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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

Carmel

Fr. David Friel · July 23, 2012

As a son of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish in Doylestown, PA, my favorite title for Mary is an easy pick. Of course, the feast of Mt. Carmel, which we celebrate every July 16th, has long been associated with the brown scapular. For those of us who wear it, the scapular is meant as a sign of Mary’s protection and a reminder that we are her children.

The actual place called Mount Carmel—a 1,724-foot ridge in the Holy Land—has been the site of a monastery from around the 12th century. Since that time, men and women have lived there, devoting themselves to prayer and contemplation. That is the special charism of all Carmelites: prayer and contemplation.

The word Carmel, itself, is a Hebrew word meaning “God’s Vineyard.” That’s what every Carmelite monastery tries to be: a fruitful vineyard of prayer. At the very heart of Carmelite spirituality, of course, is a special devotion to the Blessed Mother. Just as we would say that Jesus is the New Adam—the obedient Man who undid the disobedience of the first Adam—so Carmelites would tell us that Mary, herself, is not only the new Eve, but also the new Eden.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort says it well: “Our Blessed Lady is the true terrestrial paradise of the New Adam, and the ancient paradise was but a figure of her” (True Devotion, #261). Like the Garden of Eden, our Blessed Lady is, in herself, abundantly fruitful, overflowing with every form of riches, beauties, and sweetness.

Just like Mary, we are all called to be Carmels—fruitful vineyards for God. Through the work of prayer and contemplation, we, too, can bear fruit for the Lord and for those around us. By learning from Our Lady’s example, we may even bring forth that most blessed fruit: Jesus, Himself.

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

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 2025). 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 the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Thus, by the celebration of a single Mass (in which he offers Jesus Christ in sacrifice), a priest gives greater honor to the Lord than if all men by dying for God offered to him the sacrifice of their lives. By a single Mass, he gives greater honor to God than all the angels and saints—along with the Blessed Virgin Mary—have given or shall give to him; for their worship cannot be of infinite value, like that which the priest celebrating on the altar offers to God.”

— Saint Alphonsus Liguori

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