Music and Prayer

• Catholic Music


  A hymn is a type of religious song, written for worship or prayer. Catholic hymns are often written with special or seasonal themes and these are used on holy days such

  as Christmas, Easter or during particular seasons such as Advent and Lent. Music helps lift hearts and voices to God so prayers can be offered.
• Faure’s Requiem

  One of the most famous pieces of music used at a requiem was composed by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924). Faure attempts to express Catholic beliefs about eternal life in

  his music. In the requiem he wanted to show that you could be sad about the death of loved ones while also hoping that after death they had gone on to eternal life with

  God. The music focuses on the hope that the dead will be in heaven and share eternal life with God, The harps, violins and angelic sopranos are designed to lift the music

  skyward in the hope that the prayers of the funeral go to God.
• Types of Prayer:

  Formulaic & Extempore


  Catholics can use formulaic prayers, which are prayers that have a set structure. These have been passed down over many years as part of the Church tradition. There

  are many of these prayers that Catholics can use. For example. The Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be. Catholics also use extempore prayers, which are prayers

  where a person might use their own words to speak to God. These prayers are more spontaneous and do not require planning or preparation. They might be prayers that

  you say to yourself or a prayer that you share with others.
• The Lord's Prayer or Our Father is a model for prayer because it contains the four main reasons why people pray
• The acronym ACTS is used to remember four key parts found in many formal prayers
• Catholics include these in their informal, personal prayers:

  • Adoration: Praising God
  • Confession: Saying sorry
  • Thanksgiving: Thanking God
  • Supplication: Asking for something, also known as intercession
• Catholics have a long tradition of praying for the dead
• They ask God to welcome the deceased into God’s presence for eternal life in heaven
• The most commonly used prayer for the dead is the 'Eternal Rest'
• Catholics might ask a priest to offer a mass for a deceased relative or friend
• Catholics pray for the dead because of their belief in purgatory
• Purgatory is a state before heaven, coming from the word "purge" to cleanse or get rid of sin
• Catholics believe that most people are not bad enough for hell but not good enough for heaven, as they have sinned in their lives on earth