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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

More Thoughts On The 3-Year Lectionary …

Jeff Ostrowski · November 14, 2013

182 Bugnini NE REASON for convening Council of Trent was to make clear what Catholics believe, as opposed to the “Protestant” churches springing up. For this reason, the Council often issued decrees saying (in essence): “If anyone believes such-and-such, let him be anathema.” I like to call this very clear (if somewhat negative) system the “Trent method,” and I’ll use it to begin today’s article.

The other day, a knowledgeable and sincere defender of the Bugnini Lectionary said:

“In the ordinary form Lectionary, proper readings are retained on all solemnities, all feasts, and a sprinkling of the memorials.”

I clearly remember a priest making this claim more than a decade ago … but it’s not true. Here, for example, are some solemnities and feasts whose readings change because of a 3-year Lectionary cycle: Trinity Sunday, Christ the King, Transfiguration, Baptism of the Lord, Holy Family, and All Souls’ Day.

THE THREE-YEAR LECTIONARY has turned out to be a very hurtful thing for Catholics because it robs us of “yearly associations.” Considering the Ordinary Form has (wrongly) banished the Propers from 99% of Masses, the damage is compounded. We’ve discussed this many times, and earlier this week, Dr. Kwasniewski published an NLM article on this subject. We all seem to agree with what Professor László Dobszay said years ago:

The creators did not consider the capacity of the human psyche: the maximal size of a cyclic human memory extends to one year, which is “humanized” by the path of the Sun and the cycle of the seasons.

Please notice that nobody is criticizing Scripture itself, as Dobszay clarified:

First, however, we have to make an essential distinction. The Bible and the Gospels are holy to the very last letter. The very last “and” uttered by the Savior has meaning and conveys grace, simply because it was He who said it. Nobody has the right to select or omit the words of the Bible according to his perspective or taste. The Bible demands reverence and pious devotion, and it is only in its entirety that it has consecrating power. But another question is whether all parts of the Bible are equally suitable for becoming a pericope (in the sense defined above) — able to pervade, organize and characterize the liturgical day. When we discuss the choice of pericopes, it is not the biblical text that is criticized, and no distinction is made between the status of the various holy texts as part of Divine Revelation and doctrine. All we say is that one text is not as suitable to be a pericope as another.

Everyone ought to carefully reflect on Dobszay’s work, which has much to offer:

      * *  The Bugnini-Liturgy & Reform of the Reform • Professor László Dobszay

The article is available online courtesy of the CMAA and Catholic Church Music Associates.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Annibale Bugnini Reform, Novus Ordo Lectionary Reform 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

    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“Victoria not only made his professional debut as church organist: he also continued active on the organ bench until the very eve of his death. Indeed, during his last seven years at Madrid (1604-1611) he occupied no other musical post but that of convent organist.”

— Dr. Robert Stevenson (1961)

Recent Posts

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

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