I Stavanger har Den katolske kirke en stor og aktiv engelskspråklig menighetsgruppe, der en stor prosent av menneskene kommer fra USA. (Olje- og Nato-folk mest.) Det er veldig mye positivt å si om denne delen av vår menighet (og de forblir en egen del, fordi de fleste er her bare kort tid, og derfor ikke lærer noe særlig norsk), men sang- og musikktradisjonen og -praksisen deres er ikke noe eksempel til etterfølgelse. Tradisjonell gregoriansk sang, som vi har noe av i Norge, har de fleste katolikkene i USA aldri hørt (ser det ut til).
Nå har de amerikanske biskopene nylig utgitt et dokument om kirkemusikk: Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship (pdf-format) som går grundig gjennom mange viktige ting og muligens kan klare å lede den amerikanske katolske kirken på rett vei. De sier bl.a. følgende om gregoriansk musikk/ latin:
74. The Second Vatican Council directed that the faithful be able to sing parts of the Ordinary of the Mass together in Latin. In many worshiping communities in the United States, fulfilling this directive will mean introducing Latin chant to worshipers who perhaps have not sung it before. While prudence, pastoral sensitivity, and reasonable time for progress are encouraged to achieve this end, every effort in this regard is laudable and highly encouraged.
Each worshiping community in the United States, including all age groups and all ethnic groups, should, at a minimum, learn Kyrie XVI, Sanctus XVIII, and Agnus Dei XVIII, all of which are typically included in congregational worship aids. More difficult chants, such as Gloria VIII and settings of the Credo and Pater Noster, might be learned after the easier chants have been mastered.
“The assembly of the faithful should participate in singing the Proper of the Mass as much as possible, especially through simple responses and other suitable settings.” When the congregation does not sing an antiphon or hymn, proper chants from the graduale Romanum might be sung by a choir that is able to render these challenging pieces well. As an easier alternative, chants of the Graduale Simplex are recommended. Whenever a choir sings in Latin, it is helpful to provide the congregation with a vernacular translation so that they are able to “unite themselves interiorly” to what the choir sings.