Richard Proulx (1937-2010)

We have received news that Richard Proulx was born into eternal life last night, February 18, 2010. Dr. Proulx was arguably the most influential church musician in the United States over the past several decades. While he himself was a gifted conductor and organist, his most important contributions to the Church were his numerous compositions. It would be difficult to compile even a list of highlights, but many of his pieces are known by heart throughout the United States. In addition to original compositions he harmonized hundreds of chants and hymns and was influential in the editorial decisions of several hymnals.

He was a great proponent of traditional Catholic Church music in its best sense--drawing from the past and adding the best of current music by gifted composers. He promoted congregational singing and composed quality music that will enrich our Church for many, many years to come.

May the angels lead him into paradise,
may the martyrs come to welcome him
and take him to the Holy City,
the New and Eternal Jerusalem.

May he have eternal rest.

Following a different path

At his General Audience today (Ash Wednesday), the Holy Father based his reflections on the two texts which may be used during the imposition of ashes.

Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the Church’s Lenten journey towards Easter. Lent reminds us, as Saint Paul exhorts, “not to accept the grace of God in vain” (cf. 2 Cor 6:1), but to recognize that today the Lord calls us to penance and spiritual renewal. This call to conversion is expressed in the two formulae used in the rite of the imposition of ashes. The first formula – “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel” – echoes Jesus’s words at the beginning of his public ministry (cf. Mk 1:15). It reminds us that conversion is meant to be a deep and lasting abandonment of our sinful ways in order to enter into a living relationship with Christ, who alone offers true freedom, happiness and fulfilment. The second, older formula – “Remember, man, that you are dust and to dust you shall return” – recalls the poverty and death which are the legacy of Adam’s sin, while pointing us to the resurrection, the new life and the freedom brought by Christ, the Second Adam.

He added that "conversion means changing the direction of the path of our lives."

As we enter this holy season, I hope to consider my own path...is Christ at the end of the path as its goal? Do I take the most direct route? the easiest route? am I even on the right road?

This also reminds us that the goal of Lent is not simply self-denial, but rather dying to self and rising in Christ. Our Lenten disciplines teach and express our dependence on God and our willingness to leave all behind to follow him. We don't simply "give up" something for forty days...we seek to condition ourselves so that when Easter arrives we may rejoice in the Savior--Risen and Radiant--renewed in our baptism into Christ, carrying his light, clothed in his glory and waiting eagerly for his return in glory!

A Last Alleluia Before Lent

Lent: A Time of Justice

What is justice? Pope Benedict XVI's Lenten message for 2010 focuses on the justice of God, reminding us through the title, “The justice of God has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:21-22).


The pope writes,

Injustice, the fruit of evil, does not have exclusively external roots; its origin lies in the human heart, where the seeds are found of a mysterious cooperation with evil.

God created us in his image and gave us a natural inclination for love and charity. God, says the Holy Father, intended that we should trust in love and in receiving what is needed from God, rather than seeking to rely solely on self. This self-centeredness becomes the root of injustice.

At the heart of the wisdom of Israel, we find a profound link between faith in God who “lifts the needy from the ash heap” (Ps 113,7) and justice towards one’s neighbor. The Hebrew word itself that indicates the virtue of justice, sedaqah, expresses this well. Sedaqah, in fact, signifies on the one hand full acceptance of the will of the God of Israel; on the other hand, equity in relation to one’s neighbour (cf. Ex 20, 12-17), especially the poor, the stranger, the orphan and the widow (cf. Dt 10, 18-19). But the two meanings are linked because giving to the poor for the Israelite is none other than restoring what is owed to God, who had pity on the misery of His people. It was not by chance that the gift to Moses of the tablets of the Law on Mount Sinai took place after the crossing of the Red Sea. Listening to the Law presupposes faith in God who first “heard the cry” of His people and “came down to deliver them out of hand of the Egyptians” (cf. Ex 3,8). God is attentive to the cry of the poor and in return asks to be listened to: He asks for justice towards the poor (cf. Sir 4,4-5, 8-9), the stranger (cf. Ex 22,20), the slave (cf. Dt 15, 12-18). In order to enter into justice, it is thus necessary to leave that illusion of self-sufficiency, the profound state of closure, which is the very origin of injustice. In other words, what is needed is an even deeper “exodus” than that accomplished by God with Moses, a liberation of the heart, which the Law on its own is powerless to realize. Does man have any hope of justice then?

The answer for Christians is, of course, a resounding yes! Our justice is in Jesus Christ.

Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one’s own need – the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship. So we understand how faith is altogether different from a natural, good-feeling, obvious fact: humility is required to accept that I need Another to free me from “what is mine,” to give me gratuitously “what is His.” This happens especially in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Thanks to Christ’s action, we may enter into the “greatest” justice, which is that of love (cf. Rm 13, 8-10), the justice that recognises itself in every case more a debtor than a creditor, because it has received more than could ever have been expected. Strengthened by this very experience, the Christian is moved to contribute to creating just societies, where all receive what is necessary to live according to the dignity proper to the human person and where justice is enlivened by love.

Expanding upon this at the Angelus this past Sunday (February 14, 2010), he related the days' Gospel reading (the Beatitudes) with his Lenten message.

...the Beatitudes are rooted in the fact that divine justice exists, exalting those who have been wrongly humiliated and humbling those who have exalted themselves. ... This justice, this Beatitude, will be realised in the Kingdom or Heaven, the Kingdom of God, which comes at the end of time but which is already present in history... Christ's Gospel responds positively to man's thirst for justice, but in an unexpected and surprising way. Christ does not propose a social or political revolution, but a revolution of love which he has already achieved with His cross and His resurrection. It is upon these that the Beatitudes rest, opening a new horizon of justice.

The pope's message is an invitation of sorts. He is letting us in on his own "program" for Lenten reflections. We, too, may reflect upon the Lenten Scriptures and our prayers, fasting and almsgiving through this lens to help more fully live a life of justice in Christ Jesus.

The Roman Missal & Hymnals

Bob Batastini, the long-time managing editor for GIA Publications in Chicago, was recently interviewed by a new blog (Pray Tell) regarding liturgical music resources and the new Roman Missal. It's worth reading (click here to see the full text).

Bob gave an impressive talk in Madison regarding the state of Catholic Church music several years ago. He always maintained a position in parish ministry throughout his many years at GIA. He is an excellent church musician and remains a welcome voice!

"Love is God's Very Essence"

At yesterday's Angelus, the Holy Father spent some time speaking about the day's Second Reading for Mass (I Corinthians 12:31-13:13), Saint Paul's wonderful description of love. Pope Benedict XVI himself described this as one of the most beautiful passages of the entire Bible.

The following comes from the Vatican News Service report of his remarks.

"Charity", the Pope explained, "is the 'greatest' gift, which gives value to all the others. ... In the end, when we find ourselves face to face with God, all other gifts will fail and all that will be left to last for eternity is love, because God is love and we will be like unto Him, in perfect communion with Him.

"For now", he added, "as long as we are in this world, charity is the distinctive mark of Christians. It is the synthesis of all their lives, of what they believe and what they do..."

The Holy Father went on: "Love is God's very essence, it is the meaning of creation and history, it is the light that gives goodness and beauty to the existence of each man and woman. At the same time love is, so to say, the 'style' of God and of believers, it is the behaviour of those who, responding to the love of God, order their lives as a gift of self to God and to neighbour."