Tradition is integral to Catholicism, uniting generations and, through Catholic schools, connecting students, faculty and families. But for years, St. Clement School in Cincinnati lacked one vital symbol of tradition: an alma mater song. Brother Ed Arambasich, OFM, first noticed the school had no alma mater. “I asked several people …

As a priest and punk rocker who, through loud, angry music, found meaning and hope in the midst of suffering, I was overjoyed to discover Walk the Line: Rock Music and the Christian Imagination. This collection’s essays delve into particular songs and various artists’ work to find expressions of the …

By Matt McDonald CNA Newsroom, Dec 1, 2023 / 14:15 pm Irish songwriter and former Pogues lead singer Shane MacGowan received last rites before he died Thursday, his family said. “Prayers and the last rites were read during his passing,” the family said in a written statement Nov. 30. MacGowan, 65, is best …

By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Nov 13, 2023 / 13:30 pm Sheet music was made available online last week for the official hymns of the upcoming National Eucharistic Revival, which were chosen from among hundreds of entries in a contest last summer. “The goal of this contest was to give voice …

By Jonah McKeown St. Louis, Mo., Sep 6, 2023 / 07:45 am Jimmy Buffett, for years an iconic purveyor of beach-themed soft rock, died Friday, Sept. 1, after living with Merkel cell skin cancer for four years. He was 76. The “Margaritaville” singer was raised Catholic, though he did not — …

Bands Build Community at Catholic Schools by Bonny Van Nothing heralds the change of seasons from summer to fall like the rat-a-tat-tat of snare drums in a high school marching band. “The first football game always feels electric,” said Carl Soucek, band director for 23 years at Carroll High School …

by Joe Bukuras, Shannon Mullen Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 23, 2022 / 14:16 pm Standing in front of the altar and framed by a shimmering backdrop, Father Terrence M. Keehan did an unusual thing at the end of Sunday Mass on Feb. 13. The 65-year-old pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church …

Where I used to work, the phrase “world class” was thrown around often. It sounds like a noble goal, to be world class, but there’s a dilemma. How do you define world class? CONSIDER MUSIC. Yo-Yo Ma was a child  prodigy cellist, graduated from the Juilliard School and Harvard, recorded …

by Autumn Jones Denver Newsroom, Oct 8, 2021 / 17:01 pm On Sept. 28, a community of seminarians from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s European seminary released an album of Christmas Matins, “Sancta Nox: Christmas Matins from Bavaria”. This week, the 17-song collection topped the Billboard’s Traditional Classical Albums …

Vatican City, Feb 4, 2021 / 06:05 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis praised musicians on Thursday for showing “new creativity” despite severe restrictions imposed on their work by the coronavirus pandemic. In a Feb. 4 video message to participants in an online conference organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture, …