The Truth About Sacred Music with Peter Carter

Gotta Be Saints

Gotta Be Saints
The Truth About Sacred Music with Peter Carter
Apr 20, 2026

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Brendan Gotta sits down with Peter Carter to explore the beauty, purpose, and deeper meaning of sacred music in the life of the Church.

Music has always played a central role in Christian worship, from the Psalms of the Old Testament to the chants of the early Church. But what actually makes music sacred? And what role should it play in helping us encounter God more deeply at Mass?

Peter, a church musician and Director of the Catholic Sacred Music Project, shares how sacred music is not meant to be performance, but prayer. Together, they dive into the Church’s vision for liturgical music, the importance of participation, and how music elevates our worship by engaging the whole person—body and soul.

They also reflect on practical ways parishes and families can recover a culture of sacred music, from singing in the home to approaching the liturgy with humility and intentionality. Ultimately, this conversation is an invitation to move beyond passive attendance and enter more fully into the worship of God.

This episode challenges us to stop asking what we get out of Mass—and instead, how we can offer ourselves more completely in praise.

Featured Book
The Song of the Lamb: Sacred Music and the Heavenly Liturgy by Peter Carter and Cardinal Robert Sarah

Mentioned Resources
Catholic Sacred Music Project

Sponsored by Truthly

This episode is brought to you by Truthly.

Truthly helps you grow in clarity, conviction, and confidence by delivering faithful, trustworthy answers grounded in Christian truth. Whether you’re seeking deeper formation or practical guidance for everyday life, Truthly equips you to think clearly and live boldly.

https://truthly.ai/

Stay Connected

If this episode inspired you to reflect more deeply on the call to holiness, share it with a friend.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gottabesaints/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gottabesaints/

Support the show

Episode Artwork The Truth About Sacred Music with Peter Carter 43:56 Episode Artwork The Story of St. Philomena with Fr. Peregrine Fletcher 37:54 Episode Artwork What Christ Suffered - A Journey Through the Passion 38:36 Episode Artwork A Fearless and Faithful Voice: Discovering Ida Görres 32:11 Episode Artwork Training the Tongue and Growing Beyond Sins of Speech with Fr. Gregory Pine, OP 37:09 Episode Artwork Praying Through Lent — A Family Guide with Colleen Pressprich 37:59 Episode Artwork Journeying to Catholicism with Steph Stampfer 50:35 Episode Artwork Abortion Pill Reversal: A Second Chance at Choice 28:14 Episode Artwork Jewish Identity in the Catholic Church with Dr. Angela Costley 30:40 Episode Artwork The Reason to Stay Catholic with Colleen Dulle 40:03 Episode Artwork The Shock of Holiness with Dr. Michael Pakaluk 28:36 Episode Artwork A Catholic Plan for Resisting Physician-Assisted Killing With Charles Camosy 39:57 Episode Artwork A Spirituality for the Aging with Fr. Ron Rolheiser 43:39 Episode Artwork A Saint for Every Day with Belinda Terro Mooney 54:59 Episode Artwork A Catholic Perspective on Conversion Therapy with Dr. Julia Sadusky 42:45 Episode Artwork Venerable Francis Xavier Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan 41:15 Episode Artwork Broken Mary with Kevin Matthews 32:41 Episode Artwork The Risks and Opportunities of a Synodal Church with His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet 32:52 Episode Artwork Overcoming Sexual Addiction with Dann Aungst 46:54 Episode Artwork St. Elizabeth Ann Seton with Sr. Betty Ann McNeil 32:28 Episode Artwork BBC Interview on the Jubilee for Digital Missionaries 12:15 Episode Artwork St. Michael's Lent with Jamie Baxter 45:51 Episode Artwork Fulton J. Sheen - Convert Maker 31:13 Episode Artwork Blessed Stanley Rother with Ennie Hickman 34:13 Episode Artwork The Mysteries of the Mass with Fr. Robert Nixon 32:39