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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

Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli Speaks About Roman Missal, Third Edition

Jeff Ostrowski · March 2, 2014

OST REVEREND Arthur J. Serratelli, Bishop of Patterson, NJ, is a member of ICEL and Vox Clara. He is well-known for his expertise in liturgical and scriptural matters. He’s also very funny and energetic. The following talk (November, 2011) was made available by Mount St. Mary’s Seminary:

      * *  Bishop Serratelli • New Roman Missal

The entire speech is fascinating, and it has a lot of “zingers” which I won’t spoil. He also mentions some sad realities. For instance, he says major catechesis is needed because none of the children who approach him for Confirmation can tell him anything about the Mass, except that “it’s a celebration.”

At the end, Bishop Serratelli answers questions. He notes that the previous ICEL translation avoided words like “soul” and “grace.” If you forgot what the old ICEL translation looked like, click on these:

      * *  Example #1 — The old (discredited) ICEL translation

      * *  Example #2 — The old (discredited) ICEL translation

I find it very cool that Cardinal DiNardo and Bishop Serratelli (among others) sometimes offer the Extraordinary Form:

NEWS FROM NOVEMBER 2013

Cardinal DiNardo was elected to chair the Committee on Divine Worship, but his election as Vice-President of the USCCB prevented him from assuming leadership of the committee. Therefore, the bishops elected Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli of Paterson, New Jersey, to chair the committee beginning 14 November 2013. Bishop Serratelli previously chaired the committee from 2007-2010.

BIOGRAPHY OF BISHOP SERRATELLI

Bishop Arthur Joseph Serratelli was born in Newark, New Jersey on April 18, 1944, the son of Eva Fasolino and the late Pio Serratelli. He attended Ann Street School in Newark and completed his grammar school education at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Newark. He then attended Seton Hall Preparatory School and Seton Hall University in South Orange. He studied for two years at Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington, and then at the North American College in Rome. While in Rome, he did his theological studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University and Scripture studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Seton Hall University in 1965, a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Gregorian University in 1969, a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Biblical Institute in 1976, and a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Gregorian University in 1977.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1968, Bishop Serratelli served for one year as parochial vicar at St. Anthony Parish, Belleville. He taught Systematic Theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary for two years and then returned to Rome for higher studies. From 1977 until 2002, he taught Sacred Scripture and biblical languages at the seminary. He was Rector of St. Andrew’s College Seminary at Seton Hall University from 1997-2000.

He also taught at the Redemptorist Seminary in Esopus, New York; St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, New York; the Institute of Religious Studies, Archdiocese of New York; and the lay ministry program of the Educational Program Service of Trinity College, Washington. Bishop Serratelli has been active in giving retreats to priests and religious, diocesan convocations and lectures throughout the United States. He had also been a weekend assistant in Most Blessed Sacrament Parish, Franklin Lakes, and served in Holy Family Parish, Nutley and Saint Anthony Parish, Passaic.

His Holiness, Pope John Paul II named him a Prelate of Honor in 1998. His appointment as Titular Bishop of Enera and Auxiliary Bishop of Newark was announced on July 3, 2000. His Episcopal Ordination was celebrated on September 8, 2000. He was appointed Vicar for Ministries, Regional Bishop for Essex County, and Vicar for the Apostolates and Education shortly thereafter. In March 2002, he was appointed Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of Newark. He was installed as Paterson’s seventh bishop on July 6, 2004 at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Paterson.

As a member of the USCCB in Washington, Bishop Serratelli serves as chairman of the Committee on Divine Worship and member of the Ad hoc Sub-Committee for the Review of Scripture Translations. He is also the chairman of the International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) and member of the Vox Clara Commission. Bishop Serratelli also serves on the Task Force for the Review of the Lectionary, Ad hoc Committee for the Review of the Catechism and the Ad hoc Committee for the Spanish Bible for the Church in America.

IF YOU STILL HAVEN’T HEARD ENOUGH, George Cardinal Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, delivered this address at a Rome conference marking the 50th anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium. (Courtesy of ZENIT.)

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Bishop Arthur J Serratelli Vox Clara Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Ubi Caritas” (SATB)
    I remember singing “Ubi Cáritas” by Maurice Duruflé at the conservatory. I was deeply moved by it. However, some feel Duruflé’s version isn’t suitable for small choirs since it’s written for 6 voices and the bass tessitura is quite low. That’s why I was absolutely thrilled to discover this “Ubi cáritas” (SATB) for smaller choirs by Énemond Moreau, who studied with OSCAR DEPUYDT (d. 1925), an orphan who became a towering figure of Catholic music. Depuydt’s students include: Flor Peeters (d. 1986); Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel (d. 1953); Arthur Meulemans (d. 1966); Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989); and Gustaaf Nees (d. 1965). Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #19705. When I came across the astonishing English translation for “Ubi Cáritas” by Monsignor Ronald Knox—matching the Latin’s meter—I decided to add those lyrics as an option (for churches which have banned Latin). My wife and I made this recording to give you some idea how it sounds.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF • “Cantus Mariales” (192 pages)
    Andrea Leal has posted an absolutely pristine scan of CANTUS MARIALES (192 pages) which can be downloaded as a PDF file. To access this treasure, navigate to the frabjous article Andrea posted Monday. The file is being offered completely free of charge. The beginning pages of the book have something not to be missed: viz. a letter from Pope Saint Pius X to Dom Pothier, in which the pope calls Abbat Pothier “a man versed above all others in the science of liturgy, and to whom the cause of Gregorian chant is greatly indebted.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music List • (2nd Sunday of Lent)
    Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 2nd Sunday of Lent (1 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has magnificent propers. Its somber INTROIT is particularly striking—using a haunting tonality—but the COMMUNION with its fauxbourdon verses is also quite remarkable. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Extreme Unction
    Those who search Google for “CCCC MS 079” will discover high resolution images of a medieval Pontificale (“Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 079”). One of the pages contains this absolutely gorgeous depiction of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    PDF Chart • “Plainsong Rhythm”
    I will go to my grave without understanding the lack of curiosity so many people have about the rhythmic modifications made by Dom André Mocquereau. For example, how can someone examine this single sheet comparison chart and at a minimum not be curious about the differences? Dom Mocquereau basically creates a LONG-SHORT LONG-SHORT rhythmic pattern—in spite of enormous and overwhelming manuscript evidence to the contrary. That’s why some scholars referred to his method as “Neo-Mensuralist” or “Neo-Mensuralism.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF • “O Come All Ye Faithful” (Simplified)
    I admire the harmonization of “Adeste Fideles” by David Willcocks (d. 2015), who served as director of the Royal College of Music (London, England). In 2025, I was challenged to create a simplified arrangement for organists incapable of playing the authentic version at tempo. The result was this simplified keyboard arrangement (PDF download) based on the David Willcocks version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Feel free to play through it and let me know what you think.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The replies to this committee (of which Mgr Bugnini was the secretary) reveal a desire to reform the liturgy. In what sense? Out of 2,109 responses from bishops, just three expressed the desire to restore Communion under both kinds. There was a sizable demand for limited use of the vernacular, but only one French bishop wanted the entire Mass in French.”

— Fr. Dominic Allain (2019)

Recent Posts

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  • PDF • “Cantus Mariales” (192 pages)
  • PDF Download • Fourteen (14) Versions of the Splendid Hymn: “Salve Mater Misericordiae”
  • Fulton J. Sheen • “24-Hour Catechism”
  • Music List • (2nd Sunday of Lent)

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