The document What is a Catholic Hymn? is written as though only the Mass is relevant. No hymn written before 1963 was intended for use at Mass, most were for devotions, school assemblies, etc., perhaps for the Office. And indeed hymns are now generally not needed for Mass, but are for the Liturgy of the Hours.

Various types of religious songs (carols, noels, cantigas, laude, Leisen, etc.) have existed in the Catholic sphere since the Middle Ages, but, as noted above, they were mostly sung outside of Mass. In the 19th century the Caecilian movement in German-speaking lands promoted the Singmesse or Betsingmesse, in which the faithful sang hymns in the vernacular that paraphrased what was happening at the altar. J.B. Singenberger and his son Otto were two (among many others) who brought the Singmesse and German hymns to the United States, for example: "Grosser Gott" (Holy God, we praise Thy name), "Gott Vater, sei gepriesen" (God Father, praise and glory) or "Freu dich, du Himmelskönigin" (Be joyful, Mary, heavenly Queen). I must admit ignorance as to whether hymns like these were actually sung at Mass (as opposed to other events) before the mid-20th century; others may know more. Fr. Anthony Ruff has written on this topic.

Pope PIus XII mentioned the singing of popular hymns in the vernacular "wherever ancient or immemorial custom permits" in his 1958 Instruction, De musica sacra et sacra liturgia, article 14 a & b. However, he specified that this may be done after the sacred words have been sung in Latin (italics mine). Also, the places where this was an ancient or immemorial custom was probably not the average parish in the United States at that time.

"My concern is the lived experience of ordinary parishes, where hymns quietly form belief week after week."

I started to write a very long reply about my coming into the Church 26 years ago and what I have experienced since then as a musician in both English and Spanish-speaking parishes. But my story was way too long and I realized that it could be summarized in a few thoughts:

a) YES, the music totally affected me, right from the beginning, as a new Catholic.

b) NO, it did not "quietly form (my) belief" because I was influenced also very much by Mother Angelica, who was very traditional; and also by my general affinity for tradition and order.

c) In the midst of it all, God calls us to a deeper understanding, so eventually some of us wake up and know something isn't right at Novus Ordo Masses with modern music.

d) I discovered the Latin Mass 19 years after I came into the Church, and it changed everything for me.

e) My mission since 2019 is to try to "fix" the music in whichever Novus Ordo parish I am serving, and to try to (gently) educate other musicians/parishioners about the rubrics which govern the Mass, while continuing to study on my own.

f) A portion of Novus Ordo parishioners really long for traditional Mass and traditional music. A portion of them detest anything traditional. Some say they HATE Latin.

g) For people who are not seeking to deepen their faith, the modern music IS the Mass.

h) They did a great job in the 70s and 80s of ruining the Mass by simply changing the music. Everything else fell into place after that.

Hymns in the English language were certainly used and sung at the low Mass prior to 1965 or so. I started first grade in Catholic parochial school in 1955 and graduated from the eight grade of the same school in 1963. Starting in fourth grade, the students from the school would sing English hymns at Sunday Mass. The congregation could join in, of course. For the most part, these hymns came from St. Basil's Hymnal, Sunday School Hymn Book, and Our Lady of Mercy Hymnal. We had so-called hymn cards (as many parishes did) comprised of 15 or so "favorite" hymns. Needless to say, we also sang hymns of this genre in school (morning and afternoon) and at various para-liturgical services. Seasonal hymns were important; for example, for the Feast of Christ the King, we would always sing "An Army of Youth" (for Christ the King by Daniel Lord, S.J.) Many of these fine hymns of the faith can be found in A CATHOLIC BOOK OF HYMNS, 2021, Sacred Music Library.

THE HOLY CROSS HYMNAL (with Words and Music by Cardinal O'Connell) was first published in 1915 and continued to be marketed by McLaughlin & Reilly Co., of Boston up until the time of Vatican II. On the opening page is a recommendation by Cardinal O'Connell: "A good method of using these Hymns for devotion at Mass is the following:
Before Mass--Hymn to the Holy Trinity or Holy Spirit
Beginning of Mass--Hymn of Holy Mass
After Consecration--The Blessed Sacrament (a favorite of mine)
At Communion--Holy Communion
At the Blessing--Hymn for the Blessing
Between the beginning of Mass and the consecration may be sung a Hymn: to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, Sacred Heart, or Guardian Angel, or any other hymn appropriate to the day."

So, as you can see, English hymns at Mass were not really a post-Vatican invention, although since 1970 or so the four-hymn sandwich predominates in most parishes. Occasionally, I like to attend a Sunday Mass without any music; but they are hard to find.

Thanks, Roborgelmeister, for mentioning the Ave Maria Hymnal by Rev. Joseph Pierron, who was director of music at Boys Town, Nebraska, and was also editor of CAECILIA in 1930. I checked my two editions (1929 and 1941), and I see that Father Pierron, like Cardinal O'Connell, recommends certain English hymns for use at Communion, after Communion, and so forth. This is an outstanding hymnal.

Resources such as Word and Song, like Breaking Bread, reflect current practice: bishops regulate the official liturgical texts they contain, while the hymns themselves are not subject to the same formal approval process.

I don't know what goes on in the Archdiocese of Portland, where OCP is located, or in other (arch)dioceses in which a hymnal is, on occasion, published, but the Archdiocese of Chicago is quite diligent in its review of hymnals prior to its granting a permission to publish. During the years I served as GIA's editor for bilingual resources (2006-2013), the hymnody sections of Gather (3rd edition), Worship (4th edition), and Oramos Cantando/We Pray in Song were sent to the Archdiocese for its doctrinal review.

There is an aspect to ecclesiastical hierarchical hymn approval that reminds me that Jesus often criticized the legalism of the pharisees and priests as devoid of the love and mercy and charity he taught, and which was scandalized by the company he kept. I also notice the devotion and Christian service to all in people who don't discriminate between hymns too stringently, such as my saintly mother who had a few Joe Wise albums when I was a kid.

And so paging through the GIA Word and Song, I accept the Amazing Grace and Eagles Wings and various African American hymns and other idiosyncratic or highly subjective hymns such as Lord of the Dance or Jesus In The Morning or How Can I Keep From Singing or Soon And Very Soon or, the especially subjective O God You Search Me. A lot of the hymns I find in Word and Song seem like children's songs or are very subjective, hardly scriptural or doctrinal.

But I read this forum because my own tastes run very conservative in music. I adore the plainchant and all attempts to make the liturgies beautiful and extraordinary. But this still doesn't make me anywhere near as good a Christian as my mother. I love the rituals and traditions and old music, but I have come to see all that as my own subjectivity and taste. The problem with conservatism is in identifying that perfect golden moment in time, before which everything was still in formation and after which has all been corruption and decline. Real life is always in motion and in the new present.

Once when I knocked on a rectory door to ask the priest to let my work crew into the school so we could get on the roof, he invited me to first drink coffe and in our conversation I asked him about the Angelus bells we heard each noon and if they did any sung masses at the parish. He interpreted my questions to require answering by lamenting division in the church and asking if I was from the right wing of the church. I hadn't expected the question and was pleasantly surprised to hear my answer come out right even before I knew what to say: "All wings, Father."

It's also worth noting that the New Saint Basil's Hymnal of 1958 has much different content from older editions of the Saint Basil's.

The suggestion that hymns used in Catholic worship should be distinctly Catholic seems, ahh, extreme.

It's saying that a hymn suitable for Catholic worship can ONLY be used in Catholic worship, and should have features which make it unsuitable for use by any other Christian denomination - including Anglicans!

That's rather a lot to ask of 16 lines of poetry!

(assuming 4 x 4-line verses)

@PaxMelodius, I think we may be talking past one another here because I am speaking specifically about the Catholic Mass, not Christian worship in general. The Mass is the Church’s own liturgy, governed by Catholic theology, sacramental belief, and ecclesial discipline. In that context, it is neither extreme nor exclusionary to say that hymns used at Mass should be distinctly Catholic.

This does not mean that Catholic hymnody must be usable only by Catholics, or that it should be rendered unsuitable for Anglicans or other Christians. On the contrary, if others wish to sing Catholic hymnody, they are entirely welcome to do so. The point is simply that what the Church sings within the Mass should be capable of expressing Catholic faith clearly and coherently.

Sixteen lines of poetry are hardly insignificant when they function as a liturgical text. Even brief hymns shape belief, presume a theology, and either support or obscure the sacramental action taking place. Asking that such texts be theologically and liturgically Catholic is not an extreme demand, but a reasonable expectation of the Church’s own worship.

Thank you for the thoughtful engagement. My intention has simply been to clarify how the Church understands her own liturgy—specifically the Mass—and the role hymnody plays within it. The concerns I’ve raised are the same ones articulated by the bishops in Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church (USCCB, 2020), and I’m content to let that teaching frame the discussion.