Forgive the all caps nature of this, but I must point out the following: CHRIST DID NOT DIE ON THE CROSS FOR YOUR PREFERENCES.

I think that would be an appropriate response, especially since one of this persons arguments is that people are flocking to Protestant mega churches because of the music there. Did I mention that a Protestant megachurch pastor so eloquently coined the above phrase in a sermon?

I found the original "disturbing" comment quite helpful because I believe she represents a very large majority in the Church today. At least she took the time to explain her opposition to chant which is helpful to me as one who has also thought anyone who hears chant will fall in love with it. But, it isn't so and I do appreciate hearing the reasons.

If we're working in parishes, we have to listen to people--at least listen to what they're saying. Maybe we don't have to argue back. Maybe they're not looking for an argument but just want to be heard. If the person wants feedback, wants to hear another viewpoint, is open to listening--you can tell and then go ahead and offer another view. But if they're just giving their opinion, best to leave it at that and learn from it if you can. (BTW, this strategy works very well in marriage too--I'm learning anyway).

Kathy

I spent the better part of this year trying to convince my choir that chant should be "given pride of place", as outlined in the documents. Most choir members quit and other stayed reluctantly as I introduced SEP and traditional hymnody. We also lost a good percentage of our parishioners because of the music, which came off of years of pop style masses complete with guitars, drums and tambourines.

Bottom line....people who do not WANT to understand WILL NOT understand no matter what is given to them. That woman outlined EVERY "excuse" as to why she didn't like chant, culminating with saying that "this is reality in 2012, like it or not".

Frankly, I'm tired of all the excuses to not like chant and/or traditional hymnody. And, those of us who are faithful to it, DO NOT dislike the other genres, as is commonly thought among the anti-chant crowd.

If people are flocking to Protestant churches because of the music and away from Catholic churches with Eucharist, then they need to rethink their own religious commitments and stop blaming the music for their choices.

Adam has it right: Never read YouTube comments.

YouTube comments are strikingly low in quality. Since there is no community of consistent readers, most of the writing is done by cranks who just want to vent.

RONPAUL2012!!

As usual, TCC has incredible insight here. I agree that people aren't flocking in the thousands to Protestant megachurches just because someone promotes chant or organ or Latin, etc. I have also noticed that whenever someone argues that something should be done or not done because "the congregation" either likes it, doesn't like it, or will riot, leave, get you fired, etc., it means THEY either like it, don't like it, will start a riot, etc. Catholics generally don't leave the Holy Mother Church over something like this, even if they say it: there's always something bigger involved if they leave the faith. I also think that when people are asked what they don't like about the parish, especially when they leave or want to complain about something, they say something general about something that they know is their preference and is not able to be immediately argued or rationalized: "the music" is a natural target.

When Catholics leave a parish they lie. Rarely do they tell the truth when they show up in the office to sign out for greened pastures of the pastoral kind.

Who says they show up in the office? Maybe they just start going to Mass elsewhere (or nowhere).

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my post. The people of my parish used the music as the excuse for leaving. Their reasons varied and had much to do with a new pastor. In their cowardice to speak the truth, the music ministry was blamed since church music is anything but low profile.

And, I can also say that those who left did NOT do so quietly, nor show up in the office to cancel their "membership". They left very loudly, making a statement to those who would listen. I blamed myself for a very long time, but have come to realize that it was not my fault, nor the fault of the music ministry as a whole.

Until people come to understand that the Catholic Church is not a building, but the true living presence of Christ, they will leave in droves when they don't get what they want using every excuse to not say what their real problem is, and that's a shame.

And they were using the music as something to complaine about that they didn't think anyone would argue with.

As usual, TCC has incredible insight here.

I'm really humbled by this statement. Thank you, I do not deserve it.

Paul, most of the people I know of who left did so because of marriage irregularities.

Sometimes Catholics leave because they can never find a parking place in the old city church that the latin mass or ordinariate mass is located in.

Parking space is essential to attracting people to a Church.

Otherwise, every church I've ever been a part of or visited frequently always had a priest I liked, beyond the importance of elevating sacred heart and ritual to it's proper place.

I'd go to an SSPX low mass in an abandoned funeral chapel without music if the homily was outstanding and talked about things most bishops are "gunshy" on - if I knew it was helping lead more souls to heaven.

Matthew, that reminds me of the people who said they'd probably have never have converted if all the masses were still in latin. While this seems to be a reasonable desire, it doesnt strike me as something that is necessary to convert, as you say salvation and truth matter most. If I knew the Church would be healthier and holier and have everything in latin - I'd trade it for all the traditional english in a heartbeat. Having both tradition and english is a luxury - some still think it impossible as it's so rarely realized in the latin west.

It also reminds me of several ex-protestants who refused to convert to the local greek orthodox church because it was all in greek and waited years until an english language mission or liturgy came to the town.

But than again culture is very important to people...perhaps it's one of our profound often unrecognized human weakness. If the "spirit of vatican ii" hadnt let more protestant influence in, would less protestants have become catholic ?? perhaps. It's all quite strange to think about. Some times the very former protestants who might have been attracted to the Church it for being not "too different" from the protestant church discover that they prefer it for how different it can be from protestantism. Sometimes they become more zealous than certain "cradle catholics" in an interesting paradox.

On some level I would find having a permanent home exclusively in the byzantine rite to be too big a cultural leap for me to make. As much as I enjoy visiting it and find it edifying and beautiful, it misses certain key ancient latin practices that feel strange to not be there for one who grows up with them.

Yup, Mat-ieux and Chris- and we in the States had dagnabit get farging used to it. Nigeria, Mexico, the Phillipines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India......anywhere equatorial: these are OUR seminary geographries now. Uh-mer-can cat'licks who behave like "that guy" and wanna blame somebody, anybody.....as the late King of Pop crooned "I'm lookin' at the man in the mirror."
I did my best, had three daughters, just couldn't manage the ol' XY. But if they had the "second-tier" of liturgical priesthood of men willing to serve for NO RECOMPENSE, I'd be first in line. Scary, huh?

I enjoy accents. A number of my family have accents. Much as I'd like like the luxury not to, it would be better for me to stand through church slavonic byzantine liturgy forever, or be served by a Sangho speaking central african republic priest speaking latin, than spend the rest of my life (assuming it still exists by than) in a generic overly modernist english speaking mass.

A lot of it is ignorance. Many do not know what a true TLM is like. As for me, I really don't know either because I've never been to one, just seen the amazing videos on YouTube or those that have been posted here: I want so badly to attend one to see what it is like to actually be there. As for the gentleman with the issue with the priests accent: this is something I cannot stand in this country. I am also the school Spanish teacher in addition to my duties as music teacher, and the sort of behavior exhibited by this person is discrimination. I have heard from many that they cannot stand calling for tech help because the "gah can't speek 'merican." I used to work at a call center, where I was a bilingual representative for tech support. When people would call in, and get me on the English line, they'd sometimes say "good! You speak English!" I wanted so badly to switch to Spanish for the duration of the call, but I am certain I would have not been there much longer. Why some people just won't make the effort to try to understand other people and their cultures is beyond me, because that's what it is: apathy. I mean, really? You're going to stop going to church altogether because of an accent? You can't do that one thing for God and show some love and understanding? I think that shows unequivocally that there is a bigger issue in this gentlemans life than just the priests accent. My apologies for the rant.

Forgive me, but that has got to be the most ridiculous excuse I've EVER heard for not attending mass (and I've heard many).

Am I missing something here? I never said anything about wanting everything in Latin....and I can't see where somebody did. Was a post removed?