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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

It’s Personal

Fr. David Friel · June 5, 2012

As a kid growing up, I went to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Sometime—I believe around 4th grade—a new kid moved into the area and joined our class. For whatever reason, I became friends with him, and I can distinctly remember the first time I called his house. Like most kids that age, I always got nervous before making phone calls, and my mom would prep me with what to say. So, when I called my friend’s house and his mom answered, I said, as though from a script, “Good morning, this is David Friel. May I please speak with John Smith?”

She replied, “Which one?” I froze. That wasn’t in the script! My mom never prepared me for that!

I came to find out that not only was my friend’s name John Smith, but his father had the same name. And not only that, but his paternal grandfather also lived in the house, and he, too, had the same name. We eventually came up with a system: my friend became just “John,” his dad became “Mr. Smith,” and his grandfather, inventively enough, became “Mr. Mr. Olenick.” Since there were three different people with the same name, I had to do something to specify to whom I was speaking.

When you pray, to Whom do you pray? If your answer is God, let me suggest that we should clarify that. We celebrated this past Sunday the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the day on which we highlight our belief in a Trinity of three Persons Who are one God—three distinct People, Who go by the one name of “God.” So, perhaps it would be good for us to specify, when we pray, precisely to Whom we are praying.

In the course of a single day, we might pray to all three members of the Trinity, but that doesn’t preclude us from having a unique relationship with each of them. Perhaps we had a troubled relationship with our human father, and so we feel most comfortable praying to God the Father. Maybe we can really relate to Jesus, since He has a human nature, so we want to pray to Him. Or maybe you really need special inspiration, and so you turn to the Holy Ghost.

Why does it matter? Why can’t we just pray generically to “God” and let Him sort out where the prayers go?

Because God is not just a cabinet with different mail slots; nor is He just some amorphous blob in the clouds. God is a Person—three distinct, though not separate, Persons. When I wanted to talk to my friend, I couldn’t just call and speak to “John Smith-ness.” I had to specify which John Smith—which person. In the same way, when we talk to the Lord, we can do better than just addressing “God.” We can specify the Father or the Son or the Holy Spirit.

The fabulous news for us is that, because God is a Personal Being, we can have a relationship with Him. He’s not just a rock or a piece of furniture. He has Personality, to which we can relate. And, for that reason, prayer is a relationship, not just the filing of a memo with God.

If we learn to pray in this way, we may discover sides to God that we’ve never before encountered. We may come to experience the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit more deeply, more vibrantly, and more personally.

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

Why do we never sing “De Spiritu Sancto” (St. Athenogenes) in our churches? There are a dozen translations in English verse. Where could anyone find a better evening hymn than this, coming right down from the catacombs? Our hymnbooks know nothing of such a treasure as this, and give us pages of poor sentiment in doggerel lines by some tenth-rate modern versifier.

— Rev’d Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923)

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