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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

A Most Magnificent Monogram

Jeff Ostrowski · June 1, 2013

O YOU KNOW what is represented by the symbol on the right? I did not, so I had to ask. It turns out it’s a monogram containing the following letters:

U E R E D I G N U M

Anyone familiar with the Catholic Mass knows the beginning of the Preface: “Vere dignum et justum est” (“It is truly meet and just”). The word “meet” means “suitable, fit, or proper.” Some English translations have, “It is truly right and just, our duty and salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks.”

Can you find all the letters? If not, scroll down. I describe how each letter can be “found” below, but first I will show a few more examples:

842 1250AD 843 cent 11 843 CENT 12

O YOU SEE how the Preface begins with the words Et iustum est, aequum et salutare, etc.? That’s because the first two words “Uere dignum” are not required, since the monogram contains them. The FSSP priest who explained all this to me sent me another monogram which contains all the words of “MARIA.” I have posted this symbol on the right. Click here to see how the Preface looks in the CAMPION MISSAL. As I was researching, I was saddened to learn that many ancient liturgical manuscripts did not survive the Reformation.

So, did you find all the letters? If not, please open the following PDF:

      * *  Explanation of the UEREDIGNUM [pdf]

What about the “R”: did I find it correctly? That’s the only way I could make “R” fit. Do you know a better way? Let me know in the combox.

EMEMBER that “u” and “v” can be interchanged in Latin. Here’s what Fr. Aidan Nichols has to say, in his book on Fortescue:

In 1913, Fr. Adrian Fortescue published his translation of a number of the hymns of the Latin Lirurgy, and this prompted a sharp little exchange in The Tablet with the sculptor and type-designer Eric Gill (1882-1940) on the topic of Latin letters. Fortescue held that that the vernacular Romance distinction between “u” and “v” should not be carried over into present-day Latin inscriptions, and in his translations, originally privately printed, he put this conviction into typographical practice. Gill wrote in to dissent in characteristically pugnacious vein. “Pedantry is deservedly discredited as a kind of intellectual priggishness. A usage based on common practice is in this latter, as in all human things, a better thing than one resting on the authority of an individual, however learned.” Fortescue replied that the letter “u” printed with a rounded bottom was an ugly letter, and he ascribed Gill’s negative reaction to unfamiliarity with historic inscriptions. This was why Gill found a return to sound practice “queer and artistic.” Gill retorted that he certainly found Fortescue “queer and artistic in thinking the round U ugly.”
The remark seems to have rankled. Some years later he would recount the story for a figure who bears comparison with Gill in the history of print, Stanley Morison.

So, it seems Fortescue would have loved the following manuscript, which was created around 983AD:


He would have loved this one, too, from the 2nd half of the 10th century:

111 Ms D 3 5218

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

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“The Lord’s Prayer, among the Greeks, is said by all the people; among us, by the priest alone.”

— Pope Saint Gregory the Great

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