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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

Holy Week — A Week of Love

Andrew Leung · March 17, 2016

CTL-Love-Your-Choir HIS IS THE BUSIEST WEEK I have had since I began my pastoral year in October. I have never had so many appointments in a week! I also had an intense week last year around this time. The fifth week of Lent is always a crazy week for music directors: meetings with priests and others who are assisting in the liturgies, finishing up the worship aids for the congregation, figuring out the logistics for the complicated liturgies, making sure that choir members know the “call time” for the liturgies, fitting in time to learn and practice music, etc.

But Passiontide is not just a busy time; it is the time to pray more deeply and reflect on the love of God. The Paschal Mystery is the mystery of love. Out of love, God sacrificed His Son to redeem us. This is the time when we practice charity in response to God’s love for us. My favorite saint, Josemaría Escrivá, wrote:

In the Holy Sacrifice of the altar, the priest takes up the Body of our God, and the Chalice containing his Blood, and raises them above all the things of the earth, saying: Per Ipsum, et cum Ipso, et in Ipso — through My Love, with My Love, in My Love! Unite yourself to the action of the priest. Or rather, make that act of the priest a part of your life. (The Forge, 541)

This is a time when we are called to love God and to love our neighbors more deeply. As church musicians, we show our love through singing to God and uniting ourselves with the priest in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We should make every note a prayer to God, and we should not forget to set aside time in this busy week to speak to God privately.

How can we love our neighbor? St. Paul makes it clear: “Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Cor 13:4). We love our neighbor when we are prepared and punctual and give our best during rehearsals and liturgies. And we are loving when we are patient and kind to our fellow musicians when they make mistakes or we disagree. That’s how we can love one another.

Finally, I would like to wish everyone a blessed Holy Week and share a piece by Aurelio Porfiri. Maestro Porfiri has set a simple and beautiful melody to the text “Adoramus te, Christe“ (in English) as a refrain. The verses are taken from Isaiah 53, which is rarely seen in a sung form and is a great text to meditate on during this sacred time. This piece can be sung during Lent, Passiontide, on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross.

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

The claim that the bishop or the priest originally celebrated “versus populum” is a legend, which Otto Nussbaum (d. 1999) originally did a great deal to spread.

— Dr. Helmut Hoping (University of Freiburg)

Recent Posts

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  • 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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