If the world can become small and we can find a degree of unity through some of our liturgical songs. The essential thing to remember is that bilingual and multilingual songs have one intention: to bring people together to worship God in the same place at the same time.
Songs for the liturgy transcend country borders and intend to give us an opportunity to pray with people that otherwise would not be present in the room. It also gives us an opportunity to enrich our lives by singing a few phrases in a language other than ours. It’s always beautiful and enriching to be able to say a few words of a prayer in a language that is not familiar.
I remember when the parish in Mesa, Arizona, where I served for 12 years began having Masses in Spanish and Masses in English. Slowly we introduced some of the very basic and quintessential bilingual songs found in OCP resources. The first ones that we used were “Ven Al Banquete/Come to The Feast” (by Bob Hurd) and “Somos El Cuerpo de Cristo/We Are The Body of Christ” (by Jaime Cortez).
I remember planning this carefully, teaching these refrains two or three weeks in advance and practicing them before Mass each Sunday until we would sing it at Mass. Then we would repeat them for two additional Sundays in order to give the assembly some extra time to learn them.
It was very fortunate that our pastor at that time wanted to have bilingual music in our Masses – he even asked for a multicultural committee. This really made the process very positive, with lots of support.
The next step was to incorporate some of these songs during the Triduum. I was fortunate to be fluent in Spanish and I was also the music director, so I invested time in preparing both the English-speaking and the Spanish-speaking choirs so they were not surprised by what was coming: an entire Holy Week with many bilingual songs.
The next step was to schedule some rehearsals with both choirs. I explained that we were going to enter into a new level of ministry and that it was acceptable to be a little intimidated – sometimes we were going to surrender some of our language or our control, for the sake of the process and to make others feel welcome.
The first year of this process was the hardest. Not because of resistance but because it was a lot of material to take in. There were many songs available in bilingual form for the Triduum and it took a lot of effort from all the choir members to be ready to sing.
The result was marvelous. Not only did we pray the Triduum in both languages with both choirs sitting intermingled as one big group, but we felt impressed and accomplished by what we had achieved. The next year it was going to be easier.
The multicultural committee in the meantime was busy trying to choose a special day in the life of the parish when we could celebrate all the many cultures that came to worship there. I learned that we have families from Vietnam, from Kerela (a state in India), from Puerto Rico, from El Salvador, Mexico, Argentina, Germany and Peru.
The committee chose Thanksgiving Day to make a multicultural celebration with a beautiful Mass and afterwards in the courtyard of the church foods from the different nations. On that day, we took this to a completely higher level. We had now songs in Vietnamese (from the first collection in Vietnamese and English from OCP called Thánh Ca Song Ngữ) and we also arranged a simple song in Malayalan (the language in Kerela) as well as songs in Latin, Spanish and English.
Those attending the Mass were invited to wear clothing from their countries of origin and we had art and environment in the church with many different colors. Our prayers of the faithful were in several different languages, and those who could speak those languages came up to do their respective intercession. It was a highlight in my liturgical ministry.
Since then, it felt so much more natural to use music from Flor y Canto and from Breaking Bread. There were so many songs to choose from, and we could slowly teach a few of them and use them throughout the liturgical year.
you want to provide your parishioners with a good variety of songs in English and in Spanish, I recommend pairing Unidos en Cristo/United in Christ missals (for readings, psalms and bilingual liturgical text) with Flor y Canto (for a comprehensive Spanish and bilingual hymnal) and/or Today’s Missal Music Issue (for an annual English hymnal with extensive repertoire for every season).
I remember being careful about evaluating each song. Some songs were accepted rapidly, some took time and some didn’t work at all, so we had to take them off the roster. Our bilingual and multilingual events became a highlight of our parish and Thanksgiving Day Mass was a Mass very well attended, with people standing in the back.
One of the keys to this was to understand that God and our faith are much wider than just our 9 a.m. Mass, and we needed to break the conception that everyone celebrated Mass the same way. There are many similarities in how we pray, but we also have many cultural diversities, especially in music, which make us unique in the whole body of Christ.
We needed to accept that not everything is in our control and sometimes we surrender part of our prayers and our understanding in order to be hospitable to other members of our community. I also mentioned before that it was enriching to sing in other languages. For me, it was a beautiful gift to be able to sing in Vietnamese or in Malayalan.
Our choirs always felt close and developed new friendships in the community. We saw the body of Christ as a growing, diverse and beautiful entity that is united in Christ and sometimes gets to pray together at the same Mass.
What a beautiful gift to receive from different cultures and different songs. I feel privileged to had learned these different songs and to have entered at least for a few moments in some very beautiful cultures that I would have not known if not for these beautiful liturgical songs.
As you look ahead to the new liturgical year, consider expanding your parish’s musical horizons by pairing your Unidos en Cristo/United in Christ missal with Flor y Canto and/or Music Issue. You’ll find everything you need to plan vibrant, prayerful liturgies that honor the unity and diversity of your faith community.