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Corpus Christi Watershed

“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 Personal Remembrance . . .

Corpus Christi Watershed · July 22, 2013

We have obtained permission to share the following reflection by Fr. Christopher Phillips, originally posted on 13 February 2013. Fr. Phillips knew Cardinal Ratzinger personally.

IKE SO MANY OTHERS, I have my personal memory of Pope Benedict, which took place some years ago, when he was the Cardinal Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In November of 1983 the small Commission of which I was a member had just finished our work on The Book of Divine Worship. As is the case with the Ordinariates, the Pastoral Provision came under the authority of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, working in conjunction with the Congregation for Divine Worship. Cardinal Ratzinger had greeted us as we began our deliberations, but we saw no more of him during the time of our meetings. When we finished, however, we were told that the Cardinal Prefect would like to invite us to a dinner to celebrate our accomplishment.

We were given the name of a very nice restaurant on the Via della Conciliazione, only a block or two from where we had been meeting. We were told to be there at such-and-such a time, and we would be taken to a private dining room upstairs.

As I said, the Commission was comprised of a small group (perhaps a dozen or so), and when we entered the room we were individually greeted by Cardinal Ratzinger. I had the good fortune to have been befriended by then-Archbishop (later Cardinal) Virgilio Noe, who was the chairman of our Commission. He had always seen that I was given time to speak at our meetings, and he often showed little kindnesses during our deliberations. For this final dinner, he made sure I was seated between him and the Cardinal Prefect.

Could I have imagined at that time that I was sitting and conversing with the future Pope? Not in a million years! It was dramatic enough to have had that time with him as a Cardinal. A few years ago I was able briefly to meet him again at one of the General Audiences, and I couldn’t help but remember the time we had shared so many years before.

And now, the man with whom I was privileged to share dinner and some conversation is the Pope who is making history in such an unexpected way. From that evening onward, I felt a connection with him, and I cannot describe how happy I was when he was elected to be the Successor of St. Peter. And because of that experience with him — fleeting though it was — I made the mistake of feeling [his resignation] personally. I know now why at first it upset me so. But over these past few days I have come not only to accept it, but to see it as part of God’s plan for the Church, and for Benedict himself.

Our beloved Holy Father — soon to be Joseph Ratzinger again — is not retreating, nor is he easing into retirement. He is going deeper into the Heart of God, where he will pray and suffer and intercede. It is almost as when the high priest of the Temple went into the Holy of Holies to plead for God’s mercy upon His people. However, unlike the high priest of old who would return, Benedict will remain veiled from us. But we will know he is there, praying for us and suffering for us and interceding for us, until his life on this earth is over.

This whole thing is a gift from God to us, even though it did not seem so at first. And the next Pope, already known by God, will be a gift as well. Such extraordinary happenings foretell extraordinary challenges ahead for the Church. But God is not letting us face the battle empty-handed and leaderless. We will have a new Pope. And we will have the man whom we have known as Benedict quietly and steadily protecting us with his prayers.

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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“Partly on account of these alterations, and partly because I have been unable to ascertain the authorship of many compositions—which have come to me either in manuscript or through other collections—I have thought it right to publish the volume without appending the names of writers to their works. This, however, I confess to be a defect…”

— Benjamin Hall Kennedy (1863)

Recent Posts

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