Yesterday (Monday, February 3), I had a meeting with some of our music leaders of the central region parishes (Queen of Angels & Saint Joseph). We were connecting to discuss Mass settings for the remainder of Ordinary Time, the upcoming Lenten & Easter seasons, and beyond. We also talked through some considerations on silence in the Mass, where it may be most helpful to let music give way to quiet. Aware that our communities span not just multiple churches but several generations (and at least two major language-speaking groups), we spent nearly an hour hashing out how we could both draw people into the prayer of the Mass in ways ancient and new.
First listen to the video, then go to his more (most?) popular pre-Christian work. The through-line of beauty inspiring the new while inviting to the old!
Music has been on my mind a lot the last few weeks, though not just from a religious standpoint. Over Christmas, a friend of mine sent me a Steam gift card and I realized that I hadn’t sat down with a new video game in a while. This was prompt enough to continue my Halo series run-through (itself spurred by this summer’s end of the Halo television series – RIP Halo Silver Timeline) and the only game left on my list was Halo Infinite. Just this last weekend, I finally finished my near-completionist play-through of the game (yes, just normal difficulty – I’m no glutton for punishment). As an OG but more casual Halo fan – ie, I never got into the multiplayer scene – I found the game deeply satisfying in both gameplay and storyline. I hope that the rebranded Halo Studios is able to continue forward on the path they’ve forged.
But it wasn’t just the gameplay and story that got to me. The music of Halo Infinite was truly excellent and it was time & again a key part of my immersion into the experience of the game. The three composers behind the soundtrack (Gareth Coker, Joel Corelitz, and Curtis Schweitzer) are each fairly legendary in their own right – I purchased Coker’s soundtrack to Ori and the Blind Forest almost immediately after finishing that game. But just as the game itself had to both build on and also stand out from its legendary predecessors, these composers had to contend with the original music composed by Marty O’Donnell. Their challenge was to maintain continuity while also creating something unique and compelling. If I may say so myself, they did an excellent job.
In one of the first pastor’s posts, I briefly touched on how the Church – by which I mean both the heirarchy and the average Catholic – could learn from the video game industry about engaging music. The original Halo theme song was the highlight of that post, but I didn’t know then what I know now: that the man behind that music was both inspired by Catholic music and had just that year (Easter 2023, if my math is right) joined the Catholic Church! The video embedded above is his work – a Kyrie for Requiem Mass setting he was (is?) composing, borrowing heavily from his prior work to great effect.
What might we Catholics – who have centuries of Christian music (and millennia of Jewish music!) – (re)discover and build from the treasures of our heritage (to say nothing of the riches found with our Eastern brethren)? Consider the Nashville Dominicans’ 2016 version of the Sub Tuum in English or the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles’ 2013 original composition My Mercy. While all of these examples lean towards the human voice and chant (something extolled in the Second Vatican Council, especially in Sacrosanctum Concilium and Musican Sacram), there are plenty of worthy efforts that include classical and modern instruments.
If the key to understanding great writing is to dive into the classics of literature, it seems to follow that the same applies to music. Perhaps during this coming week (or weeks!), we might dive into the greats of music and see what it has to teach us about music & song in service of the Lord!
February 2 – The combination of today’s feast landing on a Sunday is not a little unusual. So important is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (or Candlemas) that it trumps the higher-ranked solemnity that is a Sunday. Moreover, the Church so values this feast day that She requires a special procession and the blessing of candles on this day! As we recall the light of Christ being proclaimed by Simeon and Anna, we ask God’s blessing on our lights and on us, that we may also illuminate the hearts & minds of those we meet. Read more about this feast at my friend’s blog The World is Quiet Here.
February 5 – Today is the memorial of Saint Agatha. A virgin martyr of the mid third century, she was brutally tortured by a roman prefect bent on forcing her to marry him. When she refused, he first sent her to a brothel to break her spirit. When she held fast to her faith, he tortured her with hooks, fire, and mutilation – but upon being imprisoned, Saint Peter appeared to her and healed her wounds. She is included in the second litany of saints in the Roman Canon. Read more about her at Word on Fire.
February 6 – Though Nagasaki is well-known for the tragedy of the atomic bomb dropped there, it was long before that a place of testimony and suffering. Today’s memorial of Saint Paul Miki and his companions marks the remembrance of 26 martyrs crucified on what is now known as the Holy Mountain that overlooks the city. Their witness inspired thousands of Christians, who secretly held to the faith despite the danger of persecution and death. Read about them at Loyola Press.
February 8 – Our final celebration this week is a relatively recent saint, canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II: Saint Josephine Bakhita. Born in the late nineteenth century, she was kidnapped and enslaved at the tender age of nine. She was eventually rescued by an Italian functionary. She was eventually baptized and joined the Canossian Sisters, where she became known for her kindness and cheer. Read more about here at the Vatican News website.
Priests celebrating their anniversaries this week
- Rev. Se Ho Lee (February 1, 2013)
- Rev. Da Wool Kim (February 3, 2004)
- Rev. Albert Arulappan, H.G.N. (February 5, 2009)
Remembering our deceased priests
- Fr. D. Harvey McIntyre (January 26, 1992)
- Fr. John J. Bowman (January 26, 2024)
- Fr. Charles DeDecker (January 27, 1926)
- Msgr. Michael O’Callaghan (January 27, 1981)
- Fr. Joseph P. O’Shea (January 28, 2011)
- Fr. Kevin R. Coyle (January 29, 1988)
- Msgr. John Murphy (January 30, 1985)
- Abp. Alexander J. Brunett (January 31, 2020)
- Fr. John J. Hartnett (January 31, 1967)
- Fr. Thomas Park (February 1, 2022)
- Msgr. James G. Stafford (February 3, 1949)
- Fr. Joseph C. Dakin (February 3, 1969)
- Fr. Gerald Moffat (February 3, 2021)
- Fr. Mark A. Stehly (February 4, 2018)
- Fr. Jaime M. Tolang (February 4, 2019)
- Fr. Jean Baptiste A. Brouillet (February 5, 1884)
- Fr. Michael Fafara (February 5, 1914)
- Fr. James Buck (February 7, 1998)
- Fr. Howard Lavelle (February 8, 1979)
Thank you Father for the glimpse into gaming music. I’m sharing your post with my grandson who’s majoring in cinematography. He’s worked as a gaming editor. I hope your blog will trigger conversation about the intersection of faith & fandom.
Good reference to Halo Infinite. It’s a very good game. Great graphics!
Shared this blog with my two gaming sons 🙂
Also a STRONG recommend for listening to this young man sing Pie Jesu. It is stunningly beautiful!
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