I like a comment of Pope Pius XII: “Let the full harmonious singing of our people rise to heaven like the bursting of a thunderous sea and let them testify by the melody of their song to the unity of their hearts and minds, as becomes brothers and the children of the same Father.” The point is not to perform a concert, but to sing together. “Uninhibited sincerity is the one prerequisite.... So sing! Sing from the heart! It is not the voice that really sings; it is the heart! Many a star of Broadway shows can put over a song in spite of his lack of a “voice.” You can put over your song with God too! You’ll never find a more appreciative audience.” (from Music Lessons for the Man in the Pew)

It is more important to sing at some parts of the Mass than at others. According to the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, five things “ought to be sung even at Masses in which little else is sung.”

• Alleluia
• Holy, Holy, Holy Lord
• Memorial Acclamation
• Great Amen
• Doxology to the Lord’s Prayer