Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Gregorian chant enthusiast admits tradition can be boring without proper teaching

byEmilie Ng
23 September 2016 - Updated on 1 April 2021
Reading Time: 2 mins read
AA
Ronan Reilly

Ronan Reilly: “First off when I began to sing chant, I thought it was boring.” Photo: Patrick J. Lee

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Ronan Reilly
Ronan Reilly: “First off when I began to sing chant, I thought it was boring.” Photo: Patrick J. Lee.

GREGORIAN chant promoter Ronan Reilly is the first to admit traditional church music can seem uninspiring in the beginning.

As a young Catholic, the Sacred Music Association member remembers being bored by singing chant for the Mass.

He couldn’t understand why it was useful spiritually or musically to sing one syllable over and over in various tones, a music system in chant known as neume.

“First off when I began to sing chant, I thought it was boring,” Mr Reilly said.

It wasn’t until he received proper teaching about chant and its origins in the life of Christ, that he understood why chant was so important.

“I heard it explained once that many things in the Church are like sitting down with your grandmother,” Mr Reilly said.

“Sometimes you want to play soccer but she can’t, so you just have to sit at her feet and listen.

“And when she’s 2000 years old and has travelled the world so many times, and wants to tell you about her husband and herself as the Bride …”

Mr Reilly, who is directing music for the Brisbane Oratory, is hoping people who have found chant boring will make an effort to learn more about the tradition. 

“One of the many things about tradition is that it has to be living, it must be put on display,” he said.

Related Stories

Gunmen kidnap two Catholic priests in Nigeria

Ethiopian cardinal brings sense of gratitude to Australia

Myanmar military burns houses, destroys a village

He hopes a workshop in Townsville next month will be the start of a sacred music restoration for Queensland. While the use of Gregorian chant in the Mass can be synonymous with the Latin Mass, Mr Reilly said it was not limited to the one liturgical rite.

He encouraged others in the Ordinary form to take up the tradition, which in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy afforded it “pride of place in liturgical services”.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to what the Church wants,” Mr Reilly said.

“When you hear it, you might not understand it.

“Persevere, have patience and humility, and stand back in awe.”

Mr Reilly said it was also important to remember Gregorian chant had its origins in the Middle East and also Jesus’ time.

“It’s the ordinariness of it but also the antiquity of the music, and some (compositions) go back to the temple,” he said.

“In (the Gospel of) Matthew, after the Last Supper, Our Lord sang psalms of thanksgiving after the Passover.

“That is amazing and, I believe, awe-inspiring.”

The Gregorian chant workshops in Townsville will be held on October 7 and 8, with a special timeslot for school students on the Saturday morning.

The workshops will be followed by a holy hour and time for confessions and a Latin Mass on October 9.

For more information on the workshops or the Latin Mass contact Susan Le Feuvre on 0401 608 445.

By Emilie Ng

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Catholic mother fined after protesting against coal mining

Next Post

Woman set free from abortion shame recalls trauma: ‘He dropped me off outside a surgery and drove off’

Emilie Ng

Emilie Ng is a Brisbane-based journalist for The Catholic Leader.

Related Posts

Gunmen kidnap two Catholic priests in Nigeria
World

Gunmen kidnap two Catholic priests in Nigeria

27 May 2022
Ethiopian cardinal brings sense of gratitude to Australia
Australia

Ethiopian cardinal brings sense of gratitude to Australia

26 May 2022
Myanmar military burns houses, destroys a village
News

Myanmar military burns houses, destroys a village

24 May 2022
Next Post
abortion

Woman set free from abortion shame recalls trauma: 'He dropped me off outside a surgery and drove off'

townsville

Parish challenged to show face of mercy for migrants and refugees

Pensioner Mick Sullivan

Catholic pensioner struggles to make ends meet

Popular News

  • Blessed Sacrament desecrated in robbery of sacred vessels at Canberra church

    Blessed Sacrament desecrated in robbery of sacred vessels at Canberra church

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Abdallah family launch forgiveness campaign one year on from crash that killed four children

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • All Catholics invited to pray rosary for peace with Pope Francis next Tuesday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Christian Brothers’ community mourn the passing of Brother Tony White

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Vatican

All Catholics invited to pray rosary for peace with Pope Francis next Tuesday

by Staff writers
27 May 2022
0

By Catholic News Agency THE Vatican is inviting Catholics to join Pope Francis in praying the rosary...

Gunmen kidnap two Catholic priests in Nigeria

Gunmen kidnap two Catholic priests in Nigeria

27 May 2022
Ethiopian cardinal brings sense of gratitude to Australia

Ethiopian cardinal brings sense of gratitude to Australia

26 May 2022
Blessed Sacrament desecrated in robbery of sacred vessels at Canberra church

Blessed Sacrament desecrated in robbery of sacred vessels at Canberra church

26 May 2022
Pope Francis – ‘My heart is broken’ over Texas elementary school shooting

Pope Francis – ‘My heart is broken’ over Texas elementary school shooting

26 May 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping