SPARTA From the first note, worshippers started clapping, as they began lifting their singing voices in praise. The Contemporary Youth Ensemble (CYE) had just launched into the processional hymn of the 6 p.m. Sunday Mass in St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church here: the driving “Rain Down” — a modern song that led churchgoers into a deep sense of prayer, while also giving high-spirited voice to their joy as Catholics.
No doubt, the congregation of St. Kateri at that recent Mass had felt moved to worship by the Holy Spirit and by Father Vidal Gonzalez Jr., the pastor celebrant of the liturgy, but also by the CYE. Each week, the 32-person group enlivens that Mass, playing contemporary hymns, powered by a veritable wall of sound: a phalanx of singers and instrumentalists, who perform on drums, guitar, bass and piano and in mighty string, horn and wind sections. On a recent Sunday, they sang in prayer to God, “Rain down, rain down, rain down your love on your people.”
“Playing this music with such a big band is fun,” Grace Young, 18, said after the Mass. She played bass guitar, near the piano of Art Suriano, who leads and writes arrangements for the band. “Many of my friends play in the band, so we go to church together. This brings me closer to my faith. Playing music is praying twice,” she said.
Highly anticipated by St. Kateri churchgoers each week, the CYE represents an array of contemporary liturgical musical groups in parishes and outreaches across the Diocese that have been energizing worship in different — but certainly not better — ways than traditional ensembles. These groups are engaging churchgoers, and their mostly teen and young adults musicians, by playing songs in modern musical styles that they know well with lyrics that tend to be more personal, usually driven by contemporary instruments. Many parishes report increased attendance in the pews of younger and older faithful and greater participation of members in the bands at their contemporary liturgies. This story presents a brief survey of some of these groups in the Diocese.
“The CYE has great players who are a joy to work with. It’s an opportunity for them to perform modern music that they are familiar with,” said Suriano, who also writes some music for the Masses that group plays. He took over leadership of CYE in 2014 and began recruiting singers and players, bringing membership from four up to 32 today. The group includes several older adults — a few of them parents of the younger members. “This also is a great opportunity to inspire kids to attend church to hear the Word of God and build a relationship with Jesus — and keep that with them,” he said.
At St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, the Contemporary Music Ensemble (CME) has struck a chord with many faithful with its mix of “modern, upbeat songs and standard hymns played with gospel flair,” a bulletin blurb stated. The group plays all the Masses for one weekend a month with a small group of 14 singers and musicians, who play bass, drums, piano, guitars, oboe, clarinet and saxophone. Members range in age from teens to their 70s, said Louis Castano, its leader for the past five years, who plays piano, sings and writes arrangements.
“Music provides an additional opportunity for parishioners to get involved in the liturgy. I’ve found that ‘contemporary’ music speaks to younger generations, who are the present and future of our Church,” Castano said. His approach to arranging ranges from staying faithful to traditional material, such as “Holy God, We Praise They Name,” to experimenting, such as giving a smooth groove to the hymn, “Soon and Very Soon.” “I’m blessed to serve in a parish that has had a positive response to the efforts of the CME,” he said.
Drummer Art Fabian, who is CME’s oldest member at 77, told The Beacon that he feels challenged to “add accents to the music” and is gratified to “participate in the Mass — contributing to the worship.”
“The Contemporary Music Ensemble enhances the liturgy by playing music in a variety of styles,” Father David Pickens, St. Ann’s pastor, said. “With the wide age range of its members, it gives more parishioners an opportunity to share their talents with the parish,” he said.
At St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Evangelization Center at Bayley-Ellard in Madison, the Music Ministry stays tune with the tastes of the faithful, who attend the Young Adult Mass on Sundays at 11 a.m. The six core members, who sing and play guitar, piano and percussion, enjoy arranging and performing both the traditional and contemporary material. One of their favorites is “The Spirit and the Bride,” a modern song by Matt Mahr with personal lyrics that speak about Jesus coming “For all the fatherless looking for approval; For all the daughters who’ve never heard they’re beautiful,” said Christopher Caulfield, who plays piano and leads the group with his brother Michael, who plays guitar.
“Music is a universal thing that everybody can understand and connect with. We play songs of praise and meditation that help people center their prayer at Mass,” said Christopher Caulfield. He revealed one of the ensemble’s techniques to make the ending of some hymns more powerful: dropping out the instruments, so the vocalists can sing a cappella.
“There is a high level of musicality in the group that elevates the liturgy,” said Joe Nedick, a singer.
The St. Paul’s group today continues the ensemble’s legacy of “building a repertoire that exposes our young adults to Catholic classics and also invites their participation with recent music that appeals to them,” said Father Paul Manning, St. Paul’s executive director and diocesan vicar for evangelization.
In Chatham, the God Unplugged group for teenagers and young adults at St. Patrick Parish has been hitting high notes with the increasing numbers of churchgoers, who attend the 5 p.m. Sunday Mass. It mixes traditional music — even from the early Church — to modern contemporary songs and “worship music,” such as “Honey from the Rock” by Tom Kendzia. Each week, the band features singers — sometimes in several-part harmonies — and musicians, who play a variety of instruments, such as flute, violin, drums, saxophone, guitar and handbells, said Maggie Hanson, St. Patrick’s music minster and the group’s leader, who plays piano, organ and keyboard.
“A lot of the music that we play is heartfelt and high energy. The newer songs often have a more personal tone,” Hanson said. “Also, the people, who come to the Mass, are moved to see young people actively involved in ministry. The teens in the band feel a sense of belonging and have pride in what they do,” she said.
Singing and playing guitar in God Unplugged is Katie Caviness, 16, who said she loves the “freeing feeling” of performing music.” She also said that playing in the group “gets me to spend Sunday at Mass” and “by participating, gets me to understand what’s going on, including how the songs coincide with the readings.”
“With its faster beat, the music of God Unplugged perks up the faithful,” Father Robert Mitchell, pastor, said of the Mass, which is attended by mostly adults and increasing numbers of older religious education students. “The people are impressed to see and hear the teens express their faith with music,” he said.