When We Sing

National Catholic Reporter, Oct 27, 1995 by Michael K. Holleran

Liturgy Training Publications (1800 North Hermitage Ave., Chicago, IL 60622; most videos are $39.95) sent us virtually their entire catalog of videos. Four of these are worthy companions to the two given favorable reviews in my earlier column.

Two of the four are tasty feasts for those who love to regale themselves at the table of Sr. Alice Parker. There is never a dull moment in "Yes, We'll Gather," during the 48 minutes she spends on camera with a Mennonite community. Always effusive and poised, she presents singing as a parable of life in all its primal energy. With utmost respect for the cultural context of each piece, she asserts that music cannot be noted, any more than life can be boxed into formulas. The results she achieves with this approach are glorious.

Moreover, the editing of the video is seamless and inconspicuous, a harmonious shift between Parker and the choir.

"When We Sing" is equally fine but will be of special interest to choir members and directors of music. It is a 30-minute peek at a workshop of church music professionals, and the wit and enthusiasm they demonstrate is quite contagious to the viewer. The insights are often stunning - have you ever thought of poetry as oil painting, hymnody as watercolor? - the music enchanting. Simultaneous printing of the lyrics on screen during song is a plus.

The second pair of videos welcomes us once again into the worshipping community of St. Henry's in Cleveland. We attend the communion liturgy of Oct. 3, 1993: "Say Amen to What Your Are," 30 minutes; and the eucharistic prayer a week later; "Lift Up Your Hearts," 23 minutes. On this lower- to middle-class interracial parish, both priests and people are intensely involved.

The first video will inspire with its general tone and some original ideas for the communion service, such as the use of a formal communion procession.

The following Sunday's worship offers similar benefits to those seeking to revitalize the central section of the Mass. It also encourages, with its tale of the resurrection of the parish through its liturgy.

As with other videos from this supplier, the accompanying study guide is helpful, but almost too thorough.

"How Firm a Foundation: The First Fifty Years" deals with the seeds of the liturgical movement in this country. It seems they were sown by the German Benedictines, with their roots in Maria Laach, through the periodical Orate Frates, begun in 1926, and the annual liturgical weeks in Chicago some 15 years later.

The video consists mainly of interviews and reminiscences by the "survivors" of those days. Certainly, interviews are a common and effective technique, but in this 45-minute presentation, the monologues generally go on too long. For old-time pioneers and heroes of the movement, this may be a nostalgic trip and of interest to scholars as well. But for the rest of us, it will tend to be tedious. Even so, the discussion questions in the accompanying study guide are pointed and provocative.

"Proclaiming the Word" is similar, not only in length (43 minutes) but also for not exploiting its full video potential. It is somewhat stilted and elementary, built around an exposition, in too much of a classroom style, by a rather formal Benedictine monk. The intrusion of long pauses for recommended discussion periods and the almost complete absence of music compound the effect of being simply too uptight.

In contrast, by far the most impressive element in the video is the testimony of three readers in a St. Louis parish, including a comparative reading of a passage from Job by two women. This part is striking and inspiring and will certainly be helpful to all those associated with the ministry of reader.