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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

“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

    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

Thus the priest-celebrant, putting on the person of Christ, alone offers sacrifice, and not the people, nor clerics, nor even priests who reverently assist. All, however, can and should take an active part in the Sacrifice. “The Christian people, though participating in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, do not thereby possess a priestly power,” We stated in the Encyclical Mediator Dei (AAS, vol 39, 1947, p. 553).

— Pope Pius XII (2 November 1954)

Recent Posts

  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 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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