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Corpus Christi Watershed

Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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The Saint John de Brébeuf Hymnal

The Saint John de Brébeuf Hymnal

INE ASSOCIATES of Corpus Christi Watershed were chosen to help produce the Brébeuf Hymnal, which (according to one of the main authors for the CHURCH MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) “has no parallel and not even any close competitor.” A member of the CATHOLIC ORGANIST GROUP wrote: “I have never encountered such a prolific and astoundingly interesting hymnal; I just read it for an hour and I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’m hanging on every word. It could easily stand as a primary text to a course, and is almost overkill as a pew aid.” The Brébeuf Hymnal contains three times as many hymns as its competitors. The Brébeuf series—sold exclusively by SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS—was designed by and for priests and musicians serving in real parishes across the globe.

*  Pew Edition • Purchase the Pew Edition (932 pages)
—Contact SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS for bulk discount rates.
*  CHORAL SUPPLEMENT • Purchase Link (1,192 pages)
—Must be used in conjunction with the pew edition.
*  ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT • Three Volumes (1,292 pages)
—Sold by SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS; Spiral-Bound; extremely opaque paper.

The Brébeuf Portal:

* SEARCH THE HYMN PORTAL

This powerful and innovative portal can be searched for numerous hymn items. For example, search the portal for “EUCHARIST” and tons of Eucharistic hymns come up—as this result shows. You can also search for all instances of a particular melody found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. For example, when you search for the melody called “MELCOMBE,” the portal instantly pulls up these results. For tunes used no more than once in the Brébeuf Hymnal, the results reflect that. For example, if you search for the beautiful tune called “WHITEHEAD,” you get just one result (because that melody is only used once in the Brébeuf Hymnal). If you search for the ancient Latin hymn “Ad Cenam Agni Providi,” the results are splendid. Searching by liturgical season is highly recommended. For example, if you search for “ADVENT,” you get excellent results.

Access any hymn with ease! Simply type digits into the URL address shown below. (For example, #802 would be: https://www.ccwatershed.org/brebeuf/page/802/.)

(Brébeuf Hymnal) • Sample Pages
You can immediately download fifty-seven sample pages completely free of charge. Included are pages from the choral supplement & organ accompaniment volumes. In some ways, viewing these sample pages is the quickest way to learn about this exciting new book.

(Brébeuf Hymnal) • Complete Indices
You can download the complete index for the Brébeuf Hymnal. Mrs. Veronica Moreno has also uploaded a handy “seasonal index” that can be downloaded here.

(Brébeuf Hymnal) • No More Stacked Lyrics!
Lyric “stacking” has a number of major disadvantages. (If you’re confused about what “lyric stacking” is click here.) For example, when the keyboard player simultaneously serves as CANTOR, it’s virtually impossible to play all the notes correctly while attempting to sing “stacked” lyrics—especially if the hymn is unfamiliar, once you get past the first few verses. The Brébeuf Hymnal has solved this problem once and for all as you can see.

(Brébeuf Hymnal) • Additional Questions?
We’ve compiled thirty-five articles about the Brébeuf Hymnal published in various media outlets to help answer all your questions. We have included third-party reviews.

“Are These Hymn Titles in Latin or English?”
A very important thing to grasp!
Natalia explains in this video:

Here’s the direct URL link.

Free Rehearsal Videos
More than 1,000 and counting!
Natalia describes them in this video:

Here’s the direct URL link.

Alphabetizing Hymnals
Does it make sense?
Natalia answers in this video:

Here’s the direct URL link.

Notating Every Verse?
The least we can do for singers!
Natalia explains in this video:

Here’s the direct URL link.

Why Name a Hymnal After Father Brébeuf?
Who Was This Saint?
Natalia explains in this video:

Here’s the direct URL link.

What Are Its Two Sections?
Truly crucial information!
Natalia explains in this video:

Here’s the direct URL link.

Stations of the Cross by Fulton J. Sheen?
Plus Cardinal Ratzinger & Saint Alphonsus Liguori.
Natalia explains in this video:

Here’s the direct URL link.

Common Hymn Melodies
(a.k.a. “Shared Tunes”)
Natalia explains in this video:

Here’s the direct URL link.

The Father Brébeuf Hymnal is distributed exclusively by SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS, and has been featured in their Annual Report. Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity. In the interest of full disclosure, any artists who contributed to the Brébeuf hymnal—texts, melodies, harmonizations, artwork, and so forth—receive standard royalties. Please contact Sophia Institute Press with questions about the Brébeuf Hymnal: liturgy.sophiainstitute.com. Beautiful and powerful images of Saint Jean de Brébeuf—one North America’s patron saints—can be downloaded by clicking here.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Simplified” Keyboard Accompaniment (PDF)
    I’d much rather hear an organist play a simplified version correctly than listen to wrong notes. I invite you to download this simplified organ accompaniment for hymn #729 in the Father Brébeuf Hymnal. The hymn is “O Jesus Christ, Remember.” I’m toying with the idea of creating a whole bunch of these, to help amateur organists. The last one I uploaded was downloaded more than 1,900 times in a matter of hours—so there seems to be interest in such a project. For the record, this famous text by Oratorian priest, Father Edward Caswall (d. 1878) is often married to AURELIA, as it is in the Brébeuf Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    ‘Bogey’ of the Half-Educated: Paraphrase
    Father Adrian Porter, using the cracher dans la soupe example, did a praiseworthy job explaining the difference between ‘dynamic’ and ‘formal’ translation. This is something Monsignor Ronald Knox explained time and again—yet even now certain parties feign ignorance. I suppose there will always be people who pretend the only ‘valid’ translation of Mitigásti omnem iram tuam; avertísti ab ira indignatiónis tuæ… would be “You mitigated all ire of you; you have averted from your indignation’s ire.” Those who would defend such a translation suffer from an unfortunate malady. One of my professors called it “cognate on the brain.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Father Cuthbert Lattey • “The Hebrew MSS”
    Father Cuthbert Lattey (d. 1954) wrote: “In a large number of cases the ancient Christian versions and some other ancient sources seem to have been based upon a better Hebrew text than that adopted by the rabbis for official use and alone suffered to survive. Sometimes, too, the cognate languages suggest a suitable meaning for which there is little or no support in the comparatively small amount of ancient Hebrew that has survived. The evidence of the metre is also at times so clear as of itself to furnish a strong argument; often it is confirmed by some other considerations. […] The Jewish copyists and their directors, however, seem to have lost the tradition of the metre at an early date, and the meticulous care of the rabbis in preserving their own official and traditional text (the ‘massoretic’ text) came too late, when the mischief had already been done.” • Msgr. Knox adds: “It seems the safest principle to follow the Latin—after all, St. Jerome will sometimes have had a better text than the Massoretes—except on the rare occasions when there is no sense to be extracted from the Vulgate at all.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Reminder” — Month of November (2025)
    On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Gospel Options for 2 November (“All Souls”)
    We’ve been told some bishops are suppressing the TLM because of “unity.” But is unity truly found in the MISSALE RECENS? For instance, on All Souls (2 November), any of these Gospel readings may be chosen, for any reason (or for no reason at all). The same is true of the Propria Missæ and other readings—there are countless options in the ORDINARY FORM. In other words, no matter which OF parish you attend on 2 November, you’ll almost certainly hear different propers and readings, to say nothing of different ‘styles’ of music. Where is the “unity” in all this? Indeed, the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Oh, the happy choir director who is hired to start work on a brand new choir, or who walks into his first rehearsal a total stranger to the existing group—what a fortunate man he is! The new choir director who is a former member of the choir, or a member of the congregation, or the nephew of the alto soloist, or a former altar boy, or otherwise well acquainted with the choir, is in for a few headaches.”

— Paul Hume (1956)

Recent Posts

  • “Simplified” Keyboard Accompaniment (PDF)
  • ‘Bogey’ of the Half-Educated: Paraphrase
  • Father Cuthbert Lattey • “The Hebrew MSS”
  • Re: The People’s Mass Book (1974)
  • They did a terrible thing

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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.