Spirituality
Singing Over Me
I wrote this in my journal a while back, and thought I’d share. It might be a poem–I’m not sure. Saint Cecilia was obviously here!
Mariella Hunt
November 13, AD 2025
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Life
What are the Church’s Teachings on Sacred Music?
Sacred music is “that which, being created for the celebration of divine worship, is endowed with a certain holy sincerity of form,” according to the
Hilary Cesare
October 22, AD 2025
1 Comment
Columnists
The Value of Silence
There is a fellow named Bernie Kraus who records nature sounds for films and television. When he began recording nature sounds in 1968, in order
Fr. Christopher Pietraszko
April 26, AD 2025
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Feasts
Saint Cecilia: Listening to Heavenly Music
The Psalms are songs that praise God or ask Him for protection. Historically, His people have faced great trials for not following the world and
Mariella Hunt
November 22, AD 2024
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Life
Awe-inspiring CDs on Advent and Adoration Reveal Beauty and Kindle Devotion for the Liturgy
Monks of Clear Creek Abbey. Rorate Coeli: Marian Sounds of Advent. Manchester, NH: Sophia Music Group, 2022. CD-Audio $16.99. Available from the publisher. Carmelite Sisters
Mary Beth Bracy
December 22, AD 2023
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Entertainment
Raymond Arroyo’s ‘Merry & Bright’ is a must-have for memory making, wonder awakening, and yuletide joy
Raymond Arroyo: Christmas Merry & Bright, by Raymond Arroyo. Album CD. Over the years, Raymond Arroyo has hosted an array of illustrious musicians on his
Mary Beth Bracy
September 25, AD 2023
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Columnists
A Million Dreams
My job requires a great deal of data entry and monotonous paper filing. These tasks can get very lonely, and there are hours during the
Kat Larson
July 11, AD 2019
1 Comment
Life
The Power of Praise & Worship
Music has had a powerful impact on my life. From my toddler years to today , I have always had a certain style that I
Thomas Clements
March 5, AD 2019
6 Comments
Music
Classical music’s divorce from God has been one of the great failures of our times
By Dr George Corbett, Lecturer in Theology, Imagination and the Arts, University of St Andrews. Reverend Jonathan Arnold, dean of divinity at Magdalen college, Oxford,
Guest Writer
September 18, AD 2018
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Prayer
Music at Mass: Fewer Guitars, More Chant
By guest writer Sarah Coffey. This is a post that’s been brewing for months but I didn’t quite have the right words to say until
Guest Writer
June 2, AD 2018
3 Comments
Columnists
Beatitudinem quaerens – a joyful album of modern Latin hymns
Italian musician Beppe Frattaroli has produced an album in Latin, Beatitudinem quaerens: “Looking for Bliss”. By turns joyful, reflective, and gloriously stirring, Beatitudinem quaerens brings
Jean Elizabeth Seah
March 27, AD 2018
1 Comment
Columnists
An Indonesian Miracle of Muslim-Catholic Friendship
One of my friends was a Buddhist when she and her family narrowly escaped being raped or killed by riots against the Chinese in the
Jean Elizabeth Seah
February 20, AD 2018
1 Comment
Masterpieces are Made by Many
He who has himself for a guide has a fool for a disciple. I had a lapsed Catholic friend who expressed skepticism about our devotion
Jean Elizabeth Seah
March 13, AD 2017
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Life
Losing my religion: How Church music causes unbelief
Imagine for a moment you are an enemy of the Catholic Church. You wish everybody could just leave this horrible institution. Yet you know that
Nick Chui
February 8, AD 2017
9 Comments
Columnists
Learning by Rote: Creativity and Discipline in Life and Prayer
One day, a home-schooled Anglo-Australian made a rather ill-informed statement on Asian education to his house mate, despite my presence: “Asians can’t be creative because
Jean Elizabeth Seah
November 21, AD 2016
2 Comments
Entertainment
Secular Songs That Can Bring Us Closer to God
I listen to a lot of music—from great Catholic artists like Matt Maher and Audrey Assad to classic rock to punk rock to alternative to
Theresa Williams
August 23, AD 2016
3 Comments
Art
Choral Music in the Churches: Part I, Inculturation
When I imagine liturgists, this is what comes to mind: Inculturation, the adaptation of liturgical texts, languages, rites, and, most especially, of music, to respect
Sean Connolly
January 26, AD 2016
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Books
Dante’s and Boccaccio’s Contrasting Worldviews Expressed though Song
Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy and Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron are two monumental works of the late Middle Ages. The Purgatorio from the Divine Comedy explores the
Hilary Cesare
November 13, AD 2015
1 Comment
Columnists
Music inspired by wife’s illness, recovery
While many newlyweds spend their first few months experiencing the joys and challenges of married life, Musician Stephen Sylvester and his wife, Afton, were struggling with a surprising
Heather Anderson Renshaw
September 12, AD 2015
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Religion
Have You Been Missing Out on a Centuries-Old Catholic Musical Tradition?
Some of the most divisive conversations amongst Catholics today arise over music at Mass. Most arguments revolve around the style of music or the instrumentation.
Hilary Cesare
September 1, AD 2015
21 Comments
Art
Small Things With Great Love: An Interview with James Rosenbloom
Recently I had the great pleasure of meeting up with and interviewing an up-and-coming Catholic artist and good friend of mine, James Rosenbloom, to talk
Jordan Haddad
March 12, AD 2015
3 Comments
