At 11:50am this morning (5:50am EDT) in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the Scholae Cantorum who are part of the Santa Cecilia Italian Association.
Dear brothers and sisters,
I welcome all of you: your President, Monsignor Tarcisio Cola, who I thank for his words, the Board of Directors and all of you singers, choir directors and organists who have come from various parts of Italy.
You are part of the worthy Italian Association of Santa Cecilia, an ancient foundation - 140 years old - and still alive and active and eager to serve the Church. The affection and esteem of the Popes for this Association are known, in particular that of Saint Pius X, who gave the people of God organic provisions for sacred music (cf Motu Proprio Among the solicitudes, 22 November 1903). Saint Paul VI wanted you to be renewed and active, in order that you might provide music that is integrated with the liturgy and that derives its fundamental characteristics from it. Not just any music, but holy music, because the rites are holy; endowed with the nobility of art, because to God one must give the best of ourselves; so that everyone can understand and celebrate. Above all, this application of music is very distinct and different from that used for other purposes. And he recommended that you cultivate the sensus ecclesiae, the discernment of music in the liturgy. He said: Not everything is valid, not everything is lawful, not everything is good. Here the sacred must unite with the beautiful in a harmonious and devoted synthesis (Address to the religious involved in liturgical chant, 15 April 1971). Benedict XVI also urged you not to forget the musical heritage of the past, to renew it and increase it with new compositions.
Dear friends, I also encourage you to continue on this path. Being an Association is a resource: it helps you to generate movement, interest and commitment to better serve the liturgy. Yours is an Association that is not the protagonist or owner of any music, but whose program is love and fidelity to the Church. Together you can better engage in singing as an integral part of the Liturgy, inspired by the first model, Gregorian chant. Together you take care of artistic and liturgical preparation, and promote the presence of the schola cantorum in every parish community. The choir in fact guides the assembly and - with its specific repertoires - is a qualified voice of spirituality, communion, tradition and liturgical culture. I recommend that you help the whole people of God to sing, with conscious and active participation in the Liturgy. This is important: closeness to the people of God.
The fields of your apostolate are various: the composition of new melodies; promoting singing in seminaries and houses of religious formation; support for parish choirs, organists, schools of sacred music and young people. Singing, playing, composing, directing, making music in the Church are among the most beautiful things for the glory of God. It is a privilege, a gift from God to express musical art and to help people participate in the divine mysteries. Beautiful and good music is a privileged instrument for approaching the transcendent, and often it helps even those who are distracted to understand a message.
I know that your preparation involves sacrifices linked to the availability of time to devote to rehearsals, to the involvement of people, to engagements on feast days, when perhaps friends invite you to go for a walk. This happens many times! But your dedication to the liturgy and to its music represents a way of evangelization at all levels, from children to adults. The liturgy is in fact the first teacher of catechism. Do not forget this: the Liturgy is the first teacher of catechism.
Sacred music also fulfills another task, that of uniting Christian history together: in the Liturgy, Gregorian chant, polyphony, popular and contemporary music resound. It is as if at that moment all past and present generations were praising God, each with their own sensitivity. Not only that, but sacred music - and music in general - creates bridges, brings people together, even the most distant; God knows no barriers of nationality, ethnicity or skin color, but involves everyone in a superior language, and always manages to tune people and groups of very different backgrounds. Sacred music reduces distances even with those brothers and sisters who sometimes feel that they are not close. This is why, in every parish, the choir is a group where there is a sense of availability and mutual help.
For all this, dear brothers and sisters, I thank you and encourage you. May the Lord help you to be constant in your commitment. The Church values the service you provide in your communities: you help them feel the attraction of beauty, which detoxifies us from mediocrity, elevates us upwards, towards God, and unites our hearts in praise and tenderness. I bless you and all the members of the Santa Cecilia Association. May Our Lady protect you. And since the singer prays twice, I trust that you will also pray for me. Thank you!
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
offered to members of the
Santa Cecilia Association of Choirs
Dear brothers and sisters,
I welcome all of you: your President, Monsignor Tarcisio Cola, who I thank for his words, the Board of Directors and all of you singers, choir directors and organists who have come from various parts of Italy.
You are part of the worthy Italian Association of Santa Cecilia, an ancient foundation - 140 years old - and still alive and active and eager to serve the Church. The affection and esteem of the Popes for this Association are known, in particular that of Saint Pius X, who gave the people of God organic provisions for sacred music (cf Motu Proprio Among the solicitudes, 22 November 1903). Saint Paul VI wanted you to be renewed and active, in order that you might provide music that is integrated with the liturgy and that derives its fundamental characteristics from it. Not just any music, but holy music, because the rites are holy; endowed with the nobility of art, because to God one must give the best of ourselves; so that everyone can understand and celebrate. Above all, this application of music is very distinct and different from that used for other purposes. And he recommended that you cultivate the sensus ecclesiae, the discernment of music in the liturgy. He said: Not everything is valid, not everything is lawful, not everything is good. Here the sacred must unite with the beautiful in a harmonious and devoted synthesis (Address to the religious involved in liturgical chant, 15 April 1971). Benedict XVI also urged you not to forget the musical heritage of the past, to renew it and increase it with new compositions.
Dear friends, I also encourage you to continue on this path. Being an Association is a resource: it helps you to generate movement, interest and commitment to better serve the liturgy. Yours is an Association that is not the protagonist or owner of any music, but whose program is love and fidelity to the Church. Together you can better engage in singing as an integral part of the Liturgy, inspired by the first model, Gregorian chant. Together you take care of artistic and liturgical preparation, and promote the presence of the schola cantorum in every parish community. The choir in fact guides the assembly and - with its specific repertoires - is a qualified voice of spirituality, communion, tradition and liturgical culture. I recommend that you help the whole people of God to sing, with conscious and active participation in the Liturgy. This is important: closeness to the people of God.
The fields of your apostolate are various: the composition of new melodies; promoting singing in seminaries and houses of religious formation; support for parish choirs, organists, schools of sacred music and young people. Singing, playing, composing, directing, making music in the Church are among the most beautiful things for the glory of God. It is a privilege, a gift from God to express musical art and to help people participate in the divine mysteries. Beautiful and good music is a privileged instrument for approaching the transcendent, and often it helps even those who are distracted to understand a message.
I know that your preparation involves sacrifices linked to the availability of time to devote to rehearsals, to the involvement of people, to engagements on feast days, when perhaps friends invite you to go for a walk. This happens many times! But your dedication to the liturgy and to its music represents a way of evangelization at all levels, from children to adults. The liturgy is in fact the first teacher of catechism. Do not forget this: the Liturgy is the first teacher of catechism.
Sacred music also fulfills another task, that of uniting Christian history together: in the Liturgy, Gregorian chant, polyphony, popular and contemporary music resound. It is as if at that moment all past and present generations were praising God, each with their own sensitivity. Not only that, but sacred music - and music in general - creates bridges, brings people together, even the most distant; God knows no barriers of nationality, ethnicity or skin color, but involves everyone in a superior language, and always manages to tune people and groups of very different backgrounds. Sacred music reduces distances even with those brothers and sisters who sometimes feel that they are not close. This is why, in every parish, the choir is a group where there is a sense of availability and mutual help.
For all this, dear brothers and sisters, I thank you and encourage you. May the Lord help you to be constant in your commitment. The Church values the service you provide in your communities: you help them feel the attraction of beauty, which detoxifies us from mediocrity, elevates us upwards, towards God, and unites our hearts in praise and tenderness. I bless you and all the members of the Santa Cecilia Association. May Our Lady protect you. And since the singer prays twice, I trust that you will also pray for me. Thank you!
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
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