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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

The Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

Jeff Ostrowski · February 27, 2013

T THIS TIME, I will share a few reflections on His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. I apologize that these thoughts of mine are not given in the most satisfactory order or with great eloquence. Hopefully they will still be of interest to the reader. They come from the heart.

Pope Benedict XVI is a holy, brave, brilliant servant of Jesus Christ. A few months ago (prior to Benedict announcing his resignation), we included his picture in the banner of our Blog Header. He is pictured at Mass, acting as Subdeacon, holding the Paten and wearing the Humeral Veil. This action by the Subdeacon is done during Solemn Mass, and the history of it is astounding, going back many centuries. Some time ago, I spent close to three weeks researching the liturgical history of this action. I will not share the results here (for obvious reasons), but suffice it to say that showing our Holy Father performing that action at Mass is deeply significant. I would welcome an opportunity at some later date to explain exactly why.

When Pope Benedict XVI writes, I can “hear” his voice in the written words. I can tell he is the author. He speaks to the heart. For instance, which one of us could remain unmoved after reading his Stations of the Cross? At this time, I would merely repeat that he is a brilliant theologian.

I believe his resignation is the perfect end to a truly great Pontificate. By his resignation, he is “leading the way.” He is reminding the popes who will succeed him that men are living longer these days. The average lifespan of a human being today is much greater than in 1913, 1813, 1713, or 1613. Therefore, future popes ought to follow Benedict’s lead when they become so old and feeble they can no longer adequately run the Catholic Church. They should follow Benedict’s lead by reducing the number of trips a Pope makes and concentrate more on running the Church. They should follow Benedict’s lead (when the time is right) by voluntarily renouncing “power” of being the boss of a billion Catholics. How few of our leaders show such humility! They should follow Benedict’s lead by continuing to reform the Liturgy, making sure it is truly sacred.

I believe that Pope Benedict was one of the greatest popes of all time. I was trying to think of a fitting way to honor this great servant of Jesus Christ. To this end, I will now reproduce an amazing article Pope Benedict wrote when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger. This article was written on the occasion of the retirement of Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, the Pope’s older brother. The masterful translation is by Fr. Robert Skeris, who for many years has promoted the teachings of Cardinal Ratzinger in a way very few others have. This article is truly profound, and notice that Pope Benedict does not shy away from the hard questions. Rather, he tackles them head on:

      Betwixt and Between the Regensburg Tradition and Postconciliar Reform [pdf].

I wish had words of great eloquence to speak at this time. I do not. All I can say is,

“Farewell, great Pope. Farewell, defender of the Holy Doctrine of Jesus Christ. Farewell, humble and saintly man. We love you. Please pray for us.”

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 Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Cardinal Ranjith on “Active Participation”
    From 2005–2009, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith served as Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. He was considered ‘papabile’ during the last conclave. On 8 December 2008, he wrote this powerful statement concerning Gregorian Chant, participatio actuosa, celebration “ad orientem,” and other subjects.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “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

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

When the matter is thus regarded, an assertion which is being made today, not only by laymen but also at times by certain theologians and priests and spread about by them, ought to be rejected as an erroneous opinion: namely, that the offering of one Mass, at which a hundred priests assist with religious devotion, is the same as a hundred Masses celebrated by a hundred priests. That is not true.

— Pope Pius XII (2 November 1954)

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