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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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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Edwin Fischer was, on the concert platform, a short, leonine, resilient figure, whose every fibre seemed to vibrate with elemental musical power.”

— Daniel Barenboim (1960)

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