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Corpus Christi Watershed

Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Watershed Turns Nine Today!

Jeff Ostrowski · October 19, 2015

ORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED was established nine years ago. I discovered CCW shortly after its founding and began doing contract labor. 1 We started creating projects dedicated to the Jesuit Martyrs, whom I had admired for years. 2 Years later, someone claimed that CCW was founded on the Jesuit Martyrs’ feast. I was familiar with their Extraordinary Form date—26 September—but not their Ordinary Form date. About four years ago, I discovered this piece of paper:

181 CCW Birthday


Remember: that date was chosen by the State of Texas. Coincidence? You decide!

MY PRAYER GOING FORWARD is for God to give us the grace to avoid the negative and focus on the positive. That can be quite difficult sometimes.

Nothing is easier than writing provocative, sensationalist headlines for blog articles. We try to avoid that.

Nothing is easier than finding falsehoods on the internet and “exposing” them in a blog article. The problem is, doing that usually elevates the falsehoods.

Nothing is easier than spreading gossip online. We try to avoid it.

Nothing is easier than writing snarky, slanted articles which reveal a lack of charity on the part of the author and (ultimately) insult the intelligence of the readers. We try to avoid that.

THE CHALLENGE IS, using the above techniques almost guarantees “attention” and web traffic. Talking about perennial truths seldom garners as many “clicks” as provocative headlines or character assassination. I think this is because of HUMAN NATURE—something our pastor often mentioned during his sermons years ago. Most people would rather click on an article about a famous priest who got caught sinning than a tutorial on how to sing Gregorian chant.

But we will continue trying to focus on the positive, because we believe it’s what God wants us to do. An example of something positive: we made available this remarkable book about the Jesuit Martyrs of North America. I cannot recommend that book highly enough. 3



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Watershed still had paid employees in 2007. We no longer have paid employees—we’re a 100% volunteer organization. Someday, if we can find find the funding, we’d like to again have paid employees.

2   I dedicated my first CD to these martyrs in 2001.

3   We hope to do more projects honoring those martyrs. God-willing, we’re just getting started!

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 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

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“Abbat Pothier’s great accomplishment is having returned to the Catholic world—along with the traditional melody—the traditional way of performing it. The foundations laid by this providential man have been accepted by all those who practice Gregorian chant.”

— Dr. Peter Wagner (Commissionis Pontificiæ Gregorianæ Membrum)

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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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