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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

Does the Mass Demand a Certain Level of Dignity?

Jeff Ostrowski · June 18, 2016

Recently, a blog called “Byzantine Texas” posted a photograph which some have wrongly claimed is a Byzantine Mass in a pool:

438 Byzantine Mass


Sadly, we have seen Roman Catholic “Pool Masses” captured in photos. Such instances relate to a church music topic.

UPDATE: According to an email I just received, this was from the “Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio.” As I said when I initially posted, I have no doubt the full details will be revealed eventually.

I CAME ACROSS an article attempting to justify folk music at Mass with the following arguments:

“We make Mass accessible to everyone.”

“Our responsibility at the Roman Catholic liturgy is to share Christian joy.”

“We bring to the liturgy music for the folk.” [sic]

I started to ask myself how anyone—myself included—could argue against such motives. After all, isn’t sharing joy a good thing? One could certainly cite official Church documents from Vatican II which mandate that Gregorian chant be given first place in liturgical services (followed closely by classical polyphony). However, let’s be honest: nobody seems to care what Vatican II said.

A more fruitful result might be achieved by a different path:

“For the purposes of this discussion, let’s assume your argument is correct. Let’s assume the purpose of liturgical music is making people feel happy. If that’s true, is there any music you would prohibit? After all, rap music makes some people happy. Polka makes other people happy. Other people feel happy when they listen to acid jazz, while others prefer bluegrass.”

Once you’ve taken them down that road, you can suggest that music for Mass should possess a certain level of DIGNITY. However, exercise caution here. 1

When I took my children to a water park, one child kept being rude. Rather than waiting his turn, he pushed the other children out of his way. I was appalled by his behavior, and wondered what kind of parents raised him. I renewed in my heart a desire to bring up polite children, in spite of what others might do. This is our situation with church music, I believe. Anyone can find examples of priests allowing inappropriate music in church. (Indeed, even some cathedrals allow scandalous music.) However, we must do what’s right—no matter what others do.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Certain people—especially “professional” liturgists—become extremely angry when you start down this path. They especially loathe being asked whether any musical style is inappropriate for Mass. And they can become irate when you demand specific reasons why such-and-such a style of music is inappropriate for Mass. If they were honest, they would admit that any musical style is suitable for Mass in their view.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Liturgy Shaming 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

    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

If the homily goes on too long, it will affect two characteristic elements of the liturgical celebration: its balance and its rhythm. The words of the preacher must be measured, so that the Lord, more than his minister, will be the center of attention.

— Pope Francis (11/24/2013)

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