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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani (1890-1979)

Jeff Ostrowski · April 13, 2013

ANY TIMES in the past I have talked about the following phenomenon: one notices a word or person and then within 24 hours one finds that same word or person mentioned in a completely random, surprising place. I’ve also said that I will not blog on this topic anymore, since readers are probably sick of hearing about it. That doesn’t mean I’m not tempted . . . this phenomenon happens so frequently. For instance, the self-same day I happened to research Cardinal Ottaviani, a friend of mine posted the picture in the upper right hand corner. Odd, is it not?

I feel the time is right for somebody to write a biography of Cardinal Ottaviani. Here are three (3) things I recently read about him (if I make any mistakes, I hope readers will correct me):

1. He was made a Cardinal before being consecrated a bishop, which is rarely done these days.

2. He had a triple doctorate, just like Fr. Adrian Fortescue.

3. He was blind later in life (similar to how Beethoven and Fauré were deaf later in life, but that’s another story!).

Over the course of my life, I’ve often read about Cardinal Ottaviani, but I am certainly no expert. I will mention just a few more things before I bring this blog to a close.

During the Second Vatican Council, before being famously cut off, he said:

“Are we seeking to stir up wonder, or perhaps scandal, among the Christian people, by introducing changes in so venerable a rite, that has been approved for so many centuries and is now so familiar? The rite of Holy Mass should not be treated as if it were a piece of cloth to be refashioned according to the whim of each generation.”

This sounds very much like Pope Benedict XVI, who said (speaking without a translator in an off-the-cuff interview [url]):

“We are today not another Church as 500 years ago. It is always the same the Church. What is one time holy for the Church is always holy for the Church and is not in another time an impossible thing.”

Benedict XVI also said:

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.” — 7 July 2007 (Letter accompanying Summorum Pontificum)

Someone has written that as a young Peritus at the Council, Ratzinger acted as “one of the theological young Turks leading the charge against the status quo Ottaviani emodied . . . Ratzinger was among the behind-the-scenes plotters who ensured theat the council foiled Ottaviani on virtually every issue.” This may or may not be the case. Probably, young Ratzinger had some problems and issues with the Curia Romana. That’s ironic, because people “in the know” have told me Benedict had to resign as Pope because he no longer had the strength to fight against the out of control Curia Romana. In any event, perhaps we’ll know someday, if a true historian writes a biography of Ottaviani. Unfortunately, really good historians who actually know something are rather short in supply these days, and that’s a fact.

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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“From six in the evening, his martyrdom had continued through the ghastly night until nine o’clock in the morning. After fifteen hours of torture rarely if ever surpassed in the bloody annals of the Iroquois, the soul of Gabriel Lalemant was freed from its charred and mutilated prison and summoned to join his comrade Jean de Brébeuf in the radiant splendor of God. March 17th, 1649, was the date; for Brébeuf it had been the sixteenth.”

— ‘Fr. John A. O’Brien, speaking of St. Gabriel Lalemant’

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