Every song included in an OCP pew book goes through an extensive vetting process. Each song added to an OCP hymnal or missal is thoroughly researched, double-checked and approved both internally and externally by recognized liturgical and musical experts.
Exacting song selection process, including theological review
The experts that decide which songs are included in OCP’s missals and hymnals include men and women with decades of experience in music ministry, advanced degrees in liturgy, theology and music theory, Catholic priests and more. Meetings of OCP’s selection committee begin with prayer and are centered on how to best serve the Church through the music we publish. The recommendations of U.S. bishops, respected music directors, Catholic composers, OCP customers and even other publishers are all carefully considered when selecting new music to include in our resources. Any song approved by the selection committee is then sent to third-party experts for further theological review, making sure that any song in an OCP resource is appropriate for Catholic worship with themes in line with Church teaching.
OCP hymnals and missals are all approved by the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Divine Worship
Every OCP resource that serves as a worship aid for the liturgy has been approved for publication by the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Divine Worship (BCDW). Each year, OCP also sends proofs of its missals to the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) and the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) so that the lectionary readings, responsorial psalms and excerpts from the Roman Missal can be reviewed and approved by the proper Church authorities.
Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church
OCP invests heavily in its ongoing quality-control process and faithfully adheres to the direction of Church authority, including Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church (the 2020 guidelines from the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine). When problematic texts come to light, we have a long and successful track record of either removing that song from our resources or revising the text to correct the problem. Many songs have been removed from our program over the years and many other songs have been revised to ensure theological soundness.
Of the thirteen songs cited as examples of theological deficiency in Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church, four were never in OCP’s program and the following four have been removed (for a total of eight):
- Lord of the Dance (Carter)
- Let Us Break Bread Together on Our Knees (traditional)
- Sing a New Church (Dufner)
- O Crucified Messiah (Scialla)
The prohibition of specific songs by a bishop or archbishop is rare and applies only to that particular diocese or archdiocese. Neither the USCCB as a conference nor any of its committees has prohibited the use of any OCP songs. Again, OCP’s missals and hymnals are all reviewed, approved by the USCCB and published with ecclesiastical approval (see the concordat cum originali on the credits page).
Resources with a Catholic heart
OCP’s song selection process is people-of-God-focused from start to finish. OCP is a not-for-profit company committed to draw people closer to God by supporting the Church in everything we do. Our worship resources are built on the music that Catholic parishes want to support their liturgies. Our pew books reflect the feedback we receive from customers through reported use of songs, our Annual Music Survey, and direct communications which we always take into account.
You can have confidence that any song in OCP’s USCCB-approved missals and hymnals is theologically sound and appropriate for use in the liturgy.