No, I'm not blegging for any kind of money or financial benefit. I'm actually putting out my plea to all musicians and parish priests in the United States: Please do NOT play Memorial Day music on Pentecost Sunday. Memorial Day is Monday. There is a special Mass that can be celebrated for Various Needs, if I'm not mistaken. You can go to town with patriotic music then. This Sunday is PENTECOST - the BIRTH of the Church (not to mention, our parish's Patron - Holy Ghost).
Last year I did have one person - I will not mention name or gender, leaving no clues - put up a stink to both the pastor and me. This person was begging me to play the Battle Hymn of the Republic. The pastor and I both explained to the person in question that Memorial Day is NOT what was being celebrated on the Sunday (last year it was the 7th Sunday of Easter - well, in this diocese anyways), and that a patriotic hymn would be inappropriate. Yes, I'm saying this, fully aware that my father (+1981) was in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, and my father-in-law (+1999) was in the U.S. Army during that same war.
We stood our ground, "pastorally" - from the Latin word "pastor" meaning "shepherd". Instead of giving in, we teach.
Michael Lawrence of NLM has an excellent post on the topic at hand here. This Sunday, let's greet each other with Happy Pentecost in honor of the Birth of Catholicism.
Peace,
BMP
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