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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

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

    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

“I left music college swearing never to write another note again … It was during the mid-1980s when esoteric and cerebral avant-garde music was still considered the right kind of music to be writing.”

— James MacMillan

Recent Posts

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