Agreed, we should all pray for Mr. Schutte, and while we may not find his music the best for the Catholic Mass, no doubt a few souls have found solace in it. Personally I would love it if he and some of the other "contemporary" composers would join us for a polite discussion of church music here or at the forum of their choosing.
Some of us remember when such an idea was tried, Michael, and the result was a lot of nastiness, hurt feelings, and banning on both sides. However, I've been dialoging with such people since I started my career (only 8 years ago), and I think the way to move forward is to discuss exact principles and practices, not ideology. If someone has an EF Mass with chant and orchestral ordinaries, what do I care if he's a "progressive"?? Or if I go to a church where every song is by (insert offensive composer name here) led by a smiley wavey cantor, what worth is it if the music director tells me he's a staunch traditionalist? If we can avoid identifying people by liturgical/theological "camp" and stick to narrow discussion, yes, I think a lot of work can get done between a wide spectrum of viewpoints.
To participate in the discussions on Catholic church music, sign in or register as a forum member, The forum is a project of the Church Music Association of America.