Where Have You Gone, Michelangelo: The Loss of Soul in Catholic Culture

The ``celebration of the insipid and sappy'' in contemporary Catholic liturgies is the bete noir that Day, chairman of the music department at Salve Regina College, in Newport, R.I., wrestles with in this lively exploration. Like his earlier, well-received Why Catholics Can't Sing , this colloquial explication of what he calls ``that deep pit of feel-good sentimentality, the liturgy as weird variety show'' is peppered with incisive humor that tempers the scholarly basis of Day's critique. Essentially, the subject is the change in Roman Catholic churches brought about by Vatican II and the loss of a sense of mystery in the rush to popularization. Chapters are devoted to the evanescent Latin mass, church art and music with side journeys into the public worship of other denominations. With his signature wit and brio, Day addresses nagging problems experienced by Catholic churchgoers today, and offers workable suggestions for enriching the liturgical experience. (Oct.)