Singing the Mass: How the Church Prays

The Catholic Church has always understood the Mass not simply as something that can be sung, but as something that is meant to be sung.

As Thomas J. Olmsted wrote:

“The Mass itself is a song; it is meant to be sung.
Indeed, the Mass is most itself when it is sung.”

This is not a personal preference or a modern experiment.
It flows from the nature of the liturgy itself.

The Mass Is an Act of Worship, Not Just Words

The Mass is not primarily a talk, a lesson, or a gathering with music added on.
It is the Church’s public act of worship, offered to God by Christ through His Church.

Singing allows:

  • prayer to be expressed more fully
  • the unity of the Church to be heard and embodied
  • hearts and minds to be lifted beyond the everyday

For this reason, the Church teaches that liturgical worship is given a more noble form when it is celebrated in song (Musicam Sacram, 5).

Liturgical Music Is Not the Same as Religious Music

The Church makes an important distinction:

  • Religious music expresses human faith, devotion, and emotion
  • Liturgical music serves the action of the Mass itself

Religious music often:

  • reflects particular cultures
  • supports private devotion
  • helps evangelisation

Liturgical music, by contrast:

  • belongs to the prayer of the Church
  • serves the texts and actions of the Mass
  • expresses unity rather than individuality

This is why the Church gives pride of place to Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony: they are musical forms shaped specifically for the Roman liturgy and its texts.

Singing Reveals the Nature of the Church

When the Mass is sung:

  • the priest sings prayers on behalf of the whole Church
  • the people respond together
  • the Church prays with one voice

This makes visible — and audible — what the Church truly is:
not a collection of individuals, but one Body worshipping God together.

As Musicam Sacram explains, singing:

  • expresses the communal nature of the liturgy
  • unites hearts and voices
  • points toward the heavenly liturgy

Active Participation Does Not Mean Constant Activity

The Church is clear that active participation is first interior.

This means:

  • listening attentively
  • uniting one’s heart to the prayer
  • entering into the mystery being celebrated

External participation — including singing — flows from this interior participation.
At times, listening prayerfully to what the priest or choir sings is itself a true form of participation.

Silence also has an essential place in the liturgy.

What About Said Masses?

The Church recognises that not every Mass can be fully sung.

However, even in Masses that are mostly spoken:

  • some parts may still be sung
  • singing should not be avoided simply for convenience

On Sundays and feast days, the Church explicitly teaches that a sung Mass is to be preferred whenever possible (Musicam Sacram, 27).

Why This Matters

When we sing the Mass together:

  • we pray with our whole selves
  • we give voice to the Church’s prayer
  • we honour God with beauty and reverence

Singing is not about performance.
It is about offering prayer together, in unity, to the Lord who created and redeemed us.

As the Church teaches, there is nothing more fitting or joyful than a congregation expressing its faith and devotion in song.

A final word

Singing the Mass is not about taste or preference.
It is about allowing the liturgy to be what it truly is.

When the Church sings, she prays —
and when she prays together in unity,
she gives glory to God.