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Views from the Choir Loft

Adoremus & the Way Forward

Fr. David Friel · March 22, 2015

AST MONTH’S edition of The Adoremus Bulletin (February 2015, Vol. XX, No. 5) is noteworthy for several reasons. First and foremost, it is characteristically rich in content.

Included in this issue is an excellent ink drawing of the Last Judgment by Daniel Mitsui, whose drawings frequently appear in the Catholic literary journal Dappled Things. There is also a fine article by Susan Benofy offering an introduction to the many resources now available for singing the Propers of the Mass. Several CCW resources are included in her presentation.

February’s Bulletin further includes a thought-provoking piece entitled, Reflections on the Youth Mass and photos of Duncan Stroik’s latest project, St. Paul the Apostle Church in Spartenburg, South Carolina.

N ADDITION to all this quality content, the February edition contains a letter from Fr. Reverend Jerry J. Pokorsky, one of the members of the executive committee governing Adoremus. The letter details some of the struggles the board has encountered since the unexpected death of Helen Hull Hitchcock, the remarkable woman whose vision, humility, and tenacity accomplished so much good for Holy Mother Church. I would encourage you to read the short letter in full, but here are some of its highlights:

Dear Friends and Benefactors of Adoremus:

It is with sorrow that I report that we have decided it would be best for Adoremus to take a hiatus in the months ahead as we continue to work to sustain this important apostolate promoting the liturgical vision of Pope Benedict XVI. This means that this issue of the Adoremus Bulletin will be the last for the foreseeable future—with reasonable hopes for a comeback sometime down the road.

After the death of our editor, Helen Hull Hitchcock, we were hoping we would be able to continue our work with a few administrative tweaks. But after a thorough review of our finances it is clear that we simply cannot sustain continuing costs. It has become evident that we need to move sooner rather than later. We will need our small nest egg of savings to keep Adoremus on life support in the months ahead. . . .

In the meantime, we will do our best to maintain the Adoremus website until a new editor with the same vision and vigor (well, at least some of the same vigor that Helen had) takes the reins. Of course, we have always operated on a shoestring budget so we can promise the new editor — when he or she is found—a great job with low pay and few fringe benefits.

The good news is that we are hoping the months ahead represent merely a transitional period. . . . If you have made contributions in the recent past know that your donations did not—and will not—go to waste. We did our best and we think this is the best interim solution. We consider this a “controlled crash,” so that after repairs and with God’s grace this important apostolate may one day take flight again. Thank you for your generous support over your years as members of the Adoremus family. We continue to hope for a trickle of donations to help us work through this difficult period. . . .

May God reward your generosity and kindness.

DOREMUS has been a positive force in the Church since 1995, when it was founded for the purpose of promoting authentic reform in the Roman Rite. Now the organization needs our help to continue its important work.

Jeff Ostrowski paid tribute to Helen upon her death in October, noting that Adoremus was the single most important organization dedicated to the sacred liturgy for nearly two decades. May the Lord continue the good work He has begun in and through Adoremus!

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Helen Hull Hitchcock Adoremus, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Liturgy, Reform of the Reform Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(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

“Worse, composers are now setting the introits of the missal [instead of the Graduale] to music, even to chant, though these texts were explicitly for spoken recitation only.”

— ‘Dr. William Mahrt (Fall, 2015)’

Recent Posts

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  • 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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