not be sung, ‘one should start with the parts that are by their nature of greater importance, and especially those which are to be sung by the priest or by the ministers, with the people replying, or those which are to be sung by the priest and people together’ (GIRM § 40, from Musicam Sacram §7).
Singing is an integral part of the Church’s liturgy.
So closely is song joined to the Church’s celebration that the Eucharist may be described as sung prayer.
The assembly’s song is rooted in its faith in the Sacred Mysteries celebrated in the Church’s Eucharist.
The experience of Communion of Life in the God of Salvation gives rise to songs of joy that come from the human heart.
The solemn liturgy of the Church is filled with song: in its processions, its Psalms and ℟esponses, its Acclamations, and its communal prayers, particularly the Eucharistic Prayer.
Particular attention should be given in every Eucharist to the singing of the Psalm, the Gospel Acclamation, and the acclamations of the Eucharistic Prayer, especially the Great Amen (GIRM Pastoral Note § 80).
In terms of the style of singing of the Mass, ‘the main place should be given to Gregorian chant, as being proper to the Roman Liturgy. Other kinds of sacred music, in particular polyphony, are in no way excluded, provided that they correspond to the spirit of the liturgical action and that they foster the participation of all the faithful. Since the faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is desirable that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Profession of Faith and the Lord’s Prayer, according to the simpler settings’ (GIRM § 41, from VCII’s Sacrosanctum Concilium § 116).
There should be harmony and diligence among all those involved in the effective preparation of each liturgical celebration in accordance with the Missal and other liturgical books, both as regards the rites and as regards the pastoral and musical aspects. This should take place under the direction of the rector of the church. The Priest who presides at the celebration always retains the right of arranging those things that pertain to him (GIRM § 111).
Among the faithful, the schola cantorum, or a choir, exercises a liturgical function, its place being to take care that the parts proper to it, in keeping with the different genres of chant, are properly carried out, and to foster the active participation of the faithful, by means of singing.
What is said about the schola cantorum also applies, with due regard for the relevant norms, to other musicians, and especially the organist (GIRM § 103).
It is fitting that there be a cantor, or a choir director, to direct and support the faithful’s singing. Indeed, when there is no choir, it is up to the cantor to direct the chants, with the faithful taking their proper parts (GIRM § 104).
The Entrance
When the people are gathered, the Priest enters with the ministers, the Entrance Chant begins. Its purpose is to open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the Mystery of the liturgical time or festivity, and accompany the procession of the Priest and ministers’ (GIRM § 47). This is to turn the faithful’s minds and hearts to prayer (GIRM Pastoral Note § 86).
The entrance chant is sung by the choir and the people, or by a cantor and the people. In the dioceses of Canada the Entrance Chant may be chosen from among the following: the antiphon with its Psalm from the Graduale Romanum or the Propers of the Mass, or another chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year, and whose text has been approved by the Conference of Bishops of Canada (GIRM § 48).
If a hymn is to replace the liturgy of the day, the most useful and suitable will be seasonal songs of praise that capture the spirit of the journey, with a refrain, that the assembly knows well and can sing easily (GIRM Pastoral Note § 126).
If there is no singing at the Entrance, the antiphon given in the Missal is recited either by the faithful, or by a reader, or the Priest (GIRM § 48).
Processions signify the ongoing journey of God’s people to the fullness of the Kingdom. Processions are by nature festive liturgical actions that evoke joyous songs of praise. Whenever possible, therefore, processions are accompanied by song. The Psalms and litanies are particularly well suited to accompany processions. When a cantor sings the verses and the choir and assembly sing the refrain, the participants are freed from using hymn books and allowed either to take part directly in the procession or to follow its movement (GIRM Pastoral Note § 78).
Yet, since the Introductory Rites are preparatory, the parts of this rite to be sung should be carefully chosen so as not to prolong the rite unduly, overload it musically by singing all the parts of the Introductory Rites, or give these rites an undue emphasis over and above the Liturgies of the Word and Eucharist (GIRM, Pastoral Note § 117).
The Gloria in excelsis
The Gloria in excelsis, Glory to God in the Highest, is a most ancient and venerable hymn by which the Church, gathered in the Holy Spirit, glorifies and entreats God the Father and the Lamb.
Its text may not be replaced by any other.
It is intoned by the Priest, and sung either by everyone together, or by the people alternately with the choir, or by the choir alone (GIRM § 53).
See here for the proper Gloria accompaniment from ICEL, and from ICEL for Canada.
The Liturgy of the Word – the Psalm
The psalmist, or cantor of the Psalm, sings the Psalm verses at the ambo or another suitable place, while the whole congregation listens, normally taking part by means of the ℟esponse (GIRM § 61).
Cantors or psalmists are both ministers of music and ministers of the Word. They sing the Scriptural Psalm and open out to the household of faith the ancient prayer book and hymn book of the Church and of Jesus Christ Himself (GIRM Pastoral Notes § 52).
‘The cantor unfolds the Word of God in song, making its inner meaning and depth intelligible to the assembly by allowing them to meditate on it. A clear voice is one of the cantor’s special gifts, for the Word must be heard and understood by all’ (GIRM Pastoral Note § 159).
The responsorial Psalm is more than a response to the first reading: it is a sung proclamation of God’s Word and fosters meditation on what the faithful have heard. As the name implies, the Psalm is sung in responsorial style: the cantor sings the verses of the psalm and the assembly repeats the refrain. This continues the dialogue between God and the people begun in the first reading (GIRM Pastoral Note § 166).
The Psalm is a Hebrew prayer in song.
Every effort should be made to ensure that it is sung.
It may be sung in one of two ways, either responsorially or directly.
Singing the Psalm responsorially is the preferred method.
In this case the refrain should be selected so that it can be sung easily by the entire assembly.
Singing the appointed Psalm and refrain for the day is preferred.
Fidelity to the scriptural text requires that the Psalm be proclaimed, not in a modified version, but as it has been handed down.
It is the cantor’s special gift to interpret the psalm and capture the many nuances of the text.
After the period of silence, the cantor approaches the ambo to lead the Psalm.
Cantors may hold their book or place it beside the Lectionary on the ambo (GIRM Pastoral Note § 167).
The cantor must sing the refrain clearly since the whole community will repeat it.
This pattern continues throughout the psalm
The choir may enhance the refrain by adding parts to the principal melodic line once the congregation is secure with the melody.
After singing the Psalm, the cantor then returns to their place (GIRM Pastoral Note § 168).
The Liturgy of the Word – the Acclamation before the Gospel
In the Gospel acclamation, the gathering of the faithful welcomes and greets the Lord who is about to speak to them in the Gospel and profess their faith by means of the chant (GIRM § 62).
The cantor sings the acclamation; the assembly repeats it.
The cantor sings the intervening verse and the assembly repeats the acclamation (GIRM Pastoral Note § 175).
The Liturgy of the Eucharist – the Preparation of the Gifts
“The procession bringing the gifts is accompanied by the Offertory Chant… the norms on the manner of singing are the same as for the Entrance Chant. Singing may always accompany the rite at the Offertory, even when there is no procession with the gifts” (GIRM § 74).
Music unifies the various actions that make up the preparation rites at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
It should start when the gifts are brought forward, and extend through the washing of the hands.
The Offertory Chant or instrumental music serves this purpose well.
When there is no music, the Priest may say aloud the two prayers: “Blessed are you….” The assembly may then respond with the acclamation “Blessed be God forever” (GIRM Pastoral Note § 205).
The Liturgy of the Eucharist – the Eucharistic Prayer
In the Acclamation, the whole assembly joins with the heavenly powers in singing the Sanctus (Holy, Holy Holy… GIRM § 79).
In the Memorial acclamationt, the Mystery of Faith, is acclaimed by the Priest (not the Deacon), since it is an integral part of the prayer itself, not an invitation. The assembly responds immediately with the response (GIRM Pastoral Note § 225).
The concluding Doxology expresses the glorification of God, to be affirmed with the the people’s acclamation of the great Amen. (GIRM § 79). The Doxology characterizes the whole prayer as a prayer of praise, and the Great Amen publicly and joyfully proclaims that the assembly, united to Christ himself by the Holy Spirit, says “yes” to the Father for the great gifts of life and salvation. With the Great Amen, the assembly affirms all that has been prayed. It is thus the most significant acclamation of the entire celebration and should resound with conviction, power and joy (GIRM Pastoral Note § 230).
The Liturgy of the Eucharist – Communion
The Communion Chant begins while the Priest is receiving the Sacrament. ‘This is to express the spiritual union of the communicants by means of the unity of their voices, to show gladness to heart, and to bring out more clearly the communitarian character of the procession to receive the Eucharist’ (GIRM § 86).
It is sung either by the choir alone, or by the choir or a cantor with the people, or by the Priest himself after he has received Communion and before he distributes Communion to the faithful.
The Communion chant extends throughout the procession, concluding before the Prayer after Communion (GIRM Pastoral Note § 267).
The signing is prolonged for as long as the Sacrament is being administered to the faithful. The Communion chant may be followed with a hymn or instrumental music ending in a timely manner after the purification of the sacred vessels.
It is important that music accompany the communion procession, since it strengthens the communal dimension of the rite, and allows the assembly to express its joy. Texts that speak of unity, covenant, peace, joy, or other aspects of the liturgical action are particularly appropriate. Songs of praise and thanksgiving may also be used.
The unity of the rite is best served by a single communion song.
Thus it is generally not advisable to sing a second hymn immediately after the communion song, since this would overload the rite. The hymn or psalm can be extended by instrumental interludes.
A psalm sung in responsorial style can be extended during the entire procession; it engages the assembly in a repeated refrain that can be sung on the move. A metrical hymn, or a chorus to a hymn, if well enough known to be sung without books, can also be sung in procession (GIRM Pastoral Note § 256).
‘In the dioceses of Canada singing at Communion may be chosen from among the following: the antiphon from the Graduale Romanum, with or without the Psalm, or the antiphon with Psalm from the Graduale Simplex, or some other suitable liturgical chant approved by the Conference of Bishops of Canada’ (GIRM § 87).
Closing Procession
“Although a closing procession is customary, none has ever been mentioned
in the rite. It appears to have been the practice for the assembly simply to leave in an informal manner.
This informal kind of departure may be seen as the natural thing for a household to do at the end of a celebration.
When this practice is followed, instrumental music appropriately accompanies the departure.
The closing procession is the movement of the assembly outward toward the world and onto its continuing journey toward the fullness of the kingdom” (GIRM Pastoral Note § 293).