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Views from the Choir Loft

High School Students

Fr. David Friel · July 21, 2013

IGH SCHOOL KIDS are busy. If you have a high schooler in your family or extended family, you know that’s true. They’re into a lot of things, and they try to balance their responsibilities to their family with the desire to spend time with their friends. During the school year, they have projects and homework and reading and tests to do. Some of them get heavily involved in sports. Others get into the band. Some of them have jobs. They devote a lot of time and energy to friends and relationships. And I can only imagine how much time they devote to building their digital profile through Vine and Instagram and whatever. With all that they do, high school kids can be a lot like Martha—Martha, who was “anxious and worried about many things.”

But Jesus insists: “there is need of only one thing.” What is that one, necessary thing? Spending time with Him. Of course, that is what Mary, Martha’s sister, does. She sits “at the feet” of Jesus, “listening to Him speak.” This time last week, I was on retreat with almost 25 high school students from my parish. It was an awesome experience—a very enthusiastic, energetic, energizing experience. You might not think of that as a great environment for listening to the Lord, but it was. They chose to put aside the tendency to be like Martha for a whole weekend so that they could practice being like Mary. Instead of rushing around, being busy about many things, they went on retreat. Unlike so many of their peers, these young men & women spent last Friday and Saturday night . . . in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Of course, things are different back home. Peter, James, & John could not stay atop Mount Tabor, and neither can we. Nevertheless, even though things are different, there is nothing to stop us from having a powerful experience of God at home, wherever we are. Since God can be found in all things, one need not be in a specific place to experience Him.

Many of the young people in our group mentioned to me how deeply moved they were during the time they spent in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The good news is that the Eucharist we worshipped last week on retreat is the very same Eucharist present in the tabernacle of our church here in Philadelphia. Think about it: in the story of Martha & Mary, where was Mary when she had her encounter with Jesus? Where was she as she sat at His feet? She was in her own home.

Lots of times it is easier to experience God when we are on retreat or on a pilgrimage. There is nothing wrong with that, but the challenge is to keep searching for Him when we return home. Home, in fact, is where we should be most comfortable sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to Him. I pray that all who search for God will do so with energy and enthusiasm. No matter how intensely we search for God, He will always be searching a thousand times more intensely for us!

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 Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —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

“Chants closely related to the readings should, of course, be appropriately transferred for use with these readings. For pastoral reasons also there is an option regarding the chants for the Proper of Seasons: namely, as circumstances suggest, to replace the text proper to a day with another text belonging to the same season.”

— Ordo Cantus Missae (1971)

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