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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

“The Liturgical Hall of Shame”

Jeff Ostrowski · August 29, 2013

“And if any man think himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this man’ s religion is vain.” —Epistle of St. James 1:26

COTT HAHN, DURING ONE of his presentations, invented the term “hall of shame” (a play on “hall of fame”). I already knew Fr. Godfrey Diekmann, OSB, belonged in the Liturgical Hall of Shame because of his incessant efforts to promote the “hootenanny Mass” following the Second Vatican Council.

Recently, however, I stumbled across these disgusting quotes by Fr. Godfrey Diekmann:

On occasion he would pound the desk and say, “Damn it! We are not like sons and daughters of God, we are sons and daughters of God.”

Many a time he would again pound the table and say, “Damn! It is not the resurrection, but the incarnation.” And here he often returned to the text of Athanasius, even in its crude exclusivist language: “God became man so man could become God.”

SUCH LANGUAGE is totally unbecoming of a Christian, especially when talking about Theology, and I don’t care what Fr. Diekmann’s intentions may have been. For a priest to speak in such a way is insufferable.

Some people like to point out that the Church wasn’t perfect before the Second Vatican Council. They exclaim: “There were major problems back then, too!” I couldn’t agree more, based on the scandalous example of Fr. Diekmann, who was ordained before the Second Vatican Council.

HEY! WAIT A MINUTE! I thought this was supposed to be a “positive” blog?!! Yes, it is. I’m sharing this anecdote to illustrate how revolting it is to hear Christians use distasteful language (especially when talking about holy subjects) so we can all try and do better in this area:

Lord Jesus Christ, please help us remember that people judge the Catholic faith by the way we, ourselves, act and speak. Amen.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

The representative Protestant collection, entitled “Hymns, Ancient and Modern”—in substance a compromise between the various sections of conflicting religious thought in the Establishment—is a typical instance. That collection is indebted to Catholic writers for a large fractional part of its contents. If the hymns be estimated which are taken from Catholic sources, directly or imitatively, the greater and more valuable part of its contents owes its origin to the Church.

— Orby Shipley (1884)

Recent Posts

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  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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