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Views from the Choir Loft

Latin Mass Youth Choir…in Las Vegas!

Guest Author · December 12, 2017

OU PROBABLY would not think of Las Vegas as anything more than “Sin City.” It is not a place that conjures up thoughts of God as much as it does of the devil. And in many ways, it is a spiritual desert. But there is much more to the city that lies beneath the surface of the glittering lights and clanging slot machines. Like any desert, there is a refreshing oasis in Las Vegas. That oasis is our parish, St. Bridget Catholic Church, where we celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass every Sunday at 10am. Here, you will find a cool oasis to drink from.

At this Mass, I run a small Schola comprised mainly of children and teens, with a few adult men who provide tenor and bass parts. For a long time all we had were the teens. But I knew that if our Mass was to survive in the long term, we needed more.

    * *  YouTube • Youth Schola Rehearsing (57 seconds)

Some people thought I was being ridiculous when I said I wanted to have the younger kids at our Mass start singing. We already had our small teen Schola, which grew out of a need for someone to lead the music at our then-Novus Ordo Mass (in Latin). They started from scratch, beginning with the most basic chants of the Church found in the JUBILATE DEO. They were doing great and had grown a lot, musically speaking, from those first days when the future of our Latin Mass seemed unstable.

The youngest of the new group I wanted to form was 7 years old. Father did not think it was a very good idea, not only because he thought they were too young, but also because I am a homeschooling mom of 6 kids including 10 month old twins. Father knew that my time and energy was very limited. I am in that phase of my life where all my energy and attention are poured out into my children. All my energy, that is, except for the little bit that I reserve for my 7th baby: Music.

Of course, Father was right—this would be quite a sacrifice in addition to the weekly rehearsals we already had for our teen Schola. However, this is not something I had to do alone. I have a marvelous husband who is very supportive of my musical endeavors. And fortunately, I have a group of dedicated Schola moms who are also very supportive. They take on the role of watching my numerous littles while I run rehearsals. Without them, this could not, and would not, happen. But the sacrifice was not mine alone.

Our Mass is small. Our resources are nothing. An absolute, dead zero. Whenever we need something—sheet music, red missals, and so on—the families who attend the Mass shell out extra money outside of their regular tithe to make it happen. This is how our teens were able to attend the CCWatershed Symposium this past June. Not only did CCWatershed generously offer them much needed scholarships, but the families at our Mass also donated generously to help cover the cost of travel and accommodations.

Because I am stubborn, musically ambitious, and secure in the unconditional support I have from the other Schola moms, I decided to forge ahead with our “mini Schola.” Now, I should tell you one important detail about myself. I am not a professional musician. I have no music degree, no professional experience, and have never been trained to conduct or run a choir. I am a busy stay-at-home mom. But what I lack in professional training, I make up for in zeal. I desire to glorify the Lord through music. I am a firm believer that anyone can learn to sing, even very little children. And on a practical level, I knew that as our teen Schola gets older and they start leaving for college and work I would soon be left without singers. It was imperative that we start training new singers to come up the ranks.

Today, just 18 months after they started, the mini Schola is practicing diligently to learn the full Introit for Christmas Day Mass. This is the first time the mini Schola will be joining the teen Schola in chanting a full Introit! It is a major milestone in the life of the mini Schola. Three of our minis will be singing the first half of the psalm verses, as you can hear in the video clip. I am very happy with how they sound. They have worked very hard. I know that on Christmas Day, here in “Sin City,” they will glorify the Lord with their angelic voices. The sacrifices are well worth it.

So why am I sharing all this with you? To give you a message of hope. If you have a humble, small Latin Mass without resources and professional music directors, please know that you are not alone. There are others of us out there with similar challenges. We may not have money, degrees or resources, but do you know what we have? We have the virtue of zeal. Because of that one very important virtue, having beautiful music at Mass is within your grasp. Between your zeal and the excellent musical resources provided for free on CCWatershed, you are not merely eking out your musical existence in a feeble attempt to build up the beauty and reverence of your Mass. You are absolutely, utterly unstoppable.

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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President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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!
    —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

“To speak the language of God’s beauty, we must first begin to listen. And to listen, we must have silence in our lives. I pray that God will open our eyes and ears to beauty, and help us use it in the service of the Truth.”

— Bishop James D. Conley (10/4/2013)

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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