February 15, 2026, 12:00 PM
Lent’s finally at hand. Ash Wednesday comes this week (hopefully after some festive Mardi Gras celebrations on Tuesday!). Time to start the old routine—What do I give up? Where can I find fish on Fridays? What can I add to my prayer schedule—a weekday Mass, some visits to the Blessed Sacrament, Friday Stations?
This year we’re adding something that’s not part of our usual routine.
We’re going to start using (or re-using, depending on your own experience) some old music. Some Gregorian chant. It’s quiet and reflective. Often easier to sing than some of our more contemporary church songs. It’s part of our rich and varied tradition.
I know some folks will ask: Isn’t this pre-Vatican II stuff? Didn’t the Church do away with this something like 60 years ago? That great renewing and reforming actually did nothing of the sort. We read in Vatican II’s documents that Gregorian chant should be given “pride of place” in the sacred liturgy. Now, I realize we could argue about just what “pride of place” meant to the Bishops gathered in council. But I’m pretty willing to bet “pride of place” can’t translate into “ignore chant completely”!
Let’s face it: We already sing foreign words. Alleluia and Amen aren’t English words. We don’t demand an English translation of the refrain to Angels We Have Heard on High. We figure out what those words mean and how we can sing them. We’ll do the same with “Sanctus”—from which derive the English “saint” and “sanctity”. We could recognize “Agnus” from a restaurant menu listing “Agnello”. Sure, we’ll stumble over “Sabaoth”—not a Latin word at all, but Hebrew, that means “hosts” or “armies.”
This Lent, let’s allow the perhaps strange words to slow us down, to listen and to seek meaning, to connect with a long and varied tradition. Above all, let these ancient words and melodies enter our hearts as we continue to offer our lament and our praise to our gracious God.
Fr. McCreary
This year we’re adding something that’s not part of our usual routine.
We’re going to start using (or re-using, depending on your own experience) some old music. Some Gregorian chant. It’s quiet and reflective. Often easier to sing than some of our more contemporary church songs. It’s part of our rich and varied tradition.
I know some folks will ask: Isn’t this pre-Vatican II stuff? Didn’t the Church do away with this something like 60 years ago? That great renewing and reforming actually did nothing of the sort. We read in Vatican II’s documents that Gregorian chant should be given “pride of place” in the sacred liturgy. Now, I realize we could argue about just what “pride of place” meant to the Bishops gathered in council. But I’m pretty willing to bet “pride of place” can’t translate into “ignore chant completely”!
Let’s face it: We already sing foreign words. Alleluia and Amen aren’t English words. We don’t demand an English translation of the refrain to Angels We Have Heard on High. We figure out what those words mean and how we can sing them. We’ll do the same with “Sanctus”—from which derive the English “saint” and “sanctity”. We could recognize “Agnus” from a restaurant menu listing “Agnello”. Sure, we’ll stumble over “Sabaoth”—not a Latin word at all, but Hebrew, that means “hosts” or “armies.”
This Lent, let’s allow the perhaps strange words to slow us down, to listen and to seek meaning, to connect with a long and varied tradition. Above all, let these ancient words and melodies enter our hearts as we continue to offer our lament and our praise to our gracious God.
Fr. McCreary
