Pope John XXIII Opens the Windows

By Tom Booth

Friends, this is Spirit Spot #5 for me. And if you have been following along these past few weeks, you know that we began by asking the question, "Where do we come from?" As pastoral musicians, as servants with instruments, how did our role in the church evolve to what it is now? Knowing where we come from helps us to understand our place in history — so that we don't take ourselves too seriously, and our role too lightly!

We last discussed that the liturgy, and music within the liturgy, didn't change much for about 450 years! But in1958 a new pope was elected: John XXIII. He was a jovial and holy man who loved food and people but, most of all, he listened to God. He knew that the Roman Catholic Church had to change with the times. This would be painful for many, but he knew that being open and vulnerable was better than being closed and self-protective. The winds of change were blowing throughout the world and Pope John "opened the windows" and invited the Holy Spirit to renew the Church from the inside out. For 40 or so years that change, the consequence of the Second Vatican Council, radically shifted the personality and posture of the Roman Catholic Church.

All through the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s music was composed that complemented the rich treasury of music that the Church had produced for centuries. New melodies, or new arrangements of old melodies were composed. New instruments with old texts, and new texts with older instruments were employed all over the world! The windows were opened and a new breeze filled the chapels, basilicas and church buildings around the world. Buildings and church leadership no longer defined "the church," but the church was now defined as the People of God. Our collective baptism as "priest, prophet and king" was newly emphasized and the laity were given a more responsible role in the mission of "going out into the world and baptizing all nations."

For the first time, guitars, pianos, tambourines and later, drums, were used in the worship of God. To the joy of some and the chagrin of others, the folk Mass was born. The People of God not only heard the gospel proclaimed in their vernacular language, they also heard music in a style that was reminiscent of the culture they lived in. There would be no modern worship or praise and worship music without Vatican II. It has been said that Contemporary Christian music started with the folk Mass.

But now we could begin another completely different discussion: not the short and abbreviated history of music in worship, but the blessing and challenges of our modern approach to pastoral music. For now, look back with me at the 1960s. Wow, what a time! When I composed a new psalm setting a couple of years ago, Lord, Let Your Face Shine Upon Us, I purposely wanted to hearken back to the sounds I heard as a kid in church in the 1960s. I grabbed a 12-String guitar, made sure it was slightly out of tune, and strummed along (imagining a tambourine being played on the hip) and that naive, yet hopeful feeling I had in church in those days washed over me.