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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

First Impressions of Bishop Sample’s Pastoral Letter on Sacred Music

Aristotle A. Esguerra · February 18, 2013

On January 21 of this year Bishop Alexander Sample of Marquette issued “Rejoice in the Lord Always,” a pastoral letter on Sacred Music in Divine Worship. (H/T to Adam Bartlett of the Chant Café.) You may download it directly from the Diocese of Marquette’s website here.

What struck me the most about this letter is that it calls for the following:

  • Pastors and musicians to possess knowledge of the musical directives as found in Church documents (listed in the appendix) and to base preparations for liturgies on them;
  • An understanding that one prepares for the liturgy instead of plans it (subtle but important distinction);
  • At least one Sunday Mass per parish be a Sung Mass (missa cantata) according to the capabilities of the priest and faithful;
  • An awareness of the nonliturgical nature of the “Recessional Hymn”, calling for an instrumental piece or silence (in Lent);
  • Moving toward the singing of the Proper of the Mass (Entrance/Offertory/Communion chants), while laying down tighter guidelines for hymn substitution of these Propers (which takes place on a widespread basis);
  • Weekday Masses to incorporate some liturgical singing;
  • All capable priests of the diocese to learn to pray the Roman Canon in chant according to the tones in the Missal;
  • All parishes to learn two chant Mass settings (VIII and XVIII);
  • All parishes to conduct Triduum liturgies a cappella from the Gloria of Holy Thursday until the Gloria of the Easter Vigil.

He is set to leave the Marquette Diocese in a couple of months, so I’m unsure how well, how quickly, or if the directives in this Pastoral Letter will be implemented. (I have read some positive reports from last June’s Diocesan Sacred Music Conference, and I understand that he has recently hired a music director to carry out some of the above at the cathedral there.) However, as he will be installed as archbishop of Portland, Oregon on April 2 his presence may very well begin to be felt (albeit indirectly) not only in the churches of the Diocese of Marquette but also in all churches that use materials published by Oregon Catholic Press. (He is also the incoming chairman of OCP by reason of his archbishopric.)

In any case, it’s extremely refreshing to see the chief liturgist of a diocese teach and issue directives about the sacred liturgy that are in continuity with Church teaching. May their number increase.

And readers aware of the Proper of the Mass know that the beginning of the Entrance Antiphon for the Third Sunday of Advent is used for the title of this pastoral letter. Could we finally be seeing the advent of sung liturgy in the Roman Rite as envisioned by the Council Fathers at a diocese-wide level?

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Archbishop Alexander K Sample Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Aristotle A. Esguerra

Aristotle A. Esguerra has served in the Diocese of Madison since 2009 as music director at the churches of St. Mary, Pine Bluff and St. Ignatius, Mount Horeb, and as the chant instructor to the Cistercian Nuns of Valley of Our Lady Monastery, Prairie du Sac.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 22nd in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 31 August 2025, which is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

In the ’60s, I thought this emphasis on congregational singing was to encourage good Catholic hymns like “Immaculate Mary” and so forth … but after the Council, they threw them out, too!

— ‘Fr. Valentine Young, OFM (2007)’

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