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Views from the Choir Loft

1970s Theology Has Affected The Celebration Of Mass

Jeff Ostrowski · March 11, 2014

743 Leisure Suit Composer David Haas wrote the following in 2002:

“Acclamations … help empower and form the assembly as co-celebrants in the liturgy.”

Father Edward Foley wrote in 1998:

“The associate formerly said Mass, but now this redefined parochial vicar and member of the Parish Ministry Staff presides at the eucharist at which the assembly is the principal celebrant.”

Composer Marty Haugen wrote in 1984:

“With the advent of post-Vatican II liturgies, the assembly was given a new mandate and opportunity — to rediscover and express its integral importance as the primary minister of the Sunday eucharistic experience.”

Father Eugene Walsh, a seminary professor in Baltimore and principal author of The Place of Music in Eucharistic Celebrations, wrote in the 1970s:

“The entire parish assembly, therefore, is celebrant of the eucharist. The presider is simply the leader of the assembly. As leader, his task is to engage the assembly in the eucharistic prayer.”

Whence cometh such theological notions?

A good place to search might be this stupefying tome of PDF documents:

      * *  NPM Magazine Archive — (1970s and more)

It would take several decades to quote and explain those articles, so I won’t try. However, here’s a fairly good “sample” of what’s there:

      * *  “First, the Assembly Gathers” — Article by Fr. Eugene Walsh (1982)

Reading that article, you’ll find quotes like:

The most important thing that people can do at a parish Sunday Mass is to take the trouble to gather with each other.   [ … ]   The parish assembly is the first and primary minister of the parish Sunday Mass.   [ … ]   The full, life-giving sacramental sign of eucharist is the parish assembly.

Dull and feeble and half-hearted sacraments are not life-giving. In fact there comes a point where they begin to be death-dealing.

The first task of all specially designated ministers [i.e. priests and deacons] is to serve the assembly. Their conscious and deliberate target is to help the assembly bring itself to life …

Feel free to let me know your reactions to that article by Fr. Eugene Walsh. I found it shocking … and quickly phoned my spiritual advisor for counseling!   (Not kidding.)


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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Fr Eugene Walsh 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

    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

“In accordance with the ancient tradition of the Church, institution to the ministries of reader and acolyte is reserved to men.”

— Pope Saint Paul VI (15 August 1972)

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