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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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Views from the Choir Loft

Marching in A Great Multitude

Fr. David Friel · November 1, 2011

I have a confession to make. Today—this Solemnity of All Saints—is my absolute favorite feast of the year. I like it better than Christmas & Easter, more than the Annunciation or the Immaculate Conception.

I love this feast because I love the saints, and we should never be forgetful of them. The saints are people—real people—who’ve gone before us and allowed the love of God to transform them. As the third Eucharistic Prayer reminds us, the saints are the folks “on whose constant intercession we rely for help.” [Starting at the end of this month, that line will say, “on whose constant intercession in Your presence we rely for unfailing help.”]

We need the prayers & example of the saints. Some days, in the Church calendar, there’s no saint to be celebrated. Other days, there’s a single saint. On some special days, there’s two, like Peter & Paul or Cosmas & Damian. Very rarely, we get to celebrate a bunch of saints on a single day, like St. Isaac Jogues and the other seven North American martyrs.

Today puts all the other feast days to shame. Today, we celebrate All Saints—every last one of them. John Neumann & Katharine Drexel & Thomas More & Maria Goretti & Augustine & Francis & Therese & Dominic & Anselm. And, not just them, but all those small people in life, from among our own families & friends, who’ve “gone before us marked with the sign of faith” and whom we quietly hope have reached their reward in heaven.

In chapter seven of the Book of Revelation, we hear the apostle John telling us about his vision of heaven. He proclaims: “I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count.” God wants to make us all saints, and He has the power to make it happen. Fortunately, becoming a saint isn’t so much about what we do as it is about what we allow God to do within us.

If we cooperate with His grace in our lives, some day, this will be our feast day. We will have the privilege of praying for the next generation from on high. The Lord can make us part of the “great multitude” John saw in his vision of heaven. I, for one, want to be in that number!

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 Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Entrance Chant” • 21st Sunday Ordin. Time
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) which is coming up on 24 August 2025. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. It’s set in a melancholy mode, but if you heard my choir’s female voices singing it your soul would be uplifted beyond belief. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, this morning I tried to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

“Leave the Mass alone. Our churches are full—the Protestants, in spite of their vernacular, far otherwise.”

— Cardinal Godfrey (one of the Vatican II fathers)

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