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Views from the Choir Loft

Vatican II • What You Were Too Embarrassed To Ask

Jeff Ostrowski · March 7, 2017

321 Fr. Christopher Smith Father Chris IMAGE HE FOLLOWING audio files have been posted by permission of Fr. Christopher Smith, Pastor of Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Taylors, South Carolina. He is a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America and has been highly sought as a speaker on sacred music, liturgy, theology, and catechesis. Fr. Smith is fluent in numerous languages, and not long ago was the subject of a CWR article called “Traditional Liturgy Flourishing in the Bible Belt.”

Fr. Smith recently gave a series of seven (7) talks on the Second Vatican Council. He has generously made these available as audio files, which you can download below.

I am not aware of a more excellent series on Vatican II.

    * *  Mp3 Download • Part 1 of 7

In our first installment, we discuss why this council is so important to the life of the Church, and why it is crucial that we understand how interpretive questions really influence everything in the life of the Church.

    * *  Mp3 Download • Part 2 of 7

Part 2 asks “What is an ecumenical council anyway? Why do we have them, and why are they so important in the life of the Church?”

    * *  Mp3 Download • Part 3 of 7

In Part 3, we look at the liturgical movement, Sacrosanctum Concilium, Mediator Dei, and all manner of liturgy related questions with regard to Vatican II.

    * *  Mp3 Download • Part 4 of 7

In Part 4, we look closely at the Constitution on the Church and discuss a lot of the theological preparation for that document, including Pius XII’s Mystici corporis.

    * *  Mp3 Download • Part 5 of 7

Revelation is at the heart of the Church’s message. But what is the role of Scripture and Tradition in the deposit of faith? In Part 5, we look at everything from the theological background to Vatican II to this important document of the Council and its aftermath.

    * *  Mp3 Download • Part 6 of 7

In Part 6, we talk about one of the most controversial document of Vatican II, on the Church in the Modern World, placing in the context of everything from Humani generis to current theological debates.

    * *  Mp3 Download • Part 7 of 7

When all is said and done, what are the major unresolved issues from the four major constitutions of Vatican II, and what are we as a Church facing now that stems from those issues? Part 7 explores all of this and more.

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 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

    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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 Night Office—Nocturns or Matins—except for Holy Week, Easter Octave, and Christmas, has never appeared in the Vatican edition. The larger part of the mediaeval repertory for the Office thus remains still unpublished in the Vatican edition, and is likely to remain so, for the obvious reason that almost no cathedral chapters or monastic choirs sing the Night Office regularly today.”

— John Merle Boe (1968)

Recent Posts

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  • Now Available! • “Hymns of Cardinal Newman: Kevin Allen’s Legendary Choral Settings”
  • Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

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