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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

From Every Oops

Andrew R. Motyka · September 4, 2013

E ARE ALL AWARE, at least peripherally, that every mistake carries with it a learning experience. Some have big impacts on our lives, some give us insights about ourselves, and others we just say, “Wow, I never knew that.” This story is one of those last kinds, with a little bit of forced humility added in.

As most of you know, I just started a new position last November. As my first Easter in this parish drew to a close and we re-entered Ordinary Time, I learned something about my parish’s celebration of their feast day, Saints Peter and Paul. I learned that for many years now, the parish had shifted their titular feast from June 29 to the nearest Sunday.

I thought that was a particularly odd practice, and ran it by the director of worship. He agreed that the Sunday celebration should always take precedence when the Solemnity doesn’t actually fall on the Sunday. We talked it over with the rector, and there was much disappointment among the people. Hey, at least we were doing it right, right?

Cut to 2 weeks ago, when the director of worship emails me two different articles by the inimitable Gary Penkala over at CanticaNOVA Publications addressing this very subject. Well, fine. The parish feast day (as well as, as Penkala rightly points out, the patron feast day and the anniversary of dedication) can be celebrated as solemnities in their respective parishes. Of course I knew that. Furthermore, when June 29 falls on a Sunday (as it does next year), it’s a Solemnity anyway, so it will trump the Sunday. No problem. It’s all in the Table of Precedence in the Calendar.

Oh, what’s that it says? No way. I’ll have to check…um…yup. There it is, in the Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the General Roman Calendar:

#58. For the pastoral good of the faithful, it is permitted to observe on Sundays in Ordinary Time those celebrations that fall during the week and that are agreeable to the devotion of the faithful, provided the celebrations rank above that Sunday in the Table of Liturgical Days. The Mass of such celebrations may be used at all the celebrations of Mass at which the people are present.

Well, shoot. Even if SS. Peter and Paul wasn’t a Solemnity, it would become one by virtue of it being the titular feast of the parish. So yes, they can transfer it to the nearest Sunday in Ordinary Time.

I wasn’t just slightly off in my focus. I was unabashedly, flat-out wrong. We’ll make it right next time. Now that I’ve had a couple of weeks to wipe the egg off of my face, isn’t that an interesting distinction in the calendar? Your parish has many opportunities to celebrate its titular feast, its patronal feast, and its anniversary of dedication.

Get partying!

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 Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —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

“Each of our sins was one more thorn in our Lord’s crown; one blow the more to His scourging.”

— Cardinal Merry Del Val (shortly before his death)

Recent Posts

  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”
  • “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”

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