Sing, I Said---Sing

Catholics don't sing at their religious service on Sundays. Oh, some of them mumble mumble, but otherwise they leave the singing to their choir, if their service has one. Why don't they sing? Thomas Day, in his book, "Why Catholics Can't Sing: The Culture of Catholicism and the Triumph of Bad Taste," has his opinions. Compare this Catholic phenomenon with that of Protestants at their Sunday service: The latter sing the roof off their church. Others think the answer might be found in Christmas songs. Why don't American adults tire of hearing and singing both religious and secular Christmas songs over and over and over? They love these tunes because, some say, they learned and loved them when they were children. The positive emotional impact of Nativity music thus lingers in the hearts of Americans. Back to Protestants: Almost all of their Sunday songs haven't changed from their childhood---thus they enjoy hearty singing from memory. On the other hand, middle-age and older Catholics (the majority of church goers) have little or no religious music remaining from their childhood---thus they can't "get in the mood" of the contemporary songs. And the contemporary songs don't compare in majesty, some think, to the older ones; so these songs appeal to much-younger Catholics but not to the older. Maybe only Christmas songs, therefore, should be sung at every Sunday Mass in the Catholic Church from now on.

-Old Gargoyle