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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

The Lord as “Dominus”

Fr. David Friel · November 24, 2013

LOVE LANGUAGES. I’ve always loved studying and experiencing other languages. At my grade school, we were lucky to study four years of Spanish. In high school, I had four years of German and one year of Latin. And, in the seminary, I studied a combined 14 semesters of Spanish, Latin, Hebrew, & Greek. It’s a little embarrassing to admit that, after all that study, the only language I speak fluently is English (and that’s debatable at times!).

The more deeply one becomes involved in sacred music, the more the need for a working proficiency in Latin becomes necessary. So much of the treasury of music for worship uses what continues to be the mother tongue of Roman Catholics.

Those who attend Mass in Latin, whether the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form, will know the phrase Dominus vobiscum, to which the response is Et cum spiritu tuo. The meaning, of course, is: “The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.”

I like that first word very much: Dominus. That’s a great word for “Lord,” because it is related to our English word, “dominate.” That well describes what our Lord is supposed to do. He is supposed to “dominate” our lives!

Does He? The Church celebrates Jesus today as “Christ the King.” If He’s not the King of our hearts, where else will His dominion be?

What dominates your life?

•  Some people let guarding & building up their reputation dominate their lives.

•  Some people are dominated by soccer or football or cheerleading.

•  Others are dominated by depression.

•  Countless numbers of people are dominated by an addiction.

•  And, for those who aren’t, many times our lives are dominated by the addiction of someone else.

•  Some people’s lives are dominated by debt and financial woes.

•  Tons of people are dominated by their phones and iPads and other gadgets.

•  For some people, it’s hatred and grudges that they allow to dominate them.

•  For many musicians, it is the endless pursuit of perfection that consumes, enslaves, and dominates us.

Exactly one month from tomorrow, we will be celebrating Christmas. If you should go to Midnight Mass, you will hear from the Prophet Isaiah in the first reading. This is what he will say: “For unto us a Child is born, a Son is given us; upon His shoulder, dominion rests.”

Allowing God to have dominion in our lives is essential for our happiness. It doesn’t take a lot of work, and you don’t have to speak any fancy languages. All you have to do is give God control.

Will you let Christ be King of your heart? Will you let Him dominate your music, your family, and your life?

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Latin Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 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 Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —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

“Place the missal in the hand of the faithful so that they may take part more easily and more fruitfully in the Mass; and that they faithful, united with the priest, may pray together in the very words and sentiments of the Church.”

— Ven. Pope Pius XII

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  • “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)

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