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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

A Personal Encounter with Pope Francis

Richard J. Clark · March 22, 2013

SIMPLE ENCOUNTER can often change the course of one’s life, or perhaps the course of many lives. This is often true for both parties who meet each other for the first time—no matter how disparate the social or political standing. Pope Francis has made it clear he will embrace the most lowly in society: Pope Francis To Hold Holy Thursday Mass In Casal Del Marmo Youth Jail where he will wash prisoners’ feet. Certainly, Pope Francis will change lives forever through this profound encounter.

Fr. Jonathan Gaspar (Priest Secretary to His Eminence Seán Cardinal O’Malley) has been in Rome during the conclave through the installation of Pope Francis. Recently, Fr. Gaspar had the opportunity to meet privately with Pope Francis. With his permission I will share with you more of his heartfelt words upon his personal meeting with Pope Francis.

In this encounter, there is an important message for all of us; it is a three-fold message of love, thanksgiving, and prayer. Even the Pope needs our love, our thanks, and most especially our prayers!

“This morning Cardinal Seán asked me to deliver a note to the Pope’s secretary at the Domus Santa Marta, the guest residence in Vatican City where Pope Francis has been living since his election. While speaking to his secretary, the Holy Father came down the hall and I greeted him with the traditional kissing of his ring, and we spoke for a little over a minute. He was kind and seemed happy to speak with me! He told me how much he respected Cardinal O’Malley.

“I told him three things: first, that we love him; second, I thanked him for his beautiful example of humility for me as a priest and for all Christians; lastly I told him that I was praying for him. When I told him that I was praying for him, he lit right up, thanked me for my prayers and asked me to continue praying.

“I’m still amazed at his approachability and simplicity. I will never forget this encounter, and I wanted to share it with all of you so that you will appreciate how special Pope Francis really is. Great way to end my trip to Rome for these historic days in the life of the Church.

“Pray for Pope Francis, and Thank God He has sent us another holy pastor and shepherd to guide us to Christ! — at Città Del Vaticano.”

I have read the above words several times, and I am still amazed at what I learn each time I read them.

Fr. Jonathan Gaspar is also the Director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Boston. Additionally, he is an organist, singer, and a great advocate of Gregorian Chant. In 2011, he formed the Office of Divine Worship Saint Cecilia Schola in which we collaborated on recording the ICEL Chants of the Roman Missal, Third Edition. Listen and watch here to Fr. Gaspar’s practice video of the Easter Proclamation

(Photo courtesy of PilotCatholicNews.com)

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 Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “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
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st 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. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —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

Dom Vitry never claimed chant could not be used successfully with English words. No one need take my word for it. He was a pioneer on the matter of vernacular adaptation, and I need only refer you to the many publications of his own “Fides Jubilans” press. What he said was that adaptation involved some mutilation, and that we were faced with one or the other.

— Monsignor Francis P. Schmitt (1963)

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