Eight hymns you don't want to sing

So we have reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 World Cup of Bad Hymns, and here are the remaining atrocities, with some useful descriptions.

Lord of the Dance (Sydney Carter)

The winner in 2018. Basically a load of semi-heretical nonsense from beginning to end. Most cringeworthy line is perhaps "It's hard to dance with the devil on your back," but the whole attempt to reduce Christ's ministry to a dance is sick-making.

FACT: It's hard to dance with anyone on your back.

Shine, Jesus, shine (Graham Kendrick)

Bronze medallist in 2018. This one contributed to my changing churches about 20 years ago. Many irritating lines such as "Shine on me, shine on me" and "Flow, river, flow". Sorry, I am still traumatized.

Let us build a house where love can dwell (All are welcome) (Marty Haugen)

One of the two works by Mr Haugen to reach the last eight. Not well known in the UK, as far as I can tell, but in the USA he deserves a restraining order to stop him writing anything more. This one goes on far too long without more than one idea in the whole piece.

Kumbayah (anon)

Fourth place in 2018. Let's face it, if you had written such tosh you would want to be anonymous too. "Someone's giggling Lord, Kumbayah". All right, I made that bit up.

You just know they're dying to sing "Kumbayah".

On eagle's wings (Michael Joncas)

Again, not known to me by experience. Wikipedia says that Joe Biden likes it, which suggests that it's more likely to be about ice-cream than God. As far as I can tell, it consists of some chunks of Psalm 91 set to a banal tune.

Here in this place new light is streaming (Gather us in) (Marty Haugen)

Haugen's second entry in the last eight, silver medallist in 2018. The cumulative effect of lines such as "We are the young, our lives are a mystery" (apparently there to provide a rhyme with "history" two lines later) must be enough to cause temporary insanity.

Come to the feast of Heaven and Earth (table of plenty) (Daniel Schutte)

If I'd had to choose one of the three pieces of Schutte in this contest, I'd have gone for "I, the Lord of sea and sky (here I am, Lord)", but this one is atrocious too. Can people sing words like "O come and eat without money; come to drink without price" without giggling?

Mary, did you know? (Mark Lowry)

On Twitter/X I see more tweets from people who hate this patronizing hymn than about any other song apart from the Satanists' anthem "Imagine". Yes, she did know, you great gibbon.

Some spiritual nourishment (there's not been any so far in this post).

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THE RESULTS AS THEY COME IN:

QUARTER-FINALS

Lord of the Dance 72.1 v Shine, Jesus, shine 27.9

All are welcome 62.3 v Kumbayah 37.7

On eagle's wings 41.6 v Gather us in 58.4

Table of plenty 28.7 v Mary, did you know? 71.3

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SEMI-FINALS

Lord of the Dance 44.3 v Gather us in 55.7

All are welcome 41.2 v Mary, did you know? 58.8

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THIRD PLACE PLAY-OFF

Lord of the Dance 45.5 v All are welcome 54.5

BRONZE MEDAL for "All are Welcome".

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FINAL

Gather us in 47.2 v Mary, did you know? 52.8

GOLD for "Mary, did you know?" and SILVER for "Gather us in."

A guest post from ChatGPT

There's not much point in our blogging any more, is there? From what follows, it seems that artificial intelligence has won. We got ChatGPT to tell us about Uncle Arthur....

"I'm soooo... sad to hear about the unhappiness of the TLM worshippers."

Could you write a piece in the style of ecclesandbosco.blogspot.com praising Cardinal Roche in a sarcastic way?

Certainly, here is my attempt:

Oh, how lucky we are to have Cardinal Roche in our midst! His presence brings a ray of sunshine to our cloudy and dreary world. His impeccable taste and style are second to none. It's no wonder that he has been dubbed the "Prada Cardinal" by those in the know.

His liturgical expertise is truly awe-inspiring. Who else could come up with such brilliant ideas as the "Table Mass," where the priest faces the people and the altar is replaced with a simple table? It's so much more intimate and modern than the old-fashioned way of doing things.

And let's not forget his groundbreaking work in the area of translations. He's made it his mission to make sure that the language of the liturgy is accessible to everyone, even if it means sacrificing accuracy and theological clarity. Who needs those things anyway when you have inclusive language and catchy slogans?

Some might criticize Cardinal Roche for his apparent disregard for tradition and his willingness to pander to the whims of the modern world. But we know better. We understand that he is simply ahead of his time, a visionary who is pushing the Church into the 21st century whether we like it or not.

So let us raise a glass to Cardinal Roche, the Prada-wearing, table-loving, slogan-spouting liturgical genius. May his influence continue to shape the Church for generations to come!

Soon it will be able to post photos as well.

I guess that ChatGPT has already been contributing to Where Pacha Is...

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Still human intervention can add something. I asked ChatGPT to mention cake as well...

Of course, Cardinal Roche's love of cake is also well known. Some might question the wisdom of indulging in such sweet treats, but we know that he does it for the sake of the Church. After all, what better way to build community than by sharing a slice of cake with your fellow parishioners?

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I promise I'll stop soon, but...

Please write me a short hymn containing the lines "Oh, we are saved" and "Everyone is good".

Oh, we are saved, by grace divine,
Redeemed from darkness, we now shine,
Our hearts ablaze with love and light,
Guided by faith, through darkest night.

Everyone is good, in God's pure sight,
Beneath the surface, we're all alike,
No one is perfect, but all can be,
Saved by His grace, forever free.

So let us sing with voices strong,
Praising His name, all day long,
For we are saved, and everyone is good,
By His mercy, we've been understood.

"I'll have to look to my laurels!" says Marty Haugen.

When Emperor Nero met St Peter

Rome, AD 66 (approx.)

St Luke, Reporter for EWTN, writes:

1. O Theophilus, it is indeed wearisome to write my words in numbered verses, but as you know, all writers of this day and age are doing so, and I shall not rebel.

2. It came to pass that Pope Peter and the Emperor Nero met in Rome, and spent five and seventy minutes together. Nero dozed for sixty minutes, and they spake for fifteen.

Where Peter is. And Nero.

3. Alas, I was not permitted to be present, and no official account of the meeting was released, so we cannot be sure what was said.

4. However, the Emperor Nero Josephus Robinetticus Bidenicus hath given some account of his words with Pope Peter, and no man dareth doubt their truth.

5. After greeting Peter, and sniffing his hair, Nero discussed weighty matters with him, such as his plans for a climate change conference in Pompeii thirteen years hence.

6. According to reports, the question of Nero's morals did not arise: the Great Fire of Rome, at which Nero played the Martius Haugenus anthem "Gather us in" on his lyre, causing terror among the populace, was not mentioned.

7. Likewise, the subsequent burning of Christians did not arise as a question that needed to be discussed.

"Build Back Better." In this picture we see a notorious lyre.

8. However, in the words of Nero himself, whom all must believe: "Pope Peter told me that I was a good Catholic, and that I should keep receiving Communion."

9. Indeed it is true that Peter's Letter to the Amoral Laetitians hath said that mass murder should not be a bar to receiving the Lord.

10. All we can say is that, following his meeting with Pope Peter, the President Nero hath redoubled his persecution of Christians, Chinese, Afghans, babies, etc. etc.

11. Indeed, Peter himself hath been crucified, Paul is on the "wanted" list, and I too am in deep trouble.

Written from the Catacombs.

Pope Francis is stuck in the lift (elevator)

Shortly before issuing a list of new cardinals which exceeds all previous lists in absurdity (a bunch of homosexual activists, left-wing agitators, freaks, gnomes, toads, creeps and weirdos unparalleled since the time when Cupich was given a red hat), Pope Francis was apparently stuck in a lift for 25 minutes. The stress of this experience is maybe what caused him to muddle up two lists he was keeping - one of people to excommunicate and one of people to raise to cardinal.

"Going down..."

Now, I know that I was seen in the Vatican today, optimistically pushing several lift buttons at once, but I must reassure you that I had nothing to do with Pope Francis's mishap. As in the 2013 Conclave we should thank the Holy Spirit for stepping in.

This is not the first time that the Holy Spirit has given a Pope a warning just as he was about to do something rash. Back in 2000, Pope John-Paul II was trapped in a broom cupboard for hours, just as he was about to issue a list of new cardinals containing the name of Jorge Bergoglio. However, he did not realize that this was a sign from above, and went ahead regardless.

"No, no, Holy Father, I'm sure it wasn't a sign."

Going further back, Pope John XXIII was trapped in the toilet for six days in 1959, emerging to call the 2nd Vatican Council. Was his incarceration a sign from Heaven that it would bring trouble?

The saintly pope's experiences were commemorated in a song, which later became one of Marty Haugen's greatest hits:

"Oh dear, what can the matter be?
Pope John is stuck in the lavatory.
He has been there from Monday till Saturday.
Nobody knew he was there."

Still, not all mishaps suffered by popes are necessarily warnings that they are about to do something rash. But in the case of Pope Francis, there is little doubt (and he has received too few warnings).

... and there came a mighty rushing wind...

Let battle commence!

Here's the draw for the World Cup of Bad Catholic Journalists (with the word "journalist" being interpreted rather loosely in some cases). Conveniently, we stopped at 32 nominees, some of whom I had never heard of before; at least they all seem to be scribblers of one kind or another. We start with eight groups of four, from which the top two (decided by a Twitter poll) go through to the next round. Then a similar round to reach the quarter-final knockout stage. Gosh, this is exciting.

Remember the World Cup of Bad Cardinals? Cupich; Marx; Kasper.

Journaliste Extraordinaire	Round 1	Round 2
John Allen Jr	3	-
Tina Beattie	3	2
Liz Bruenig	6	4
Elena Curti	1	-
Dean Dettloff	8	3
Massimo Faggioli	5	3
Simcha Fisher	3	-
David Gibson	1	-
Dawn Eden Goldstein	2	1
Daniel Horan	4	1
Austen Ivereigh	8	4
Christopher Lamb	7	4
Basil Loftus	8	-
Matt Malone	5	-
James Martin	4	2
Joshua McElwee	4	-
Robert Mickens	7	3
Jeff Mirius	7	-
Jonathan Morris	4	-
Mike O'Loughlin	5	-
Catherine Pepinster	1	2
Philip Pullella	2	-
Thomas Reese	8	-
Ronald Rolheiser	6	-
Thomas Rosica	6	3
Alexander Santora	7	-
Mark Shea	1	1
Antonio Spadaro	3	1
Dario Viganò	2	-
Stephen Walford	5	4
Michael Sean Winters	2	2
Phyllis Zagano	6	-

And the Bad Hymns? Lord of the Dance; Gather us in; Shine, Jesus, Shine.

Whoever wins is guaranteed the approval of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Tablet and the National Catholic Reporter. Oh, and Father John Zuhlsdorf*.

*I made that bit up.

Of course "bad" can mean whatever you like it to mean - anything from "irritating" through to "wrong on almost every issue". Some - but not all - of the above nominees are really quite pleasant people.

Seven reasons to prefer the Novus Ordo

As a contribution to the debate started by Fr Longenecker's Twelve Things I Like about the Novus Ordo Mass and One Peter Five's Twelve Reasons Not to Prefer the Novus Ordo, let us look at seven aspects in which the Novus Ordo beats the Extraordinary Form hollow.

An opportunity to chat.

It's very dull coming in to an EF Mass just before the start. You will normally find the church in total silence, with people praying, meditating, who knows what? Come to a jolly NO service, and we have none of that! A steady buzz of conversation - gossip, rumours, quarrels, chat about what people did last week, the shops, ... this is how it would have been like in Biblical times, when Jesus could hardly get a word in edgeways because of chatter about the price of fish, the latest rumours about Judas Iscariot's beach house, and the discomfort of the seats at the Last Supper.

Waiting for the priest to arrive.

The vernacular.

Go to an EF Mass and it's all in Latin, and even if you go a hundred times you will never be able to understand a single word of it. But go to Scotland, to France, to Poland, to Samoa, and you will find that everyone speaks Vernacular, as Vatican II told them to! Don't worry, you'll soon learn the Hungarian for "Lead us not into temptation", or "Let us not fall into temptation", or "Oooh, don't tempt me!" or whatever the Pope would like us to say this week.

No kneeling.

Well, there is some kneeling, but you can usually avoid it. After all, the Pope does. All postures are welcome. In France they stand up and block your view at the Elevation of the Host. In the Vatican they sprawl on cushions sniffing cocaine - well, some of them do. You can stand, sit, kneel, hop around on one leg, wave your hands in the air... drawing attention to yourself as a particularly holy person is very popular (I think it started with the Baptists).

Marty Haugen lets rip.

The hymns.

Oh, Gregorian chant is so boring! It may have meaningful words, dignified music, and a general air of sanctity... but, admit it, wouldn't you rather have "I am the Lord of the Dance," or "Gather us in," or even "Shine, Jesus, Shine" - all good quality sources of spiritual nourishment where the words may be heretical, banal, and boring, but they are at least the sort of songs you can sing when totally blotto (even if you may have difficulty when sober)?

Clowns, puppets, and balloons.

These are not a compulsory part of the Novus Ordo Mass (except in parts of Germany and Austria), but they are certainly a popular feature. When did you last see a priest holding up a Kermit the Frog puppet when giving a general Absolution? I think I've made my point.

We also recommend liturgical dancing.

The Grope of Peace.

The Novus Ordo Mass is so tactile. Cuddle your neighbour, pinch her backside, or - for neighbours you aren't so keen on - give him a hearty kick in the ankle. This week's top score at St Tharg's is 36 Signs of Peace - this took brother Bosco about ten minutes to complete. Admittedly, he's now facing charges of assault, grievous bodily harm, and manslaughter (how was he to know that Sister Dominatrix would have a heart attack?) but it's all Biblical, innit?

The Communion.

Kneeling down and receiving on the tongue are so rigid. Sidle up and grab the Host from the priest. Use the standard Vatican II liturgical response "Thanks, Daddy-o" rather than a silent "Amen". Do not cross yourself. Look! As with all these rituals, just do it whichever way you want. God doesn't expect our reverence, our sincerity, or even - these days - that anyone believes in Him. Ask the Bishop!

Your 32 worst hymns

On to Round 2 of the World Cup of Bad Hymns, beginning on Tuesday 16th October. Now 32 examples of the poets' art remain, out of 64 originally, and there are eight groups of four from each of which two go through to the final 16.

Congratulations to Dan Schutte on getting three wonderfully appalling hymns through to the second round; Brian Howard, Estelle White and Marty Haugen are also going well.

All join in the singing, please.

Although officially neutral, I was disappointed that we lost "I watch the sunrise", "Colours of Day", "Enemy of apathy", "Our God reigns" and above all "Follow me" (the two shirts song), since this probably means that Fr Arfur will feel that it's OK to carry on using them at the church of St Daryl the Apostate. Oh well...

Title	Author	Rd 1	Rd 2
God's Spirit is in my heart	Alan Dale	2	1
Kumbayah	anon	10	6
Christ be our light	Bernadette Farrell	13	8
Bind us together, Lord	Bob Gillman	15	7
If I were a butterfly	Brian Howard	5	3
I just wanna be a sheep	Brian Howard	14	8
Walk in the Light	Damian Lundy	3	1
I, the Lord of sea and sky	Daniel Schutte	1	1
Let us build the city of God	Daniel Schutte	7	3
Come to the table of plenty	Daniel Schutte	16	7
Sing a new Church	Delores Dufner	6	4
Moses, I know you're the man	Estelle White	14	7
Cheep! said the sparrow on the chimney top	Estelle White	16	8
Shine, Jesus, shine	Graham Kendrick	10	5
This little light of mine	Harry Dixon Loes	4	1
I am the Living Bread	Ifeanyichukwu Eze	7	4
Eat this bread	Jacques Berthier	11	5
One bread, one body	John Foley	12	5
Gift of finest wheat	John Michael Talbot	1	2
Gloria (clap clap)	Martin Anderson	12	6
As the deer pants	Martin Nystrom	11	6
Let us build a house where love can dwell / All are welcome	Marty Haugen	5	4
Gather us in	Marty Haugen	6	3
Who is the alien	Mary Louise Bringle	9	5
The world is full of smelly feet	Michael Forster	8	3
On eagle's wings	Michael Joncas	4	2
Alleluia Ch-Ch	Paul Inwood	15	8
They'll know we are Christians by our love	Peter Scholtes	8	4
Jesus Christ the apple tree	R.H.	9	6
Lord of the Dance	Sidney Carter	2	2
Go, the Mass is ended	Sister Marie Lydia Pereira	3	2
I am the Bread of Life	Suzanne Toolan	13	7

Get voting!