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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

Msgr. Richard Schuler and the Piccoluomini

Jeff Ostrowski · March 18, 2013

EADERS will most likely recall what I have spoken about so often in the past: viz. the phenomenon of “notice a rare word and see it within 24 hours.” I promised myself I would never post about this again, lest the readers become bored, but I couldn’t help myself. Here’s how it happened:

Yesterday, I was on the phone with an old friend who happened to bring up Pope Pius II. So, keep “Pope Pius II” in mind as you read. Earlier in the day, I had emailed that same friend, trying to recall the specific word Msgr. Schuler used for “little people,” but had not received an answer at that point.

It will be remembered that following the Second Vatican Council a great number of unqualified people arose who (sadly) made major decisions for the Church and the Liturgy which holy men and women are still trying to rectify (even after all these years!). These were labeled by Schuler as “little people.” But I couldn’t remember the term because I am the world’s worst speller and have the world’s worst memory.

Sure enough, a few hours after the phone call, I happened to be searching the internet and I came upon the biography of Pope Pius II. What was his name before becoming pope? It was “Piccolomini.” That is the exact word Msgr. Schuler used for “little people” in his articles, although occasionally he used an alternate spelling: “piccoluomini.” If you don’t believe my claim that Pius II’s name was Piccolomini, you can look at the second paragraph here [url]. Now, what are the odds of that?

To read my other articles on this phenomenon, Google search: “Learn a new word, see it within 24 hours.”

P.S.

My wife, Cynthia, and I call our children “little people.” I have decided I don’t want our kids to ever grow up. I want to keep them as “little people.” I want to keep them as “piccoluomini.” Please email me if you have found a way we can keep our children small, just like the picture you see in the upper right hand corner.

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

“I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant.”

— SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS

Recent Posts

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  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

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