Views from the Choir Loft

“In Medio Ecclesiae” Album Release

Guest Author · November 2, 2013

HE DOMINICAN HOUSE of Studies schola has just released its first album, In Medio Ecclesiae, under the aegis of the newly founded Dominicana Records. Through the direction of Fr. James Moore, O.P., the student choir has been working for more than eighteen months to produce a recording of the finest-quality liturgical music from different eras and traditions of the Church. The album contains fifteen pieces, with seven works from the various liturgical seasons, three timeless hymns of rejoicing, three in honor of specific saints, and two in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The album is available now for download at the following website; CD purchase coming soon.

* * In Medio Ecclesiae • Our Debut Album

The repertoire of In Medio Ecclesiae includes Dominican chant, Renaissance polyphony, Eastern chant, and new compositions and arrangements by Fr. James Moore, O.P. and Br. Vincent Ferrer Bagan, O.P. The pieces are in both Latin and English, and borrow from the Italian, Spanish, English, Polish, and American musical traditions of various eras.

Dominicans know, of course, that a work of art always shows the hand of the artist, and this collection is no different. The album includes pieces dear to the heart of our liturgical tradition, from a polyphonic setting of St. Thomas Aquinas’ O sacrum convivium to the chant for St. Dominic’s feast day, In Medio Ecclesiae, in addition to a variety of other pieces both simple and complex.

Created and produced by the talents of our brothers and professionally mastered, the album is an offering from our fraternal life to the life of the world.

We hope you enjoyed this guest article by Br. Gabriel Torretta, O.P.

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

“Music List” • 9 Nov. (Dedic. Lateran)

Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 9 November 2025, which is the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. 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 sensational feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • Offertory (9 Nov.)

This year, the feast of 9 November replaces the Sunday. The OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF file) for 9 November is exceedingly beautiful. The ‘Laterani’ mansion at Rome was the popes’ residence for a thousand years. The church there still is the cathedral church of Rome—“Mother and Head of all churches of the City and of the World,” says the inscription over the entrance. It is dedicated to Our Holy Savior, but has long been commonly known as “St. John Lateran” owing to its famous baptistery of St. John the Baptist. In this church, the pope’s own ‘cathedra’ (episcopal chair) stands in the apse.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Job Opening • $65,000 per year +

A parish 15 minutes away from me is looking for a choir director and organist. The parish is filled with young families. When I began my career, I would have jumped at such an opportunity! Saint Patrick’s in Grand Haven has a job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year including 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.” I lived in Kansas for 15 years, Texas for 10 years, and Los Angeles for 10 years. Michigan is the closest place I know to heaven!

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of November (2025)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Gospel Options for 2 November (“All Souls”)

We’ve been told some bishops are suppressing the TLM because of “unity.” But is unity truly found in the MISSALE RECENS? For instance, on All Souls (2 November), any of these Gospel readings may be chosen, for any reason (or for no reason at all). The same is true of the Propria Missæ and other readings—there are countless options in the ORDINARY FORM. In other words, no matter which OF parish you attend on 2 November, you’ll almost certainly hear different propers and readings, to say nothing of different ‘styles’ of music. Where is the “unity” in all this? Indeed, the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community.”

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“Our Father” • Musical Setting?

Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?

—Jeff Ostrowski

“I prefer to preach,” said one priest “even without immediate preparation, for I can always draw—from the various studies stored away during the seminary years—enough material to interest our good Catholic people. But when I have to go to the altar and sing High Mass or a Requiem, and I know that I cannot read a note of the Preface and the ‘Pater Noster’, I feel like going to martyrdom. Yet the notes are right there before my eyes, but they seem to mock my ignorance.”

— From a 1920 article by Very Rev. Leo P. Manzetti