FAQs

Since “Praise & Worship” music is a new music genre, we don’t have thousands of years of musical formation for this style, like we do for Gregorian chant, or hundreds of years of formation for our Classical hymns. For Praise & Worship music, the genre itself has only existed for a few decades. So when “great importance is to be attached to the teaching and practice of music”1 and “teachers are to be carefully trained”1 , there are not a lot of resources out there to train this new genre of music. Professional, industry-quality, Praise & Worship music in the Catholic Church is rarely seen outside of national conferences like Steubenville and Rise Up. We exist to change that.  

1 Sacrosanctum Concilium
115. Great importance is to be attached to the teaching and practice of music in seminaries, in the novitiates and houses of study of religious of both sexes, and also in other Catholic institutions and schools. To impart this instruction, teachers are to be carefully trained and put in charge of the teaching of sacred music.

New Evangelization Worship (NEW) is not a lilturgical movement. Our primary focus is on providing training for Praise & Worship music. We love all styles of music in the Church, from our traditional hymns to Gregorian chant. We do not see Praise & Worship, Gregorian chant, and Traditional Hymns, as “competing styles” of worship. We see Praise & Worship, Gregorian chant, and Traditional Hymns as complimentary, each with their unique and valuable place to encounter the Lord. At NEW, we believe that “Praise and Worship” is simply one genre in the Church, among many, which can be used to worship God. We don't demand uniformity where the Church allows diversity of opinion or custom.

Sacrosanctum Concilium
116. The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services. But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations, so long as they accord with the spirit of the liturgical action, as laid down in Art. 30.
120. In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man's mind to God and to higher things. But other instruments also may be admitted for use in divine worship, with the knowledge and consent of the competent territorial authority, as laid down in Art. 22, 52, 37, and 40. This may be done, however, only on condition that the instruments are suitable, or can be made suitable, for sacred use, accord with the dignity of the temple, and truly contribute to the edification of the faithful.

Success for us means witnessing musicians of all experience levels implement and refine the details that create excellent praise and worship, witnessing musicians deepen their personal relationship with Jesus, observing engaged parishioners encountering the Father's love in a deeper way, disengaged parishioners rediscovering the liturgy and Christ's life-changing relationship with them, and new guests being drawn into the mystery of the Mass. We want transformations to happen at the communal level and individual level. 

We believe in the vital importance of silence - no music - in the context of worship. We believe being in a state of silence and contemplative prayer allows every soul to hear God’s voice in a specific and unique way that has inestimable, essential, and irreplaceable value. We do not see silence and praise & worship as “competing styles” of worship. We see both of these as complimentary and holding their own unique and valuable place to encounter the Lord.