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Views from the Choir Loft

Weakest Argument Ever Made Against “Ad Orientem”

Jeff Ostrowski · November 24, 2014

VER SINCE my exposé of the PrayTell Blog—which caused quite a stir 1—I’ve been keeping an eye on their postings. A recent egregious statement by the blog’s editor demands correction.

It all started with some comments by actor Bill Murray, in favor of the traditional Mass:

“I think we lost something by losing the Latin… And I really miss the music—the power of it, y’know? Yikes! Sacred music has an affect on your brain.”   (source)

These words rankled PrayTell’s editor, and in response he made a statement I’ve never seen anyone else make. He said that Latin—not the vernacular—is used because of the “anthropological” concerns of fallen-away Catholics like Bill Murray! But this was not innocent typo or mistake. He wrote the following (and I kept a screenshot as proof):

The ancient rituals of the great world religions have a certain aesthetic and psychological appeal to the human spirit. We might as well admit it and face up to it, for it is the challenge we face in implementing the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The Council rightly sought to retrieve and reëmphasize what is uniquely Christian, making the liturgy less like the other world religions… […] That’s what drove the Second Vatican Council.

His erroneous statement could be taken apart various ways, but today I’ll only examine two.

It will also become clear why I placed a classic (and hilarious!) excerpt from School of Rock in the upper right.

FIRST OF ALL, the notion that Vatican II sought to eliminate Latin and Gregorian chant to make our liturgy “uniquely Christian” is bizarre. In fact, the opposite is true. Vatican II demanded that Latin be retained: it was not a suggestion. 2 When it comes to Gregorian chant, Vatican II said it must be given “first place” in liturgical services, calling the Church’s sacred music “a treasure of inestimable value,” and demanding that it “be preserved and fostered with great care” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 4 December 1963).

Secondly, his assertion that postconciliar Catholic church music has become “less like the other world religions” is fallacious. The music in too many Catholic churches resembles the School of Rock video I placed at the beginning of this article, but it doesn’t always sound like that. I’ve attended Mariachi Masses, Jazz Masses, Broadway Masses, Rap Masses, Country Masses, and even a “Polka” Mass. Fr. Anthony Ruff could not be more wrong when he says that musical styles for these Masses “retrieve and reëmphasize what is uniquely Christian.” Besides, the music in most Catholic churches now resembles (much) Protestant music.

While we’re examining flawed statements by the PrayTell editor, I should include this one—written in response to Bishop Conley’s support for ad orientem mentioned by Fr. David Friel—wherein the PrayTell editor makes an incredibly weak argument against the posture used for so many centuries:

It was a bit more awkward than I had expected—having to turn around to greet them, and not facing them (i.e., doing as the rubrics direct) for the dialog at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer. I came away thinking that ad orientem isn’t the silver bullet I had sort of hoped it might be after reading Power and re-reading Jungmann.

If he owned a copy of the Jogues Illuminated Missal he might have understood. The dialogue he mentions has always been considered as part of the Canon, and that’s why the priest does not face the people for it. A 2014 pew book—fully approved by the USCCB—explains all this. It even includes color pictures and ancient manuscripts.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   After my article, we received tons of mail—people were greatly supportive and appreciative—but I still don’t get it. I spent only a few minutes writing the PrayTell article, whereas I spent weeks composing my article on Latin hyphenation. Yet, the piece on hyphenation received only 1% of the attention…

2   If you don’t believe me, look at what’s said here regarding “page 18.”

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Ad Orientem, PrayTell Blog Last Updated: April 28, 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

    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“How can we account for differences in the Gospel accounts? Well, suppose after we left Church today, there was a terrible accident or explosion or fire. Soon the news media would be here, interviewing people as to what they saw or heard. Each person would probably say or report what struck him—or what he saw or noticed. All these reports would be different and yet they would be true.”

— Fr. Valentine Young (February 2019)

Recent Posts

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  • Boston Auxiliary Bishop: “In offering the Traditional Mass for the first time, after removing the vestments, I knelt in the back pew and wept.”
  • Now Available! • “Hymns of Cardinal Newman: Kevin Allen’s Legendary Choral Settings”
  • Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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