At 70 years of age, Dr. Gordon Okawara says he has much to be grateful for, from his decades-long volunteer music ministry at his parish, to his medical practice as a longtime oncologist at the Juravinski Cancer Centre, formerly the Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre.

A new television program airing March 30 looks to combine sacred music performances with riveting discussions from local ministers of the Catholic Church.

I have just returned from a week singing under the California sun. Not favourite lyrics from the Beach Boys though, but Gregorian chant and Renaissance motets. Along with 74 other choristers, choir directors and organists who attended a Sacred Music Symposium hosted by St. John the Baptist Parish in Orange County, I return to my home parish eager to put into practice what I have learned.

King David authored Psalm 101, a lyrical commitment to honour and follow the Lord as the shepherd boy readied to become king of Israel. The prodigious harpist, lyricist and composer possessed the intuition that music could be used to powerfully praise the wonders and majesty of Almighty God.

Lawrence Harris has a renewed vision of service forged and refined in the fire of COVID-19 that raged across the world for nearly three years.

FRIBOURG, Switzerland -- Dominican Brothers Stefan Ansinger and Alexandre Frezzato are teaching people to sing 800-year-old Gregorian chant through free weekly lessons on their YouTube channel called OPChant.

Sacred music meets the most sacred place in the world next month as the MOSAIC vocal ensemble and the St. Michael’s Choir School (SMCS) alumni choir embark on their first performance pilgrimage. 

QUEBEC CITY – In the province of Quebec, one of the most secular societies in the world, debates around Christmas carols are not so much about faith and religion as they are about culture. A choir and sacred music specialist believes these carols remain beloved because people especially preserve the emotion associated with them.

Mondegreens are those wonderful phenomena in language where a misheard phrase is substituted for the real thing, usually in music. The term comes from American writer Sylvia Wright who explained that she misheard the phrase “and laid him on the green” in a Scottish ballad as “and Lady Mondegreen.” 

One of my favourite bloopers from a church bulletin reads like this: “Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.” 

Proof that the Church has no shyness about irony is affirmed by news that Canada’s new Catholic hymnal will be unleashed during Lent two years hence.

A new English-language hymnal is on the way. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has confirmed publishing plans for Music for Catholic Worship, which should be in stock by Lent 2020.

Andrew Abbott was on the brink of breaking out into the Canadian Christian music scene. But after releasing his first album in 2013 and then another one in 2016, the London, Ont., native said he went in “auto-pilot mode.”

EDMONTON – Canadian Catholics are about to see the first new national hymnal in more than 20 years — a book that will bring long-cherished hymns into step with modern worship and introduce new works as well.

Mary Sharp joined the Young Catholic Musicians choir because she found an outlet for her joy of music and the joy of the Gospel. Last week, for the very first time, she and her fellow musicians shared their joy with audiences in Canada.