BOSTON -- Richard Clark was three days old when Pope St. Paul VI promulgated the Novus Ordo Mass in 1969.

"How old is the Novus Ordo?" joked Clark, director of music for the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. "You're looking at it."

Clark's entire life has been spent amid the seismic changes brought on by the Second Vatican Council. His was one of the first First Communion classes taught to receive the Eucharist in the hand. In his youth, shifting demographics closed parishes and spread resources thin, especially in his Long Island neighborhood.

He was disappointed with the music he heard at Mass. Being a parish musician didn't seem worthwhile. Of course, he later changed his mind.

"The true purpose of music, which is the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful, what's not higher than that?" he asked about three dozen people, largely parish musicians, in the cathedral's Blessed Sacrament Chapel on Aug. 30.

They had come to hear Clark give a talk entitled "Continuity and Hope: Journey of the American Parish and Its Future in the New Rite." Clark himself admitted that it was an awfully broad topic to cover in a single presentation.

In his career, Clark has had a front-row seat to the so-called "liturgy wars," especially when it comes to what styles of music are acceptable during Mass. His education at Berklee College of Music encompassed classical, jazz, and pop. In parishes, he has directed everything from Renaissance polyphony to guitar-bass-and-drum bands.

As he's gotten older, he's come to understand more what Vatican II was supposed to achieve.

"I always thought it might take about 100 years to fully understand and take in the Second Vatican Council because there's so much depth to it, so much importance to it," he said.

The talk was sponsored by the cathedral and the Boston chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, which Communications Director Kiki Donahue said is "revitalizing."

"We wanted to have a really open dialogue about the joy and hope of the American parish, where we've been, where we're going," she said.

"I wanted for it to demonstrate that we are all in different places in faith, but what doesn't change is the liturgy," said NPM Boston Director John Volpe.

Volpe is music director of St. Mary-St. Catherine Parish in Charlestown. Music there runs the gamut from traditional to contemporary.

"I try to cover all the bases that touch people the most and help them elevate their prayers," he said.

Clark said he is dismayed by the polarization he sees in the Church over liturgy. Musical tastes, he said, should not become an idolized "golden calf."

"Problems sometimes can play out in the liturgy," he said. "It's not really a healthy development, but it's a reality. People might become territorial. Human nature will feel fearful of change, and change is ubiquitous."

He said people argue about what to do at Mass because they love it. Regardless of their views, they're passionate enough to advocate for what they believe is best.

"What you do have is an inexorable drive toward improvement, renewal, restoration, reform, none of which are mutually exclusive with unity," he said.

He gave a crash course in the last 400 years of papal guidance on liturgy. As Masses adopted the classical and operatic style that was popular in secular European music, Pope St. Pius X dictated that Mass should prioritize Gregorian chant. He also dictated that "music should be sacred, beautiful, and universal." Pius XI encouraged the assembly to be active participants and sing during Mass. Pope Pius XII did the same, calling for "liturgical renewal." More recent popes have expressed similar views, while acknowledging that an increasingly multicultural Church must allow for diverse musical styles.

Clark compared liturgical music to the score of a film, setting the tone for what happens during Mass.

"What's going on in the liturgy?" he asked. "How well does that piece accompany what's going on in liturgy?"

He added, "How are the words wedded with music, and how is the music, your words, wedded to a liturgical action? Very different from a playlist mentality of the world. The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care."

One of the hardest things about being a music director, he said, is that they are "the last line of defense" as to whether liturgical music is "theologically appropriate." On top of all his other responsibilities, Clark must use his discernment and Church teaching to determine, for example, whether a piece accurately describes the Eucharist. He is on the committee for the fifth edition of GIA Publications' Worship hymnal. GIA is in the process of vetting music to ensure it is acceptable. Churches, Clark said, shouldn't have "hymnals that require a question mark each time I turn the page."

In 2020, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops stepped in, releasing a document warning that certain hymns were improper.

"The fact that this has come out is a sign of a problem," Clark said.

Also a problem are the many challenges facing U.S. dioceses, including declining attendance, parish closures, bankruptcy, and continued fallout from the clergy sexual abuse scandal. In the face of all that, Clark asked the musicians to think about their vocations.

"What keeps you going?" he asked. "What keeps you? Why are you faithful to the Church?"

His family and the sacraments, especially Christ's presence in the Eucharist, have kept him loving his Catholic faith. Jesus is not only present in the Eucharist but in his Word, which is sung during Mass.

"When the Church prays and sings, God is present," he said. "So what you're doing is for the Lord."

He said that no matter what state of mind a person is in when they attend Mass, the music will influence how they feel.

"When you sing, you will impact people's lives in ways you will not know," he said. "You alter their lives for the better and forever. Your song may offer one bit of hope that somebody needs. I want you to pray on that."

He concluded his talk with the words of Pope Francis: "Let us be astonished by the beauty of the liturgy."

Afterward, Clark and the musicians sang Vespers together, led by Father Paul Wargovich. Mass was then celebrated by Father Rodrigo Martinez, parochial vicar of the cathedral.