Sacred Music: A Vocation and A Treasure
Dominique Cunningham
The Church teaches that the highest and most proper role of music in the liturgy is to glorify God and sanctify the faithful. Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, states that “sacred music is a treasure of inestimable value,” meant to enhance worship and encourage the active participation of the faithful.
At Newman’s University Church we are blessed to have two wonderful choirs; The University Church Singers who sing at the 11am Mass and the Newman Vocare Ensemble who sing at the 6.15pm Sunday Mass. Our parish is in the city centre and as a result, very few people actually live within the parish bounds resulting in a substantial commute for many. Why do they do it?
‘Vocare’ is the root of the English word ‘vocation’ which means; to be called. Being a part of a sacred music ensemble is very much a vocation in itself. As musicians, we are called to offer our gifts to God and to use our voices as tools of evangelisation. According to Pope Leo, “when liturgical music is inspired by faith and shaped with skill, it engages voice, mind, and heart. It becomes a path to prayer.” On several occasions after Mass, I have spoken to visitors who tell me of how they were just walking by the Church when they heard us rehearsing and decided to come in and stay for Mass.
This year both the Newman Vocare Ensemble and the University Church Singers have seen the highest ever influx of new members and this fills me with great hope for the future of sacred music and indeed, our Church here in Ireland. Recently, I have been reflecting on how wonderfully diverse our choirs are. Each week, our gallery sees almost 50 choir members from all over Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, America, Nigeria, South Africa, India, and South Korea. Pope Francis spoke about how sacred music builds bridges and brings people closer, even the most distant. Ignoring the barriers of nationality, ethnicity or skin colour, music gives us a universal, “superior language” which unites us as one.
Both of our choirs are going from strength to strength. When I first started in this role in 2021, we often worried about who would attend our services and concerts. Was it worth it? We decided it was and we persisted. Now, we worry about not having enough seats. Our choral program is highly esteemed and in high demand. We cover a wide variety of styles, we learn a lot of repertoire in short spaces of time and at times, we feel pressure to produce the quality of music we are now known for. However, at the end of each rehearsal we finish with the simple sung prayer, ‘Calm Me, Lord’ by Margaret Rizza and this reminds us of why we do what we do.
Read the full NDNC 2025 Magazine HERE