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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

Mother Mary

Fr. David Friel · January 2, 2012

As a young priest, I have lots of priest heroes—men I’ve known throughout the course of my life who’ve made an impact on my life and my faith. Some of those priests are young, some are old; some are learned, some are simple; but all of them, I think, are wise.

There’s one priest, in particular, whom I respect very much. He’s the sort of guy I’ve called to ask advice from time to time over the last seven months when a really difficult situation has come my way.

I remember him telling me once about his mother, whom he took care of for the last five years or so of her life. When she died, he felt a paralyzing sense of loss. His father had died years before, and now he had lost his mother, too. He didn’t know what to do, so he began to pray, like his mother had taught him, the rosary. He would pray it every day.

Gradually, over the course of a few months, he began to realize something: while his earthly mother may have died, he had a mother in heaven. He told me that, by praying the rosary, he realized for the first time in a deep, heartfelt way that Mary was, indeed, his mother. In fact, all along life’s way, he had never once been without a mother!

What this priest friend of mine discovered is beautiful, but none of us need to go through the same process to come to that same knowledge. Mary is our Mother in heaven, too, whether our human mothers are alive or not. She is, as this Church celebrates with this solemnity every January 1st, the Mother of God. She is, as the Ave Maria declared, the Mater Dei. But Mary is also our Mother. We must become convinced of that, not in a theoretical way, but in a deep, heartfelt way!

When Christ was dying on the cross, He said to Mary, “Woman, behold your son.” And to the Beloved Disciple, He said, “Behold your Mother.” That same exchange is meant not only for the Beloved Disciple, but for all of us as “beloved disciples.”

The next line in the Gospel of the crucifixion is explosive. It tells us that, “from that hour on, the disciple took her into his home.” That command is as much for us as it was for the Beloved Disciple! Jesus wants us to welcome His mother—our Mother—into our homes and into our hearts.

What a beautiful resolution it would be if all of us committed to getting to know our Blessed Lady a little bit better this year. We could pray her rosary. We could read a book about her.
We could visit a shrine erected in her honor.

We have a Mother in heaven who is anxious to receive our affection. In the face of all the trials that are sure to come, may this New Year be one that is filled with hope & peace & joy for each of you and your families.

May you welcome into your homes Mary, who is the Mother of God and the Mother of us all.
And may she truly be for us “our life, our sweetness, and our hope!”

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

“Each of our sins was one more thorn in our Lord’s crown; one blow the more to His scourging.”

— Cardinal Merry Del Val (shortly before his death)

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