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Corpus Christi Watershed

“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

Does Your Missal Obey Pope Paul VI?

Jeff Ostrowski · June 13, 2013

ERE IS A QUOTE you might enjoy. It comes from Very Rev. Edward Eugene Malone, O.S.B., who (among other things) was a seminary professor at St. John Vianney Seminary in Nebraska. By the way, does anyone know if that seminary still exists? If so, let us know in the combox.

Writing in 1962, Fr. Malone says:

In many missals offered for the use of the layman, the tendency has been in recent years to eliminate the Latin texts altogether. This was probably not the wisest policy. Whatever concessions may be made to the laity in the future in the use of the vernacular in the Mass, the text of the Mass said by the Priest will most certainly remain in Latin. The new missal makes a desirable compromise by presenting the principal parts of the Mass in both Latin and English. In a world in which Catholics travel from one continent to another in a matter of hours, the Latin of the Mass gives them a sense of being at home at least in church, wherever they may be. Moreover, whatever other changes in the Mass may be forthcoming, the sung Mass is still apt to be in Latin. No suitable melodies have been yet fashioned to fit the vernacular text of the Mass. Gregorian Chant is apt to remain the singing voice of the Church for a good many years to come.

At the end of this blog entry, I’ve included a link to the entire piece, which is worth reading. As our readers know, the Campion Missal contains both English and Latin, and we will soon be releasing a second edition (which we’re very excited about), but that’s not what I wish to mention at this time.

HAT I FIND INTERESTING, (as you may have already guessed) is that Fr. Malone assumes Latin and Gregorian chant will always be part of the Roman Rite. That is what the Second Vatican Council called for, but, as we all know, it did not happen. One easy way to find out if a priest is truly committed to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council is to observe whether his parish Masses give Gregorian chant “first place” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, §116), employ Latin (Sacrosanctum Concilium, §36), and hold the pipe organ in high esteem (Sacrosanctum Concilium, §120).

Here is something you might not realize. Pope Paul VI specifically ordered that all Catholics “faithfully observe” the following mandate, beginning 7 March 1965:

“Missals to be used in the liturgy shall contain besides the vernacular version the Latin text as well.”

Perhaps I should place that mandate in bold letters:

“Missals to be used in the liturgy shall contain besides the vernacular version the Latin text as well.”

His Holiness Pope Paul VI gave this mandate specific approval and confirmed it by his authority, ordering that it should be published and faithfully observed by all concerned, beginning on 7 March 1965. Sadly, it has not been followed. Just the other day, I attended a wedding wherein the priest was trying to use a lot of Latin. He was forced to have two (2) Missals on the Altar at all times, and it was a mess. That’s really sad. The publishers ought to have listened to Pope Paul VI.

Finally, here’s the article I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post:

      * *  Review of The Layman’s Missal by Very Rev. Malone, OSB [pdf]

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

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“Before any seminarian is accepted for ordination, he must not only strive for chastity but actually achieve it. He must already be living chaste celibacy peacefully and for a prolonged period of time—for if this be lacking, the seminarian and his formators cannot have the requisite confidence that he is called to the celibate life.”

— Archbishop Viganò (16 February 2019)

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