The beauty of sacred music pierces our hearts

Beauty is unmistakably powerful. So powerful in fact, that Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky once said “beauty will save the world” – a sentiment affirmed by Pope John Paul II in his Letter to Artists. It is one of the transcendentals for which God has put an undying thirst in our souls to lead us to himself.

We are a newly married couple who met each other through beauty. Anabella’s heart was pierced when hearing the sonorous chant and polyphony sung by a young adult choir at Holy Rosary Cathedral in 2020 for a special Mass, and the man who directed that choir became her husband. Many things happened between that Mass and our wedding day, but the most notable would be the apostolate choir we formed: Sacred Music Sundays.

Daniel and Anabella are lovers of beautiful things: classical art, various kinds of music, a finely-crafted bowl of ramen, but most especially, beauty within the Mass. Our separate journeys to discover the Church’s timeless treasury of sacred music fundamentally changed our lives, bringing us together to form a choir to share its precious beauty with Catholics who may have never heard Gregorian Chant or a Palestrina motet at Mass before.

We see our work as a crucial part of the New Evangelization. Beauty will save the world, and Jesus is Beauty incarnate, so we believe singing sacred music at Mass that is truly holy, reverent, and transcendent will draw people into a deeper encounter with our Lord. For our apostolate, this has taken on many forms: singing at weddings, creating and posting recordings on YouTube and other social media, hosting workshops, and providing music for the archdiocese’s annual Upper Room Conference, to name a few.

We were overjoyed when asked to co-host a symposium May 24-25 with the young adults group at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish on Vancouver Island.

Jamey Guerrero, the parish young adults coordinator, has recognized that a growing number of group members are drawn to more traditional expressions of worship.

“There’s a common misconception that young people want modern music at Mass, but that’s not the case all the time,” he said. “Most of us are drawn to the timeless tradition of sacred music and the reverence that it brings to the Mass.”

“We want to provide people with the opportunity to hear, to sing, and to learn about the Church’s rich tradition of sacred music and to have an experience of how it can be incorporated into the Mass,” adds Anna-Marie Ney, the choir director for Our Lady of the Rosary’s monthly young adult Mass.

“We want to foster collaboration and build relationships amongst music ministers within the Diocese of Victoria in an educational and liturgical context. We want to expand our own and other musicians’ knowledge of and exposure to sacred music in its various forms (Gregorian chant, motets, and hymnody) in a setting which also allows us to incorporate this directly into our worship of Jesus, who is present in the Holy Eucharist during Mass.”

The symposium was held at Our Lady Star of the Sea Naval Base Chapel and offered an opportunity to learn more about the history of sacred music in the church and its role in the liturgy. About 40 participants from across the Diocese of Victoria (some of whom traveled two hours to attend) were able to network, spend time singing sacred music together, and prepare for the Trinity Sunday Anticipatory Mass, which was the culmination of the symposium.

The evening of Friday, May 24, involved icebreakers, performances by a few of the choirs, including our own, and an overview lecture on sacred music to set the tone. The Saturday was interspersed with practical workshops on vocal technique, the basics of Gregorian chant, singing in harmony in the context of hymns and motets, and musical leadership.

One participant felt “immersed in a world where no problems exist.” Others were inspired, and expressed their eagerness to present what they learned to their parish choirs.

Father Dean Henderson, pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish and main celebrant of the Mass, applauded Guerrero and Ney for spearheading the event.

“The inspired Sacred Music symposium … is really an extension of the liturgical leadership of the young adult ministry of the parish of Our Lady of the Rosary. For some time, our parish has been blessed with a monthly young adult schola to enhance our worship at Mass, followed by exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The symposium brought together many impressive voices dedicated to praising the Lord in sacred music and fondly reminded me of my sabbatical in Oxford and the superb college Christian choral tradition there.”

The first purpose of sacred music is “the glorification of God,” and secondarily, “the sanctification of the faithful,” according to Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.

“The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care,” since it is a “treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art,” and “Gregorian chant… should be given pride of place in liturgical services.”

The first time she read this, Anabella’s jaw hit the floor and she had to put down the paper and stare off into space for a few minutes. Like at the Mass she experienced at the Cathedral in 2020, the “set-apartness” of sacred music draws her out of the busyness of the modern world into the peace of Christ which is unchanging and truly beautiful, and shows us a glimpse of heaven.

Sacred music has been given to us by the Church. It belongs to us as Catholics, and for Daniel and Anabella, the effect it has in our lives as souls who have been pierced by its beauty continually motivates us to do what we do.

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