Pope Leo’s Message to Music Ministers
Pope Leo offers a Reflection on music for all those who sing at Mass
Celebrating Mass on November 23, 2025, on this feast of Christ the King, thousands of singers have come to Rome for their Jubilee. Before more than 40,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of Choirs and Choral Groups held in Rome, Pope Leo called on St. Augustine and St. Ignatius of Antioch to emphasize the importance and beauty of the vocation to sing at Mass.
Saint Augustine exhorts us, again, to sing while we walk, like weary travelers who find in song a foretaste of the joy they will experience when they reach their destination. “Sing, but continue your journey […] progress in virtue” (Sermon 256, 3). Being part of a choir means advancing together, therefore, taking our brothers and sisters by the hand and helping them to walk with us. It means singing the praises of God together, consoling our brothers and sisters in their suffering, exhorting them when they seem to give in to fatigue, and encouraging them when difficulties seem to prevail. Singing reminds us that we are a Church on a journey, an authentic synodal reality capable of sharing with everyone the vocation to praise and joy on this pilgrimage of love and hope.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch also employs moving words to express the relationship between the song of the choir and the unity of the Church: “From your unity and harmonious love, sing to Jesus Christ. And let each one become a choir, so that being harmonious of your arrangement and taking up the song of God in unison, you may with one voice sing to the Father through Jesus Christ, that he may both hear you and recognize you for your good works” (Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Ephesios, IV). In fact, the different voices of a choir harmonize with each other, giving rise to a single hymn of praise, a luminous symbol of the Church, which unites everyone in love in a single pleasing melody.
You belong to choirs that carry out their ministry primarily in liturgical settings. Yours is a true ministry that requires preparation, commitment, mutual understanding and, above all, a deep spiritual life, so that when you sing, you both pray and help everyone else to pray. This ministry requires discipline and a spirit of service, especially when preparing for a solemn liturgy or an important event in your communities. The choir is a small family of individuals united by their love of music and the service they offer. However, remember that the community is your larger family. You are not on stage, but rather a part of that community, endeavoring to help it grow in unity by inspiring and engaging its members. As in all families, tensions or minor misunderstandings can arise. These things are normal when working together and striving to achieve a goal. We can say to some extent that the choir symbolizes the Church, which, striving toward its goal, walks through history praising God. Even when this journey is beset by difficulties and trials and joyful moments give way to more challenging ones, singing makes the journey lighter, providing relief and consolation.
Strive, therefore, to make your choirs ever harmonious and beautiful, and a brighter image of the Church praising her Lord. Study the Magisterium carefully. The conciliar documents set out the norms for carrying out your service in the best possible way. Above all, dedicate yourselves to facilitating the participation of the people of God, without giving in to the temptation of ostentation, which prevents the entire liturgical assembly from actively participating in the singing. In this, be an eloquent sign of the Church’s prayer, expressing its love for God through the beauty of music. Take care that your spiritual life is always worthy of the service you perform, so that you
I place all of you under the protection of Saint Cecilia, the virgin and martyr who raised the most beautiful song of love through her life here in Rome, giving herself entirely to Christ and offering the Church a shining example of faith and love. Let us continue singing and once again make our own the invitation of today’s responsorial psalm: “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.”
"Your task is to draw others into the praise of God and to help them to participate more fully in the liturgy through song.”
-Pope Leo
May peace be with you this Advent. God bless!
