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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

Sacred Choral Program (Living Water College)

Guest Author · March 29, 2013

The following is a guest article by Ms. Nicole Dunn, Assistant Director of Development for Living Water College of the Arts, Canada. They have a stupendous website, which everyone should visit. The link is given at the end of the article.

“Music, great music, stretches the spirit, arouses profound emotions and almost naturally invites us to raise our minds and hearts to God in all situations of human existence, the joyful and the sad. Music can become prayer.” — His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI


IVING WATER COLLEGE OF THE ARTS embodies the thoughts of Pope Benedict in this summer’s Sacred Choral Music Program. As the faithful learn how music can be beautiful, soul-lifting prayer, they naturally aspire to sing better music. Why be satisfied with the ordinary when, in fact, there is a wealth of beautiful church music readily accessible and very learnable? All that is needed is some education.

Living Water College offers this education through a 2 week program, where students immerse themselves in the quiet, pastoral setting of Living Water College, enjoying a significant break from the normal pace of life. “Try something this Summer that will change your life;” says Dcn. Kenneth Noster, President of the college, “it’s comprehensive; a great opportunity to develop skills, while refreshing your mind and spirit amidst some of Alberta’s most beautiful countryside. No matter where you are in your faith, you will grow here.”

One of Canada’s pre-eminent choral directors will provide the training in sacred choral music, using motets, gregorian chant, and the works of great classical composers. Maestro Uwe Leiflander, head of the music department at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, returns to Living Water with over 3 decades of experience in musical pedagogy and performance as an instrumentalist and choral conductor. Professional musicians and beginners alike can expect to benefit from the course as they immerse themselves in Schubert, Mozart and Bach. Unique to Living Water, the choral program contains an academic component which complements the practical training and informs each singer’s understanding of music. Classes in the liberal arts emphasize both the power and the objective beauty of music.

Participants will find themselves truly engaged in the study of fine art, perhaps reading the ground-breaking works of Aristotle, suggesting that the measure of fine art is in the eye of the beholder. They might then discuss the more cautious Plato, who insisted art couldn’t be judged by just any old “beholder”, but rather only by the one who was eminently refined in his tastes. No doubt they will ultimately discuss the long-held Christian view, affirming that artistic expression becomes “fine art” when it speaks to something quite different in man, not limited to cultural refinement, but found as frequently in the poor, even the illiterate. It is not cultural refinement that makes fine art powerful, but rather moral character. The person who is morally vigilant, striving daily to become holy, will be truly elevated by fine music. It will not only be an aid to personal growth but a source of true joy. Why? Simply because the soul is open to truth and beauty.

Open your soul to truth and beauty this Summer. Expand your mind, build your repertoire of church music, and enter into Mass more profoundly than you may have thought possible.

Alumni relish the friendships they have formed in this peaceful place among the rolling hills of Alberta’s Lakeland, while they grow personally and artistically. They also treasure daily Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, opportunity for spiritual direction, and the opportunity to form a network of like-minded artists.

For more details, please visit:

      * *  LIVINGWATERCOLLEGE.COM [url]      E-mail: admin@livingwatercollege.com

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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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 literal translation: “Lord, have mercy—Christ, have mercy,” does not offer much material for an acceptable song text. The words, not having any feminine syllables, are abrupt; the sounds are almost all muted and colorless; the rhythmic flow is too brief. So many people may prefer responses that further extend the song of the assembly, e.g., “Have pity on us, Lord” or “Pardon us and change our hearts.

— J. Gelineau attacking the KYRIE ELEYSON (page 64 in “Learning to Celebrate,” 1985)

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