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Views from the Choir Loft

Young Father Ratzinger Offers Mass In Bavaria

Jeff Ostrowski · March 9, 2013

ERE ARE TWO pictures that were sent to me. I am not sure where these pictures came from. The first one is a young Fr. Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), taken on 17 August, 1952. The picture may possibly have come from this website [url], where you can download a bunch more high quality images of Fr. Ratzinger, like this one [image]. Some will remember that when we first began Views from the Choir Loft (December 2012), we used a 1951 picture of the newly ordained Fr. Ratzinger serving as Subdeacon (read more here and here). I’ll talk about the second picture in a minute.

We are grateful to have precious images like these, of such a holy and great man as Pope Benedict XVI at an early (I almost said “nascent”) stage of his priesthood. Viewing them, ideas may present themselves to the mind like, “Oh, I wish there were a billion more of these pictures.” However, that gets one thinking a little deeper. In today’s day and age, it is actually possible to video tape every moment of one’s life from birth. I know this, because I have often been tempted to do so with my children. For instance, during the last two hours, my daughter has done the most amazing, splendid, remarkably cute things imaginable. I cannot even list them all here, but I will give one example: when the water in the bath is being drained, this 2-year-old girl always says, “Bye, water!” and waves to it as it goes down the drain. These are the moments that make a parent want to, literally, record every moment of a child’s life.

And yet . . . when we start to really ponder, we realize this is not good. Too much photography is bad. It might encourage one to focus too much on “legacy.” After all, everybody knows deep down that “legacy” is worthless. What matters is whether you go to Heaven or Hell when you die. Nothing else matters. A person who dies and goes to Hell will not be thinking, for all eternity, “Well, I’m in Hell, but at least I made a name for myself when I was alive.” Nobody will be thinking that. Nobody in Hell will be saying, “I’m in Hell, but at least people are on the internet downloading my latest video.” There is no need to keep going on and on about this. It ought to be obvious to all, even though most of us go to great lengths to avoid thinking about these “four last things.”

I would, therefore, submit to the reader that we can go “overboard” on taking pictures and videos of our lives. Besides, too many pictures might remind us of the bad as well as the good. For instance, the second image (below) would seem to be a 1950s picture of the Mass at a military base. I cannot help but notice that several of the men are not kneeling and appear not to care what is happening. “Seems like the more things change, the more things stay the same,” as somebody once said . . .

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

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —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

“It is the choir that can make the most valuable contribution to the liturgy; it is through the choir that significant numbers of the congregation can make a significant and valuable offering in the community’s act of worship. The choir links directly academic excellence, artistic creation, disciplined attention and self expression in the making of something fitting for the worship of God.”

— Father Daniel Higgins, Choirmaster at Saint Edmund’s College, Ware

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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