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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

EWTN Broadcast • Mass of Ordination • First Bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter

Richard J. Clark · February 1, 2016

HIS TUESDAY, February 2nd, on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, EWTN will broadcast live from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (Central Standard Time) the ordination of Bishop-Elect Steven J. Lopes as the first bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. This will take place at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston.

Maestro Edmund Murray will be directing for the ordination. He is the former Music Director of St. John’s Seminary in Boston and Our Lady of Atonement (Anglican Use Liturgy) in San Antonio, Texas. He is currently the Director of Music at Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, Texas.

Our Lady of Walsingham is the Principal Church of the Ordinariate serving Roman Catholics nurtured in the Anglican tradition. It was established in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. With only three such Principal Churches in the world, the elevation by Pope Francis of Bishop-Elect Steven J. Lopes is highly significant, as he is the First Bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. With his ordination, Our Lady of Walsingham will be elevated to a cathedral.

NDER THE DIRECTION OF EDMUND MURRAY, the music will be provided by a combined choir comprised of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocesan Choir (Dr. Rick Lopez, Director), Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Schola Cantorum (Dr. Crista Miller, Director), and Our Lady of Walsingham Parish Choir. The organists will include M. Jackson Osborne, former Organist and Choirmaster at Our Lady of Walsingham, Dr. Crista Miller, and Dr. Kevin Clarke, Director of Music and Organist at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Sugar Land, TX.

This televised liturgy will be a rare opportunity to observe a liturgy in the Anglican tradition within the Roman Catholic Church. Also notable will be the presence of six cardinals and over thirty bishops. Be prepared for lengthy processions!

The music, which promises to be exquisite, will represent a distinct mix of Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions including a variety of Gregorian and Anglican Chant, works by William Byrd, Palestrina, Hans Leo Hassler, Healey Willan, and of course beautifully arranged hymnody. Unfortunately, the prelude will not be televised as it includes a sumptuous range of works by Hubert Parry, Jean Langlais, J. S. Bach, Charles Villiers Stanford, John Ireland, and Flor Peeters.

Finally, with a nod towards Murray’s Catholic roots in Boston, the Mass will also include an Alleluia by Theodore Marier, Michael Burgo’s beautiful Anima Christi, and a newly commissioned work for this occasion by yours truly.

DMUND MURRAY has done extraordinary work wherever he has gone. With his wife, Chalon, he built one of the finest music programs in the United States at Our Lady of Atonement—essentially a choir school in practice, if not in name. Named Director of Music in 2015 of Our Lady of Walsingham, I expect Murray will grow yet another extraordinary program as the years progress.

AM HONORED TO HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED for a new work for this ordination, which will be sung during Communion. A setting of Psalm 111, Magna Opera Domini (“Great are the Works of the Lord”) is Bishop Lopes’ episcopal motto which appears on his Coat of Arms.

This piece, inspired by the works of Theodore Marier, utilizes a chant-based antiphon in Latin for the congregation. The verses, in English, alternate unison chant with various choral textures.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Anglican Ordinariate Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The Night Office—Nocturns or Matins—except for Holy Week, Easter Octave, and Christmas, has never appeared in the Vatican edition. The larger part of the mediaeval repertory for the Office thus remains still unpublished in the Vatican edition, and is likely to remain so, for the obvious reason that almost no cathedral chapters or monastic choirs sing the Night Office regularly today.”

— John Merle Boe (1968)

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  • New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”

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