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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

The Extraordinary Form Is Centered On Christ

Jeff Ostrowski · September 25, 2013

382 Extraordinary Form Braque Family Triptych, c. 1450 (Weyden) EOPLE IN FAVOR of legalized abortion often justify it by citing cases of rape and incest. This seems to be their “weapon of choice,” and they put faith in it. Progressives in favor of “updating” Catholic dogma often treat the Extraordinary Form as their “weapon of choice.” They continually denigrate it and feel that doing so helps their case.

Those who oppose abortion point out that very few of the 50 million abortions since Roe v. Wade were related to “rape and incest,” but this is the weaker argument.

Similarly, those in favor of traditional Church morality point out that the “obsession” with the Extraordinary Form by its critics is disproportionate (since not many Catholics currently attend the EF), but this, too, is the weaker argument.

The best way to counter the “rape and incest” argument is to remind folks that no matter how conception occurred, murdering an innocent child never helps. It only makes things worse. Likewise, the best way to counter assaults on the Extraordinary Form is to address them directly.

THE STANDARD ARGUMENT against the Extraordinary Form goes something like this:

The Extraordinary Form uses too much ceremonial, too many medieval gestures, and a dead language nobody understands. These things may be beautiful, but what is needed today is a mode of worship that speaks to “modern man.” The EF is all about Renaissance clothing and obsession with rubrics.

Quite simply, people who make such assertions don’t have a clue what the Extraordinary Form is all about.

The Extraordinary Form is totally centered on our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The prayers, propers, and readings are completely centered on our personal relationship with Christ. When the EF is offered by a priest who does everything correctly (and with seriousness), attending the traditional Latin Mass is like being transported back 2,000 years to Nazareth, encountering Christ directly.

The EF is, quite simply, a personal encounter with our Lord. Anybody who denigrates the EF is attacking Christ directly. They’re free to do so, since the USA is a free country, but they need to be honest about what they’re doing.

CAN I TELL YOU a secret? I’m glad opponents of the EF can’t stop talking about it. I’m glad they are obsessed. Years ago (c. 1990) very few people knew about the EF, and those who did were looked upon as loons.


Please note:  I sincerely hope nobody will interpret my very strong support for the EF as an “attack” on the OF. However, this is the internet, so anything can happen … and often does.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Extraordinary Form 1962 Missal 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

    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

“We must remember that the important elements of a rite are not the things that will first be noticed by a casual and ignorant onlooker—the number of candles, colour of the vestments and places where the bell is rung—but just those things he would not notice: the Canon, fraction and so on, the prayers said in a low voice and the characteristic but less obvious rites done by the celebrant at the altar.”

— Fr. Fortescue explaining that Anglicanism does not preserve Sarum

Recent Posts

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  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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