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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

A Guardian of the Sacred Tradition in the South

Andrew Leung · May 26, 2016

CTL A Guardian of the Tradition in the South WILL BE PRESENTING at two conferences this summer and I am really excited to share my gifts with others. I am so thankful that God gives me the ability to praise him with music and I am so blessed to have experienced the Church’s music, the most powerful music in the world.

The first conference sponsored by the Tridentine Mass Community will be held in Hong Kong in July and the second one will be held at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, TN, from July 22 to July 23. Both of these places have a very special place in my heart: Hong Kong is where I grew up and started my musical training. When I first learned Gregorian chant, the schola members of the Tridentine Mass Community were very kind and let me sing with them. It was through those practical experience that I became a more confident and proficient cantor.

The Basilica in Chattanooga is truly a guardian of the Sacred Tradition. They are one of the few that offer traditional liturgies and music. They also have a very active faith formation program. The basilica is where I go relax, pray and sing with friends when I was working in Georgia. They offer a weekly Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form and a monthly Missa Cantata in the afternoon on the fourth Sunday of the month, which is perfect for someone like me who works in a parish all morning. I love the Latin Mass and it really has helped me a lot in my spiritual life. I am so glad that the Basilica offers them because it’s hard to find them in the South. In my experience, their liturgies are celebrated very reverently. Their Masses are always well-attended and people participate actively. There are some instructions given to the visitors and those who are new to the Traditional Latin Mass to help them participate both internally and externally. The congregation is “trained” in making responses and following the different postures during the Mass.

The Sacred Music Program at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul is a vibrant one. I am very excited to go back for the Summer Sacred Music Workshop II that they will be hosting this July. The church itself is a beautiful space and it has the perfect acoustic for choral singing. I am looking forward to play their beautiful pipe organ again and hear the Basilica Choir, and hopefully their children’s choir too.

We have invited Dr. Jennifer Donelson to be our plenary speaker this year. She is an expert in Gregorian chant and I really enjoyed her chant breakouts at the last Colloquium. Also, Mr. Bruce Ludwick from the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, AL, is the newest addition to our faculty. Bruce is the famous organist who accompanied Fauré’s Requiem at the Colloquium 2015 in Pittsburgh and Mother Angelica’s funeral at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. He will be our organ instructor and offering advice to any participant who might be interested in learning more about the “King of the Instruments”.

If you are interested in joining us for the Summer Sacred Music Workshop II, you may register now!

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

“Many of those who have influenced the reform […] have no love, and no veneration of that which has been handed down to us. They begin by despising everything that is actually there.”

— Cardinal Antonelli (Peritus during the Second Vatican Council)

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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