Church Documents about Liturgy and Music
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Complete pdf file of the book containing all the instructions for and prayers of the Mass that the priest uses at the altar and the chair.
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Very difficult to navigate if you are not familiar with the way the book is organized, but the pdf table of contents is a big help with identifying the Missal's major sections.
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Instructions about Music at Mass from The Roman Missal
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Excerpts of instructions for music at Mass that are contained in the General Instruction of The Roman Missal (GIRM)
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The GIRM provides the instructions to priests for celebrating Mass; it is at the front of the ritual Mass book (The Roman Missal) that contains all the prayers and directions for Masses celebrated throughout the year.
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Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship
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Guidelines for liturgical music issued by the US Bishops in 2007
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Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church or here
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The paper was issued in September 2020 by the Committee on Doctrine on behalf of the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops).
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It presents guidelines and criteria for analyzing the suitability of lyrics in songs sung at Mass and offers examples of songs whose lyrics are deficient because they do not adequately express Catholic faith.
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Instructs that the lyrical content of songs sung at Mass should have doctrinal integrity so as not to be misleading or ambiguous concerning matters of Catholic faith.
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The way we worship is not neutral nor a matter of indifference, and music at Mass exercises tremendous influence in lived Catholic faith. What we sing at Mass informs and forms what we believe and can strengthen or weaken faith; songs at Mass should authentically express Catholic faith in order to be true worship and to reinforce and form us authentically in Catholic faith.
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Bishop Kemme's Pastoral Letter about Music at Mass
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Carl Kemme is the Bishop of Wichita, Kansas. In September 2023 he issued this letter presenting a vision for music at Mass that he desired all parishes to implement.​
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Although the letter is not authoritative in our diocese, it does accurately present the vision and teaching of the universal Church about music at Mass. Bishop Kemme is simply stating that he wants parishes in his diocese to move toward more faithful implementation of the Church's norms for music at Mass.​
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Archbishop Sample's Pastoral Letter about Music at Mass
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Alexander Sample is the Archbishop of Portland, Oregon. In 2019 he issued this letter about liturgical music that compiles a summary of Church teaching and guidelines about liturgical music from different sources, such as the Second Vatican Council and the popes.
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Not everything in this letter pertains to us in Colorado Springs because we are in a different diocese and not under the authority of Archbishop Sample. Nevertheless, the material in the letter that presents universal Church teaching about music at Mass applies everywhere in the Church, including our diocese.
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Here are two articles that summarize and comment on Archbishop Sample's letter:
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Before becoming Archbishop of Portland, Sample was the Bishop of Marquette. While there, he issued a pastoral letter in 2013 about music at Mass that was a precursor to the letter that he issued in 2019 in Portland. The 2019 letter largely incorporates what had been stated in the 2013 letter. For purposes of comparison, the 2013 letter may be found here.
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Compilation of Liturgical Music Norms
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A compilation of Church documents that provide instructions about liturgical music. Many of the documents linked to above separately are included in this compilation, and there are more besides.
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Practical Summary of Church Norms for Liturgical Music at Mass
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Compiled by the Diocese of Orange, CA
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