APRIL 2021
Tose of us involved in liturgy planning and music ministry know that, in theory, good bilingual music is an effective means for bringing God’s people together in song and helping them see beyond cultural differences in order to celebrate our oneness in Christ. But of course it’s easier said than done. As music ministers, we also know that planning bilingual liturgies is twice the work, yet we do it with great hope, devotion, faith, and enthusiasm. Why? Because we believe in the benefits of a bilingual Mass and because we take our mission to unify the parish through music very seriously. We believe that our music program ought to reflect the entire parish community at worship, and that people will only feel welcome at the Lord’s table if their gifts, needs, and longings are truly considered and represented.
As far as bilingual music and full, conscious, and active participation of the faithful are concerned, everything starts with the choir. We are not only music makers, but also catechists, evangelizers, and ministers of liturgical hospitality. Folks in the pews are looking to us for leadership and example. We must believe that which we sing, and we can only be convincing and inspiring if our hearts, minds, and voices are in harmony. Terefore, it is with great joy that I share with you these excerpts from my new book Un Hermoso Intercambio Cultural / A Beautiful Cultural Exchange, published by Oregon Catholic Press, with the hope that our choirs may truly come to embody the oneness in Christ that St. Paul speaks of in his First Letter to the Corinthians: “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it” (1 Cor 12: 27).
Not all nations are as fortunate to have the diversity and cultural richness we are blessed to have here in the United States. May we continue to discover and appreciate the treasure of bilingual liturgical music we possess in this country.
Rejoicing in One Another
As I sit here on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and celebrate the Solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul, I am reminded about how the mission of the Church from its earliest days reached across lines of language and culture. Within one lifetime the Church and its liturgy went from Jerusalem to serve those who spoke Greek and lived in a world of philosophers, and to Rome, where people spoke Latin
and lived among great military leaders, engineers, and architects, and even to India, with its powerful spiritual traditions.
I know that for many of us the norm is to celebrate the liturgy in one language. Tis is where we feel most at home. But if we want to build a united community of believers, we need to learn how to go beyond our comfort zone and learn to pray together effectively. Te liturgy, and especially the Eucharist, is already planned, and so the fixed structures and assigned texts take away much of what could cause rifts in an intercultural community. Tat is why a bilingual liturgy can be among the first things that can be done to build a diverse and yet unified community.
When we go to a multicultural Mass with a humble and open heart, the differences we perceive strengthen our faith and bring a deeper spirituality to our prayer life. Why? Because we need one another and benefit greatly from the gifts that other cultural groups bring to the Lord’s table during the celebration of the Eucharist. Instead of practicing an unchallenging attitude of hospitality, as when we “allow” other language or ethnic groups within our own parish family to “have their turn” during Mass, it is necessary to explore a different concept of hospitality.
We must strive to instill in the faithful the notion that, during a multicultural celebration of the Holy Eucharist, we all become part of the various traditions, songs and rituals brought forth by other language groups. We all grow as a parish family when we have the opportunity and privilege to experience the fullness of the liturgy from a different perspective, and look at it through the eyes of our neighbor. As leaders and ministry coordinators, let us create more opportunities for our parish family to welcome, support, and celebrate one another. Most importantly, let us learn to rejoice in one another’s presence so that we might always see Christ’s face in the person next to us, and come to a deeper understanding of what it means to be the many members of His one body. I hope that these reflections will help as we navigate issues that arise when the many cultural groups that make up our communities come together to celebrate bilingual liturgy. Tey can be used as
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