You're probably asking yourself why a separate page for sacred music exists. I gave a brief series of lectures on Sacred Music a few years ago at SJL, but I wanted to bring some clarity and awareness to the unique repertoire of chants and sacred music music that not only survives but can still be heard in churches locally and around the world. First, a short video by Fr. James Moore to help explain what Sacred Music is.
While most American Catholics can describe to you the early twentieth century roots of musical genres such as Blues, Rock N' Roll, and Country, the much more ancient treasury of Catholic sacred music has been neglected, despite there being wonderful recordings freely available. This is largely due to its not sounding or looking like contemporary music. According to Catholic teaching on sacred music, true Sacred Music should not sound like the music of today. By only choosing the most popular forms of music with no concern for the universality or theology behind it, we make a mistake. Sacred music takes many forms and includes rarely heard polyphonic music such as this Palestrina Mass (composed in 1590). Try to listen without distraction to this powerful and prayerful Mass.