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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

Replacing the Entrance Chant With A Hymn Or Song?

Jeff Ostrowski · October 15, 2013

HE CURRENT GIRM (a.k.a. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 2011) says the Entrance Chant assigned by the Church must be sung, unless it is replaced by “another liturgical chant” approved by the Bishop or Episcopal Conference. The same rules apply for the Offertory and Communion Chants. However, in most OF parishes, it seems like the musical program is as follows:

1. Entrance Chant: Whatever song we like.
2. Ordinary: “Mass of Creation” (Haugen)
3. Offertory Chant: Whichever song we like.
4. Communion Chant: Whatever song we like.

The reality is, less than 0.05% of Catholics know what the Mass Propers are. What a loss! These beautiful, ancient texts and melodies were preserved for 1,600 years — through war, famine, and so forth — only to be (wrongly) discarded after the Second Vatican Council, in spite of the fact that the Council wanted people to “pray the Mass, not replace the Mass.”

SPECIAL ANNOUNCMENT:

Watershed’s Vatican II Hymnal was the very first pew book to contain all the Propers (in English) for the congregation. Soon, we shall release a special new pew book which presents the Mass Propers in a way you won’t believe. To make sure you hear about this book before anyone else, please join our mailing list.

WHAT DO YOU THINK when people replace the assigned Propers with “another liturgical chant” … and they choose a song? Or they choose rock music or broadway? Or they use some other style that is not really another liturgical chant? Is this obeying the spirit and letter of the law? This issue gets a bit more complicated, as you can see here. I’m not going to treat this at the moment, because it’s kind of pointless until people start realizing the Propers exist!

If you’re a lay person and you feel bad about your ignorance of the Propers … it’s OK! Only in the last decade or so have people really begun to rediscover them. Even the former director of the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship (Fr. Krisman) seems “in the dark” when it comes to Mass Propers, and recently made some comments which, in my view, are open to serious criticism. In particular, he attacked Watershed for creating a pew book allowing the congregation to follow the Propers. He also didn’t like our creation of a complete book of simplified Mass Propers in English, approved by the Church. Here’s what he said (and thanks to the reader who emailed me his comments):

AM NOT AGAINST singing the propers as one of several options permitted. But sing them in Latin, please, with a trained choir. Using a Douay-Rheims translation and singing the texts to psalm tones does nothing to preserve the Church’s patrimony. I grew up with the Carlo Rossini propers and thought they were dreadful (I still do). And propers intended for a choir don’t belong in an assembly’s hymn book. […]
I meant what I said about propers in English and propers sung to a psalm tone. […] Propers intended for the use of a choir do not need to be included in participation aids intended for the use of the liturgical assembly. […] I will bite my tongue and say no more either about the literary quality of those texts or the Carlo Rossini approach to the musical settings.
—Fr. R. Krisman, former Executive Director of the USCCB
Liturgy Secretariat, currently works for GIA Publications


First of all, I’m not sure where Fr. Krisman is getting his information. Nobody I know uses the Douay-Rheims translation at Mass. More importantly, though, he seems adamantly opposed to the congregation being able to pray along with the Mass Propers. However, as far as I’m concerned, the congregation needs to see the Mass prayers to facilitate active participation. Even when the Propers are sung in English, it still helps to see the texts.

Finally, it’s important to remember that documents like the GIRM cannot be read “in a vacuum.” Knowledge of Catholic music traditions going back fifteen centuries is assumed, and anybody who knows anything about Catholic liturgy knows how important (essential?) the Propers are. As the video above implies, just because more options are permitted under current Ecclesiastical law, that doesn’t change what the Mass Propers are and have always been.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hymns Replacing Propers 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

    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Been to Catholic church and heard Mass. Execrable music! Organ played by a young girl who made impossible harmonies. Sermon very long. The preacher screamed loud enough to tire his lungs. The congregation was affected.”

— Louis Moreau Gottschalk (8 May 1864)

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  • New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”

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