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Corpus Christi Watershed

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

“It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.”

Jeff Ostrowski · October 8, 2013

E COULD STOP sending out CCW fundraising letters if I had a dime for every time someone said:

Latin is not important. After all, Christ didn’t say the first Mass in Latin. Did you know that?

Obviously, in a short blog entry, I can’t adequately address all the reasons that statement is false. For instance, there are the “typical” responses, like pointing out that if we really believe what we claim about the Mass, a natural human instinct is to “clothe” it in a lingua sacra. Then, there are the not so apparent reasons. For instance, one reason such hatred for Latin exists in certain quarters has to do with hatred for the Church of the Middle Ages. In other words, they’re correct that Christ didn’t say the first Mass in Latin (although He did use a linga sacra). However, it just so happens that a large part of Salvation History was revealed to us in the Latin Rite. So many saints belonged to the Latin Rite! So much of what we believe comes from the development of doctrine in the (Latin) Middle Ages, and that is what is often being attacked and rejected covertly when folks denigrate Latin. Certainly, God could have chosen a different language if He wished. St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, St. Augustine, St. Francis, and all the rest could have (conceivably) had their liturgies in Polish or Portuguese or Tagalog. But, as a matter of fact, they didn’t.

ANYWAY, ENOUGH OF ALL THAT. Let’s take a look at something positive. Young Catholics everywhere are waking up and discovering they’ve been robbed of their inheritance:

      * *  Diary of a Latin Mass Wedding (Regina Magazine)

Here’s an excerpt:

I’ve been attending the Traditional Latin Mass since 2009. I took Latin in school, and one day someone told me, “Did you know that in the Middle Ages the Mass used to be in Latin?” I thought, “I wish that still happened, somewhere on earth.” Then, I found out there was a traditional Latin Mass at St. Agnes in New York City, so I started taking the train from Connecticut to attend. I had no idea there were any Traditional Latin Masses anywhere else, much less any in Connecticut.

The story comes from an sensational Catholic women’s magazine called Regina. I’d never heard of this magazine before, but more than seven thousand people subscribe (based on their Facebook page). The writing, photography, and “professionally done” layouts are to be commended. Please let your female friends know about this!!!

By the way, my wife and I also had a 1962 Tridentine Wedding (back in 2007) and the celebrant was none other than Bishop René H. Gracida, who wore a special chasuble that had belonged to a canonized saint:

350 Tridentine Wedding

Someday, God-willing, I hope to share more information about the music we had at this Mass. The men’s Schola had nineteen men, and the polyphonic choir had fifty mixed voices.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Extraordinary Form 1962 Missal, Latin 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

    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Entrance Chant” • 21st Sunday Ordin. Time
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) which is coming up on 24 August 2025. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. It’s set in a melancholy mode, but if you heard my choir’s female voices singing it your soul would be uplifted beyond belief. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, this morning I tried to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

The frequent elisions, as in the verse “Hoc óstium arcae in látere est Genti ad salútem pósitum” (feast of the Sacred Heart) make for an unpronounceable and unsingable hymn, and slightly less so does the hymn for Christ the King.

— Archbishop Hannibal Bugnini

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