WASHINGTON—Sing to the Lord, a statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on the role of music in the liturgy, will be available for purchase as a book on July 8. The statement was approved by the bishops and posted on the USCCB Web site in November 2007.
           
Paul Henderson, USCCB Publishing director, stated that the new book "has long been anticipated by American Catholic musicians" and will help parishes better understand the role of music in divine worship. Clergy and musicians have relied on downloading the statement from the Web site, and "the book’s availability will make it easier for music leaders to apply the bishops’ norms and principles to their ministry."
           
Sing to the Lord covers several issues integral to Catholic worship. Musicians will find criteria for selecting a performance repertoire for various occasions. The statement also explains how participants are to engage music in liturgical celebrations according to the norms established by the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Liturgy. The instruction defines the singing role assigned to bishops, priests, deacons, the choir and the congregation. The bishops also encourage the cultivation and use of Gregorian chant due to its unifying role, especially when liturgical celebrations use Latin.
           
Monsignor Anthony Sherman, executive director of the USCCB Office of Divine Worship, highlighted the timeliness of the book’s availability.

"This is a useful tool for musicians in particular because it really demonstrates music’s role in unifying a diverse assembly of Catholics into one body gathered for worship." Msgr. Sherman also noted that musicians receive the benefit of authoritative instruction for exercising their unique liturgical role, since "musicians sing with the worshipping people and are not separated from them."
           
Sing to the Lord is available for $9.95 per copy and can be ordered online at http://www.usccbpublishing.org.  

For media inquiries, e-mail us at commdept@usccb.org
Department of Communications | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.