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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

Pastoral Plan (Part 1 of 2)

Andrew Leung · April 30, 2015

CTL Pastoral Plan FEW WEEKS AGO, I had a chance to meet the Archbishop of Atlanta at a deanery meeting for the Archdiocese Pastoral Plan. His Excellency Archbishop Gregory explained his pastoral plan and answered some questions from priests and staffs from different parishes. As a music director, my mind started thinking, of course, about the implementation of the Plan in the music area of the parish.

The Pastoral Plan was finally released to the public last week. There are four main points in the Plan:

(1) Knowing Our Faith;|
(2) Living Our Faith;|
(3) Spreading Our Faith;|
(4) Evolution of Our Parishes.

Here are the explanations of the four points and my thoughts about how to implement them to a parish music program.

Knowing Our Faith — This is the first and basic step to “be a Catholic”. We have to discover and understand our faith. We must know what we believe in! As I contemplated on this first point and tried to relate it to my parish music program, the word “Catechesis” came to my mind. As I mentioned before, liturgical catechesis is very important and it helps us to understand the Liturgy and to participate more deeply. Teaching people the importance of music in the Liturgy and the basic Church teachings on Sacred Music is the first step to build a successful program. It is the key to have a congregation that sings loud and proud. Liturgical catechesis should also be given as a formation to choir members. As church musicians, we need to make sure that we are prepared and understand the spirit of the Liturgy, so we can lead others to God through the Sacrifice of the Mass.

Living Our Faith — Once we know our faith, we need to live out our faith in our daily lives. We can express our faith by having a good prayer life, reaching out to the poor, living a virtuous life, fighting for the good moral values, etc. From the liturgical musician’s perspective, we live out our faith through our singing and our service to the Church. This is the more technical part of music. For example, we learnt that the Church asks that all liturgical music to be “true art”. So, we practice on our own and rehearse with other members in the choir so that we can sing or play beautifully. Latin is the Church’s language and most of us can’t speak or understand it fluently, so we learn the text with the help of translations and understand what we sing. To make quality music and to pray through it is how musicians can “live our faith”.

For our brothers and sisters in the pew, the implementation of the second point would be to learn the responses and the ordinaries of the Mass, to sing the hymns and praise God in the Liturgy, engage in prayer and meditation while the chants or polyphonies are sung. Participating in our liturgical roles actively is definitely a way to live out our faith.

Point 3 and 4 will be discussed in my next post

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 Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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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

“Our Christian people regard with great joy everything that contributes to the splendor of the ceremonies. Jesus—who was poor in His private life—received ointment on His feet. See Thomas Aquinas (Prima Secundae, q. 102, art. 5, ad 10) and the holy Curé of Ars. The Church has always loved beautiful churches, and so forth. We must preserve our sacred patrimony and make sure sacred objects do not become secular possessions.”

— Abbot & Council Father denouncing “noble simplicity” during Vatican II

Recent Posts

  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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