About a year ago, my parish started offering a mass in Spanish. This was probably a good idea, as there are many Spanish speaking people in the surrounding area. Our parish has been around since the mid sixties, so this is quite a change for our community.
As the choir director, I’ve been asked to submit a bi-lingual Triduum worship aid to our pastor for review. Last year, we actually incorporated a few bi-lingual hymns that were used for Holy Thursday and Good Friday. I thought it worked out well. But—I’ve been asked to step it up a notch and add more music, including the service music for Holy Thursday and the Easter Vigil.
This doesn’t pose to much of of a problem since I’ve made it a point during my tenure as choir director to occasionally use some bi-lingual music and even service music at different points in the liturgical year.
But what about the “English only” hymns that have become a part of the communities history? At the beginning of Holy Thursday, it has been a tradition for as long as I’ve been a member of my parish, to sing All That Is Hidden by Bernadette Farrell. When the first chords are played to introduce the hymn, I always get chills. This “IS” the beginning of Triduum for our parish community. No other song will do! How can I change that tradition?
I’ve heard much grumbling from our community, “We didn’t ask for a bilingual liturgy, so why is it being shoved down our throats?” “Why are we singing in Spanish—we can’t even get the Latin right!”
I’m going to post some of the more beautiful bi-lingual hymns I’ve found over the last few weeks. These are not compromise tunes that I don’t really care for. They are bi-lingual hymns that really move me.
We live in a very special time. There are so many wonderful and talented Catholic liturgical composers out there. I’ll post some of my favorite bi-lingual hymns soon.
Hello Tony,
I am so glad adn thankfull to God I ahve found your blog. I am very interested in seeing you post some of your favoraite bilingual hymns.
I am bilingual and I am helping to put together a one day womens retreat at our parish. We have a triligual community ( English, spanish 7 Vietnamise).
To make the event more unified, we would like to have one song sung together.
We of course, are ordinary parisheners volunterring and have no experience in this but we have the grace of God.
I have spent some time looking on the net but it’s time consuming and I’m not the most web net savy person.
It sounds to me you have a good ear and good taste for identifing music that will captive and move.
Please help me find your posted nillingual hymns.
Thank you and I ‘ll be visiting often.
May God continue to bless you.
Brenda