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Views from the Choir Loft

With Regard to the New Document by Francis: “Evangelii Gaudium”

Jeff Ostrowski · November 27, 2013

992 Pope What I have been trying in vain to explain for years, Pope Francis has brilliantly stated on 24 November 2013:

HE HOMILY CANNOT BE a form of entertainment like those presented by the media, yet it does need to give life and meaning to the celebration. It is a distinctive genre, since it is preaching which is situated within the framework of a liturgical celebration; hence it should be brief and avoid taking on the semblance of a speech or a lecture. A preacher may be able to hold the attention of his listeners for a whole hour, but in this case his words become more important than the celebration of faith. If the homily goes on too long, it will affect two characteristic elements of the liturgical celebration: its balance and its rhythm. When preaching takes place within the context of the liturgy, it is part of the offering made to the Father and a mediation of the grace which Christ pours out during the celebration. This context demands that preaching should guide the assembly, and the preacher, to a life-changing communion with Christ in the Eucharist. This means that the words of the preacher must be measured, so that the Lord, more than his minister, will be the centre of attention.
— §138 Evangelii Gaudium   [source]

MY RECENT ARTICLE (here) spoke about these exact qualities of the Liturgy: balance and rhythm.

The only thing I wish F1 would have added is a condemnation of priests who give announcements for 15 minutes after each Mass. Sadly, I’ve known quite a few priests who think of themselves as Rush Limbaugh, Chris Matthews, Bill O’Reilly, or [ Insert Sermonizer of your choice here ]. These priests preach for 40 minutes every Sunday and make announcements for 15 minutes (jokes, birthdays, etc.) before giving the dismissal. However, if the choir did a Gloria lasting more than 2 minutes, they got yelled after Mass. The reason I know this for a fact: years ago I would take a stopwatch out when they started making announcements. Yet … they always used Eucharistic Prayer No. 2 (cf. GIRM §365).

For this precise reason, I composed a whole bunch of extremely short Mass settings, like this one.

P.S.

I think the worst sermon I ever experienced was a school Mass wherein the priest preached for over an hour (my students missed 1st period) and was literally bouncing all over the pews, screaming at the students. He even brought a “Boombox” to the pulpit so he could blast excerpts of rock music at the students.

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

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

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Jeff Ostrowski

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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

Can You Spare 33 Seconds?

Here’s an audio excerpt (33 seconds) of a setting for Kyrie VIII which was recorded live last Sunday at our parish in Los Angeles. The setting (“Missa de Angelis”) is by composer Richard Rice, and you can download the free PDF if you click here and scroll to the bottom. I think Richard’s composition is marvelous. I missed a few notes on the organ, but I’ll get them right next time.

—Jeff Ostrowski
5 April 2021 • When Girls Sing

Covid restrictions here in California are still extremely severe—switching “two weeks to flatten the curve” into “two years to flatten the curve.” Since 2020, we’ve had police breaking into our church to check if everyone is wearing a mask…even when only 5-6 people are present! But we were allowed to have a small percentage of our singers back on Easter Sunday, and here is their live recording of the ancient Catholic hymn for Eastertide: Ad Cenam Agni Providi. The girls were so very excited to sing again—you can hear it in their voices!

—Jeff Ostrowski
29 March 2021 • FEEDBACK

“E.S.” in North Dakota writes: “I just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU for all the hard work you have put—and continue to put—into your wonderful website. In the past two years, my parish has moved from a little house basement into a brand new church and gone from a few families receiving Low Masses twice a month to several families (and many individuals) receiving Mass every Sunday, two Saturdays a month, and every Holy Day. Our priest has been incorporating more and more High Masses and various ceremonies into our lives, which has made my job as a huge newbie choir master very trying and complicated. CCWatershed has been an invaluable resource in helping me get on my feet and know what to do!!! Thank you more than I can express! May God bless you abundantly and assist you in your work and daily lives!”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“We must remember that the important elements of a rite are not the things that will first be noticed by a casual and ignorant onlooker—the number of candles, colour of the vestments and places where the bell is rung—but just those things he would not notice: the Canon, fraction and so on, the prayers said in a low voice and the characteristic but less obvious rites done by the celebrant at the altar.”

— Fr. Fortescue explaining that Anglicanism does not preserve Sarum

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