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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

Once Upon a Mattress

Andrew R. Motyka · December 25, 2013

This post is guest-written by Andrew’s wife Julie, while Andy alters his sleep schedule in anticipation of Midnight Mass.

NDY’S AND MY FIRST CHRISTMAS AS A MARRIED COUPLE WAS IN 2006. The above is our Christmas photo from that year. If any of you music directors or choir members recall 2006, it was a year of the dreaded “Monday Christmas,” not to be seen again until 2017. The parish where Andy was working at that time had four regular Masses every weekend, and five Christmas Masses. Normally, the “folk group” covered the music at one of the Sunday Masses, but decided to give themselves the weekend off that year, resulting in Andy playing for nine Masses in about 40 hours (though there were two priests to take turns).

Because we lived about 45 minutes away from the church, we were invited to spend Christmas Eve at the rectory, a Victorian-style house with the parish offices on the main level and the priests’ quarters on the second floor. We were relegated to the very drafty third floor, where there was a guest bed that probably had not been slept in by anyone since 1967. It was permanently dented in the middle, and Andy and I spent all night sliding into the middle of that bed and trying to roll back out to the more-supportive edges.

Andy (and probably you, too) was worried that I might not have a point to make when I told him I wanted to write about that crappy guest bed for his Christmas blog post. I don’t work in the music field, but I’ve been Andy’s main cheerleader for years, so I have at least a few insights. Being a church music director or a dedicated music volunteer is hard work. Things are not always going to go the way you want or expect, and, if you are anything like Andy, there are going to be times when you feel like like just when you made it to the supportive edge of the bed, something happens, and you sink back down into the dent the middle.

On Christmas Day, when you’re tired after umpteen Masses, or any time when things get discouraging, just remember: you’re not spending your whole life sinking into the hole, even if it feels that way sometimes. Every time you fight your way back out and provide good music at Liturgy, or make a positive change in your parish, or write an informative article, or mentor a budding musician, you are doing something positive for the future of the Church. The fruits of your work may not be immediately apparent, but those of us who are along for the ride appreciate what you do.

So on this non-dreaded Wednesday Christmas, after your last Mass, eat some Christmas goodies and take a nap in a bed that was hopefully manufactured in the twenty-first century. Please don’t worry about whether your cellist was out-of-tune and why no one sang along with “Angels we Have Heard on High.” You did good work today, and the Church appreciates it!

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “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

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

“Catholics in America have been the heirs of a sentimental and subjective hymn tradition that, for some reason or other, has taken a deep and fast hold on the fancy of the average person.”

— Fr. Francis Brunner (1953)

Recent Posts

  • “Musicam Sacram” (5 March 1967) • Does It Apply?
  • “What Martin Luther Said…”
  • “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • Worship the Lord in Holy Attire
  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”

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