Views from the Choir Loft

Chief Reasons For Mass “Facing The People”

Jeff Ostrowski · September 10, 2016

ERY SOON, the Society for Catholic Liturgy will visit Los Angeles. This is the same group that publishes ANTIPHON (the journal). Doing research on this group, I came across an article by a former editor, Monsignor Francis Mannion, titled “Should Mass be celebrated with the priest facing away from the people?” Published by the INTERMOUNTAIN CATHOLIC on 2 September 2016, his article is a quick read:

* * PDF Download • Intermountain Catholic Article

Monsignor Mannion gives what he considers the three reasons for “versus populum” celebration:

What are the advantages with Mass facing the people?
(1) It makes for better communication between priest and people. (2) It avoids the sense that the people are an appendum to the priest’s liturgy. (3) Not least, we live in an age of democracy and respect for the individual, in which facing away from someone in any context is generally insulting.

His first reason is rather flimsy, because during an OF “ad orientem” celebration, 90% happens facing the people. Even in the Extraordinary Form, the priest turns around to face the people whenever he’s communicating with them.

His second reason also seems dubious, because it assumes the congregation would automatically think in a certain way. Besides, if everyone faces the same direction except the celebrant, that draws attention to him in an awkward way.

His third reason—which he labels “not least”—is something I never thought of:

Not least, we live in an age of democracy and respect for the individual, in which facing away from someone in any context is generally insulting.

Monsignor Mannion here asserts that Catholics in the pews in front of you are being rude, because they have their backs to you. Moreover, he is saying that you are being rude to the people in pews behind you, because you have your back to them.

I suppose if everyone were arranged in a circle, nobody would be looking at someone’s back. However, that would severely limit the number of people who could fit inside a church. More importantly, we still would not be facing the person next to us…

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

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).

Luis Martínez Must Go!

Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

—Jeff Ostrowski

Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!

A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!

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“Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)

I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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).

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“The introduction of the vernacular will certainly be a great sacrifice for those who know the beauty, the power and the expressive sacrality of Latin. We are parting with the speech of the Christian centuries; we are becoming like profane intruders in the literary preserve of sacred utterance. We will lose a great part of that stupendous and incomparable artistic and spiritual thing, the Gregorian chant. We have reason indeed for regret […] We are giving up something of priceless worth.”

— Pope Paul VI