{"id":56553,"date":"2021-06-15T12:56:41","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T17:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=56553"},"modified":"2021-06-21T11:49:35","modified_gmt":"2021-06-21T16:49:35","slug":"mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission\/Evangelization and Colonialism\/Imperialism"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was recently interviewed for GIA Publications\u2019 \u201cEncore\u201d podcast,<\/a> and was asked to name some of the highlights of my thirty-year tenure in the field of liturgy\/music publishing.<\/p>\n

One of the highlights I mentioned was getting to work with Lucien Deiss, CSSp, for a number of years. He was, of course, selected by Pope Paul VI to coordinate the work on the Lectionary psalter after Vatican II. In the U.S. he was most widely known as the composer of a number of Biblical Hymns and Psalms<\/a> (in two volumes<\/a>). Some knew him as a Patristics scholar, particularly as that field pertained to the liturgical movement of the 20th century. I also knew he was a motorcycle-riding former member of the French Resistance in World War II, who\u2019d taught himself English on top of the six other languages he knew, and who frequently fell asleep in my car after dinner, when I\u2019d return him to his hotel.<\/p>\n

In my interview, I remarked how Fr. Deiss was also, perhaps, the holiest person I\u2019d ever met, and how\u2014despite his work and achievments in other areas\u2014he was most fervently dedicated to his religious order\u2019s missionary work, especially among the poorest of the poor. It was the multiple times he\u2019d contracted malaria in South America and Africa that led to the weakening of his heart, which ultimately caused his death.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nearly twenty years later, as I was talking about him in the interview and the word \u201cmissionary\u201d came out of my mouth, it felt and sounded quite different, a bit unfamiliar. It later occurred to me that even with all the discussion of evangelization going on around me, the words \u201cmission\u201d or \u201cmissionary\u201d aren\u2019t a regular part of my vocabulary.<\/p>\n

I am old enough to have helped purchase \u201cpagan babies\u201d in grade school, and in my education\/formation had Vatican II\u2019s openness to the culture and traditions of \u201cmission\u201d lands (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy<\/em> 37\u201341) for the work of liturgical\/musical inculturation held up as exemplary. As I studied, and matured\u2014and came to know how little I knew\u2014the Constitution\u2019s Eurocentric\/imperialistic basis slowly made the Council\u2019s work and views on inculturation (groundbreaking as they were), slowly lose their sheen.<\/p>\n

Some aspects of this resonated even more strongly as I read recently about the Southern Baptist Convention<\/a> adoption of their \u201cGreat Commission\u201d rebranding, even as they struggled with racism, racial reconciliation and acception\/rejection of Critical Race Theory, sexual abuse, misogyny, and abusive autocracy within their denomination.<\/p>\n

In one of the \u201cGreat Commission\u201d articles I read, the phrase \u201cto seek the lost\u201d recurred, as both central to the SBC\u2019s history and their current work in evangelization. Again, similarities with Roman Catholicism were striking, and in both cases no doubt have been prompted by what is happening in the surrounding culture as much as within the denomination itself.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As with so many other matters, who we define as \u201cthe lost\u201d can have numerous threads of racial supremacy, cultural colonialism, sacral imperialism, and other biases woven into its warp and woof. Are \u201cthe lost\u201d those who do not know\/accept\/believe in Christ? Are my Jewish or Muslim next-door neighbors \u201clost\u201d though they attend their houses of worship regularly? Perhaps the \u201clost\u201d are those who once participated in Christianity but no longer do (in at least some cases due to the behavior of Christianity itself). What about my many professional music acquaintances who exist somewhere on the agnostic-atheist spectrum? To be honest, most of them don\u2019t seem any more \u201clost\u201d than I am, at least in terms of how they live and treat others day-by-day.<\/p>\n

Even within the Body of Christ, delving into topics like appreciation of the gifts of cultures other than my own can get tricky. Though I may reach across cultural boundaries in order to avoid remaining isolated in a cultural silo, how do I enrich the life of faith without unhealthy cultural appropriation? Most of church history is, after all, the story of cultural sharing and appropriation, though often through harmful or outright violent subjugation. In these latter instances, the sin must be forthrightly acknowledged, confessed, atoned for, and tangibly opposed into the future.<\/p>\n

In the U.S. we also need to examine the tendency to pair our nationalism with our faith, which has sometimes led to an assimilation of Christ into Empire, as has happened frequently in Christianity\u2019s history. Along with moving past (or at least finding complements for) an image of God<\/a> as a white guy on a cloud-borne throne, it may be time to move on from the belief that God blesses one nation more than another, and thereby condones our wars, our economic violence, eventually our genocide. As deep links between white supremacy and some Christians in the U.S. are uncovered, we simultaneously learn for how much of our history we\u2019ve actually been a tacit theocracy. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Moving through the twenty-first century, one of the most substantive challenges will be to live peacefully and fruitfully in a truly pluralistic society, while keeping a central role and integrity for the Christian faith in our lives. To evangelize in this context will simultaneously take fervor and finesse, and to me it seems like prayers to the Holy Spirit for these two additional gifts might be called for. Likewise, understanding \u201cmission\u201d in the context of a truly interdependent global community (vs. a European-based dispensary of all that is good, true, and beautiful) will take those same character traits.<\/p>\n

I still count my years working with Fr. Deiss as a personal and professional highlight\u2014more importantly, a spiritual one as well. As with all the pioneers of the liturgical renewal, we honor their work by studying it, accepting its gifts, not dismissing but learning from its shortomings, finding our own humanity and limitations therein, singing (as Augustine put it) \u201cas pilgrims on a journey\u201d all the while.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As with so many other matters, who we define as \u201cthe lost\u201d can have numerous threads of racial supremacy, cultural colonialism, sacral imperialism, and other biases woven into its warp and woof.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":56559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3119],"tags":[793,3102,3074,2620],"class_list":["post-56553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-plaza-new-ws","tag-evangelization","tag-interfaith-dialogue","tag-mission","tag-multiculturalism"],"yoast_head":"\nMission\/Evangelization and Colonialism\/Imperialism - Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mission\/Evangelization and Colonialism\/Imperialism - Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As with so many other matters, who we define as \u201cthe lost\u201d can have numerous threads of racial supremacy, cultural colonialism, sacral imperialism, and other biases woven into its warp and woof.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-15T17:56:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-06-21T16:49:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Unknown-1.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"225\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"225\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alan Hommerding\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alan Hommerding\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Alan Hommerding\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/29da6922696c3bded94a79a08d2f630b\"},\"headline\":\"Mission\\\/Evangelization and Colonialism\\\/Imperialism\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-15T17:56:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-06-21T16:49:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":997,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/Unknown-1.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Evangelization\",\"interfaith dialogue\",\"Mission\",\"Multiculturalism\"],\"articleSection\":[\"4_THE PLAZA\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mission\\\/Evangelization and Colonialism\\\/Imperialism - Home\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/Unknown-1.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-15T17:56:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-06-21T16:49:35+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/Unknown-1.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/Unknown-1.jpeg\",\"width\":225,\"height\":225},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/15\\\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mission\\\/Evangelization and Colonialism\\\/Imperialism\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Home\",\"description\":\"Worship, Wit & Wisdom\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Home\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg\",\"width\":1340,\"height\":209,\"caption\":\"Home\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/29da6922696c3bded94a79a08d2f630b\",\"name\":\"Alan Hommerding\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/AJHphoto-96x96.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/AJHphoto-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/AJHphoto-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Alan Hommerding\"},\"description\":\"Alan Hommerding has been with World Library Publications (WLP) since 1991, most recently as Liturgical Publications Editor for the WLP division of GIA Publications. He is also a composer of numerous published choral and instrumental works, and is well-known as an author of hymn texts. Alan has served the North American Academy of Liturgy as convener of the liturgical music seminar, and as a member of the executive group for the Catholic Academy of Liturgy. He has been a regular contributor to the PrayTell blog since 2016.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/ahommerding\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mission\/Evangelization and Colonialism\/Imperialism - Home","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mission\/Evangelization and Colonialism\/Imperialism - Home","og_description":"As with so many other matters, who we define as \u201cthe lost\u201d can have numerous threads of racial supremacy, cultural colonialism, sacral imperialism, and other biases woven into its warp and woof.","og_url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/","og_site_name":"Home","article_published_time":"2021-06-15T17:56:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-06-21T16:49:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":225,"height":225,"url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Unknown-1.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Alan Hommerding","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alan Hommerding","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/"},"author":{"name":"Alan Hommerding","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/person\/29da6922696c3bded94a79a08d2f630b"},"headline":"Mission\/Evangelization and Colonialism\/Imperialism","datePublished":"2021-06-15T17:56:41+00:00","dateModified":"2021-06-21T16:49:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/"},"wordCount":997,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Unknown-1.jpeg","keywords":["Evangelization","interfaith dialogue","Mission","Multiculturalism"],"articleSection":["4_THE PLAZA"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/","name":"Mission\/Evangelization and Colonialism\/Imperialism - Home","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Unknown-1.jpeg","datePublished":"2021-06-15T17:56:41+00:00","dateModified":"2021-06-21T16:49:35+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Unknown-1.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Unknown-1.jpeg","width":225,"height":225},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/15\/mission-evangelization-and-colonialism-imperialism\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mission\/Evangelization and Colonialism\/Imperialism"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/","name":"Home","description":"Worship, Wit & Wisdom","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization","name":"Home","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg","width":1340,"height":209,"caption":"Home"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/person\/29da6922696c3bded94a79a08d2f630b","name":"Alan Hommerding","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/AJHphoto-96x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/AJHphoto-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/AJHphoto-96x96.jpg","caption":"Alan Hommerding"},"description":"Alan Hommerding has been with World Library Publications (WLP) since 1991, most recently as Liturgical Publications Editor for the WLP division of GIA Publications. He is also a composer of numerous published choral and instrumental works, and is well-known as an author of hymn texts. Alan has served the North American Academy of Liturgy as convener of the liturgical music seminar, and as a member of the executive group for the Catholic Academy of Liturgy. He has been a regular contributor to the PrayTell blog since 2016.","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/author\/ahommerding\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Unknown-1.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56553"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56565,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56553\/revisions\/56565"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}