It was the sainted Pope Pius X who, at the beginning of the 20th century, initiated some reforms of the church's liturgy. One that affected most Catholics was the lowering of the age of First Holy Communion to the age reason, usually counted as about the age of seven. He also wanted all members of the church more involved in the Mass. So, he issued a call for "active participation" by encouraging more musical participation, emphasizing Gregorian Chant but not limiting selections to those of chant.

The pope's dream is still "in the works" in many parishes.

The Second Vatican Council added its encouragement, again maintaining a priority for Gregorian Chant but also encouraging new compositions and using instruments other than the preferred organ.

Since then, the participation, at least musically, varies greatly from parish to parish. And, as so often happens in parishes, it's the leadership of the pastor of the parish that contributes to more active participation of the assembly.

As with most aspects of parish life, the pastor cannot do it alone -- as much as he might like. And this is especially obvious when it comes to music. He needs parish musicians to assist him in leading us all in participating in the Mass.

Musicians can be instrumentalists or vocalists; they can be soloists or choral.

They must be committed to the church's view of their role in the liturgy. They are, as are all ministers, servants of the liturgy and the assembly. They are not entertainers, and certainly not there to replace the rest of us at Mass.

Let's look at a few of the many music ministries in a parish.

The organist is the most common of parish music ministers, and sometimes they are substituted by a pianist or keyboardist. Sometimes, they are accompanied by a soloist or may even double as organist and soloist.

Depending on training and experience, the organist can be the pastor's best friend for liturgical music. The organist must be well trained instrumentally but must also be aware of the liturgy and the music appropriate to seasons, feasts, funerals, weddings, and the regular Sunday Masses. It really is the church that makes the choices for music, and we implement it.

The integration of other instruments into the liturgy is also another responsibility of an organist, who may also double as parish music director.

The various vocalists involved may be the parish choir, the children's version of that, or a leader of song. Whoever is the leader of either the choir or the team leader of the individuals must help the members to see their contribution as a service and not as a stage performance.

Musical selection is often left to these ministers, and they must be attuned to the parish and the liturgy where they serve.

They must listen to see if the assembly is "catching on" to the musical choices. Usually, simpler compositions and more familiar hymn tunes will encourage the assembly to join in. The music should not be too complicated and works best if the assembly can easily catch on.

Another means to engender participation is repetition. Musicians who might easily play or sing complicated musical pieces must keep in mind that the folks in the pews are only hearing and singing this once a week at the Mass where they assemble, so they need to grow in confidence by hearing selections more regularly.

For Roman Catholics, you can get even the most reluctant member of the assembly to sing and maybe even "belt out" "Come Holy Ghost" or "Holy God We Praise Thy Name." The best proof of repetition, being the mother of learning, is Christmas music. Carols, hymns, and secular music of the Christmas season bring out willing participation because they know them, usually by repetition over the years. Be careful about too much change in the parish repertoire.

It is not inappropriate for the organist, the soloist, or the choir to be the only music during certain seasons or even at certain points of the Mass. There may be familiar pieces that lend to meditation or to awe at the music, the composer, or the delivery of the composition to the assembly.

Musicians should keep in mind that sometimes, a period of silence before or after musical participation will underline either the music or the silence or both. They are not mutually exclusive. Rather, if integrated appropriately, they can provide a good balance.

Musicians need formation and ongoing formations, as do all ministers. Parishes need to support their music ministers in this aspect of their ministry.

A helpful resource is the "Guide for Music Ministers, Third Edition" by Jennifer Kerr Budziak, Christopher J. Ferraro, Corinna Laughlin, and Paul Turner.