Missouri bishop prohibits hymns with doctrinal errors or credibly accused composers

Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Mo., has issued a decree prohibiting certain hymns due to theological error or their composition by persons credibly accused of abuse.

The decree, dated Oct. 24 and set to take effect Nov. 1, bans all works by David Haas, the late Father Cesáreo Gabarain and Ed Conlin, all of whom have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. Such bans have already been in place in a number of U.S. dioceses, with allegations against all three composers emerging during the past several years.

Also on the list are 12 specific hymns that were found “doctrinally problematic” by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine: “All Are Welcome” by Marty Haugen; “Ashes” by Tom Conry; “Bread of Life” by Bernadette Farrell; “Celtic Alleluia: Sending Forth” by Christopher Walker and Fintan O’Carroll; “Covenant Hymn” by Rory Cooney and Gary Daigle; “For the Healing of the Nations” by Fred Kaan, John Wade and Randall DeBruyn; “God Has Chosen Me” by Bernadette Farrell; “Halleluya! We Sing Your Praises,” an anonymous South African composition; “Led by the Spirit” by Bob Hurd; “Many and Great” by Paulist Father Ricky Manalo; “Table of Plenty” by Dan Schutte; and “Three Days” by M.D. Ridge and Casey McKinley.

Father Daniel Merz, chairman of the diocese’s liturgical commission, told OSV News the decree emerged from an initiative begun some seven years ago to create a “common repertoire” among diocesan parishes.

In the process, the commission realized “there are a few hymns that probably shouldn’t be used,” he said.

Many of the prohibited titles appeared in a 2020 report from the USCCB’s doctrine committee, “Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church: An Aid for Evaluating Hymn Lyrics.”

That report laid out two primary guidelines for determining if a given hymn is suitable for liturgical use: whether the text is in conformity with Catholic doctrine, and whether the hymn’s imagery and vocabulary is “appropriately reflective of the usage of Scripture and the public liturgical prayer of the Church.”

Several popular hymns were found to have deficiencies in their presentation of Eucharistic doctrine, which was “by far the most common and the most serious” cause of concern regarding the songs.

Other deficiencies identified by the USCCB doctrinal committee involved the presentation of Trinitarian doctrine and the doctrine of God and his relation to humans.

Also problematic were hymns that viewed the church as essentially a human institution, and hymns that promoted doctrinally incorrect views of the Jewish people and of Christian anthropology.

“This is all about providing good direction and guidance,” Father Merz stated in an interview with The Catholic Missourian, the Diocese of Jefferson City’s newspaper, which noted that the composers of the songs found to have deficiencies are free to revise the lyrics and submit new versions to the USCCB Committee on Doctrine for review.

“We want to foster good music for our liturgies, because we recognize that music is such an important part of how we worship God and pass along the faith,” said the priest, who is pastor of St. Thomas More Newman Center Parish and Sacred Heart Parish in Columbia, Mo.

An important part of the doctrinal criteria is promoting a fuller understanding of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

“Part of the concern is that a lot of the songs that we sing overemphasize one dimension of the Eucharist,” Father Merz told The Catholic Missourian. For example, he cited highlighting the communal and social dimensions of the Eucharist, without giving proper emphasis also to Christ’s sacrifice and his real presence, as well as the need for continuing conversion among every communicant.

“It’s about the Great Commandment,” he said. “Love God first, and that enables you to love your neighbor. When we get the first part right, the second part will follow.”

Along with the prohibited hymns, Bishop McKnight’s decree included approval of four Mass settings: the Chant Mass, to be sung in either English or Latin; the Mass of St. Frances Cabrini by Kevin Keil, which the document described as possessing a “grandness” while remaining “singable” and “pastorally accessible”; the Revised Mass of Creation by Marty Haugen, which is “familiar, easy and still widely used”; and “Misa del Pueblo Inmigrante” by Bob Hurd, which is approved “for use in Spanish and bilingual liturgies.”

Father Merz told OSV News that in the years since a “beautiful explosion in musical creativity” followed the Second Vatican Council, the church “has started to consolidate” and more closely assess its hymnody.

“But not with a sense of ‘let’s crack down on people,'” said Father Merz. “Rather, with a sense of ‘let’s encourage the stuff that’s really going to build up the church.'”

He added, “There’s something healing about clarity.”

This story was co-authored by Gina Christian, a multimedia reporter for OSV News, and Jay Nies, editor of The Catholic Missourian, newspaper of the Diocese of Jefferson City.

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