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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

Holy Communion

Fr. David Friel · May 17, 2012

With very few exceptions, I don’t like movies. I get bored or annoyed or offended by them, and then I fall asleep. One exception is Young Frankenstein. Among my most favorite of my many favorite lines in that film is the classic quip from Igor: “Wait Master! It might be dangerous. . . . You go first.”

I think we’ve all experienced that moment before, when we are metaphorically the first in line to jump out of the airplane and we’d rather someone else go first just to get things started. The awkward moment may have occurred atop a diving board or behind a podium or in the on-deck circle. Igor captures well the sentiment we have all shared at some point, wherever we might have been: the feeling of desperation as we scramble for a much-needed sense of security.

This strikes me not only as a natural reaction, but also as a very supernatural notion. Is it not good for us to have fellowship with those around us, encouraging us onward? Jesus, Himself, says: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to Myself so that where I am, you also may be. Where I am going, you know the way” (John 14:3-4). Jesus, here, volunteers to be the first one to jump, the opening speaker, and the lead-off batter. In a sense, He makes it easy for us. All we have to do is follow.

I remember having this feeling in the years before I was ordained a deacon. I knew the men in the classes ahead of me well, and I recall experiencing a sense of relief as I watched my friends be ordained. “If they can lay down their lives for Christ and the Church, so can I.”

The experience reversed itself a bit this past weekend. I’ve been a priest for nearly a year, and I had the joy on Saturday of concelebrating the ordination Mass of three more friends to the diaconate. Again, I must confess to experiencing a sense of profound relief. “I’m not alone; there are people coming after me!”

The Lord surely must have felt that way. At the outset of His ministry, He had said to Simon & Andrew, “Come, follow Me” (Mark 1:17). When they went out on Pentecost proclaiming the Kingdom and when “thousands were added to their number” (Acts 2:41), do you not think Jesus would have been exuberant: “I’m not alone; there are people coming after me!”

The experience of these years of friends’ ordinations has taught me something profound about Communion. It is good to have others go before us; and it is good to have others follow behind us. We are never alone. God is really with us. Whether things are dangerous or not, He always goes before us, like the pillar of fire of old.

This kind of Communion serves magnificently to “confirm the brethren” (Luke 22:32). It draws us out of our individualism and situates us in the context of the mystical Body of Christ. This inspires me to “tell the next generation that such is our God, our God forever and always; it is He Who leads us” (Psalm 48:14)!

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

    2-Voice Arr. • “Creator of the Starry Height”
    Do you direct a choir consisting of women or children only? (Some call this a “treble” choir.) Download a two-voice arrangement of Creator of the Starry Height set to the tune of IOANNES by clicking here and then scrolling to the bottom. In our times, this hymn is normally used during ADVENT, and the Latin title is: Cónditor alme síderum. It’s important to say “cónditor”—placing the accent on the antepenult—because ‘condítor’ in Latin means “one who embalms the dead.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “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
    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

Random Quote

“Until Pope Paul VI, there has not been a single pope who introduced the type of fundamental changes in liturgical forms which we are now witnessing. In fact, we must note that even small changes in the liturgy introduced by a pope have never been readily accepted.”

— Monsignor Klaus Gamber (d. 1989)

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