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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

Catholic Identity Crisis: Who Are We? What Do We Believe? How Should We Live?

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · March 20, 2014

0319_east-rite-lg YZANTINE CATHOLICS and Eastern Orthodox Christians have maintained in full and essential integrity the depth, beauty, and sacredness of the Church’s Eastern liturgical heritage; the Western Church has eradicated countless elements of her equally deep, beautiful, and sacred heritage. The latter is slowly coming back, but for a time, it looked like it was going to become extinct―and, even now, it is still an endangered species in far too many dioceses.

This is troubling because it puts educated and loyal Roman Catholics at a disadvantage in their apostolic work, not only in regard to using persuasive apologetics about the Church’s continuity with her own apostolic tradition (something we used to assert as true and would still like to be able to say), but also in regard to the very effort to live out an authentically Catholic life from day to day, week to week, year to year, which is the foundation for every fruitful apostolate.

So much of the structure of Catholic life was disturbed, distorted, or obliterated in the past five decades that it is much harder to see who we are any more, what we believe, or why we do what we do. Ask lots of Catholics out there about the teachings of the Church on faith or morals, and about what happens at Mass and even what the Mass is, and you will quickly sense the crisis―the fragmentation, balkanization, vacancy of content―the dimensions of which very few people are willing to stare in the face. That is what the mainstream looks like, and no wonder: we are only just now beginning to get beyond the period when the ranks of the clergy, from top to bottom, were stacked with soft or hard modernists who changed, as far as it lay in their power, the content of “the Faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). On top of this is the new silly season that has been unleashed by the media’s running away with papal comments taken out of context.

As goes the clergy, so goes the faithful. St. Pius X is purported to have said, “If the priest is a saint, the people will be good; if the priest is good, the people will be mediocre; if the priest is mediocre, the people will be wretches; and if the priest is bad, the people will be beasts.” As T. S. Eliot foresaw, we have around us the grotesque spectacle of high-tech barbarism: men and women with the latest gadgets but with a moral conscience equal to or lower than that of the ancient barbarians. Pope Pius XII spoke of modernity’s “monstrous masterpiece,” namely, “transforming man into a giant of the physical world at the expense of his spirit, which is reduced to that of a pygmy in the supernatural and eternal world.”

OFTEN THINK of Joseph Ratzinger’s disturbing remark: What are we to think of a Church that all of a sudden repudiated that which it had once held to be its most sacred possession? What happens when those who are striving to remain loyal to the 2,000-year doctrinal, liturgical, and disciplinary heritage of the Church are driven away, alienated, mocked, left without comfort, without a clear sign that their Church has not in fact collapsed under the weight of modernity’s errors and treacheries?

So we grit our teeth and courageously say “I will never abandon the Church of Christ,” and our Lord will reward us for that fidelity. But does it not seem strange that divine worship, in which we are supposed to see and hear and feel a foretaste of heavenly glory, should be, for so many, an onerous burden, as from Sunday to Sunday we behold abominations in the sanctuary, improvisations, innovations, that sever the “Catholicism” of today from its entire patrimony? Is divine worship really meant to be such a trial?

Should catechesis, grammar school, and seminary life have changed so drastically that individuals who want to convert to the true faith no longer know where to turn, orthodox parents no longer want to send their children to Catholic schools, and young men eager to become holy priests can find only with difficulty a diocesan seminary that is fully in line with the tradition and magisterium of the Church?

All of this bodes ill for the future of the Church, and that is why so many disgruntled Catholics are leaving for good. The uneducated ones are sucked into evangelical congregations where they can get firm and demanding (or at least highly entertaining) doctrine from Bible preachers, not a wishy-washy sermon about being nice. The more educated may fall prey to the aesthetic majesty and persuasive polemics of the Eastern Orthodox, who can quench any man’s thirst for genuine ascetical-liturgical spirituality. Often, the best that can be realistically hoped for is that earnest and educated Catholics will simply go East “half way,” so to speak, by migrating to an Eastern Catholic church like the Ukrainian, Ruthenian, or Melkite, or that they will be fortunate enough to discover a thriving Tridentine community nearby that can fulfill their need for profound worship and serious Catholic doctrine.

I was struck by the words of Benedictine monk Fr. Hugh Somerville-Knapman (here):

One thing seems sure: without a wholesale renewal of liturgical practice and spirituality the New Evangelization will remain just another expensive white-elephant of a programme. And priests will remain faced with the temptation to entertain and be creative in worship, and in so doing seriously undermine that worship. Without authentic worship the faithful, especially the young, will not be truly challenged to live with integrity, treating their own bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, and their neighbours as Christs in disguise.

As Dr. Alcuin Reid recently wrote, if you want to find Catholics who actually know who they are and what they believe with some clarity and depth―people who know why they do what they do in the worship of God or in the duties of daily life―you will generally find them in traditional enclaves. There is no future for those who reject their past.

Please visit THIS PAGE to learn more about Dr. Kwasniewski’s exciting new publication,
Sacred Choral Works, a 273-page collection of a cappella choir music for the Liturgy.

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 Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. in Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy), Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is currently Professor at Wyoming Catholic College. He is also a published and performed composer, especially of sacred music.

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President’s Corner

    PDF Comparison Chart • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”
    EARS BEFORE truly revolutionary changes were introduced by the post-conciliar reformers, Evelyn Waugh wrote (on 16 August 1964) to John Cardinal Heenan: “I think that a vociferous minority has imposed itself on the hierarchy and made them believe that a popular demand existed where there was in fact not even a preference.” We ask the kind reader— indeed, we beg you—to realize that those of us born in the 1940s and 1950s had no cognizance of Roman activities during the 1960s and 1970s. We were concerned with making sure we had the day’s bus fare, graduating from high school, taking care of our siblings, learning a trade, getting a job, courting a spouse. We questioned neither the nuns nor the Church.1 Do not believe for one instant any of us were following the liturgical machinations of Cardinal Lercaro or Father Bugnini in real time. Setting The Stage • To never question or resist Church authorities is praiseworthy. On the other hand, when a scandalous situation persists for decades, it must be brought into focus. Our series will do precisely that as we discuss the Lectionary Scandal from a variety of angles. We don’t do this to attack the Catholic Church. Our goal is bringing to light what’s been going on, so it can be fixed once and for all. Our subject is extremely knotty and difficult to navigate. Its complexity helps explain why the situation has persisted for such a long time.2 But if we immediately get “into the weeds” we’ll lose our audience. Therefore, it seems better to jump right in. So today, we’ll explore the legality of selling these texts. A Word On Copyright • Suppose Susie modifies a paragraph by Edgar Allan Poe. That doesn’t mean ipso facto she can assert copyright on it. If Susie takes a picture of a Corvette and uses Photoshop to color the tires blue, that doesn’t mean she henceforth “owns” all Corvettes in America. But when it comes to Responsorial Psalm translations, certain parties have been asserting copyright over them, selling them for a profit, and bullying publishers vis-à-vis hymnals and missals. Increasingly, Catholics are asking whether these translations are truly under copyright—because they are identical (or substantially identical) to other translations.3 Example After Example • Our series will provide copious examples supporting our claims. Sometimes we’ll rely on the readership for assistance, because—as we’ve stressed—our subject’s history couldn’t be more convoluted. There are countless manuscripts (in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin) we don’t have access to, so it would be foolish for us to claim that our observations are somehow the ‘final word’ on anything. Nevertheless, we demand accountability. Catholics in the pews are the ones who paid for all this. We demand to know who specifically made these decisions (which impact every English-speaking Catholic) and why specifically certain decisions were made. The Responsorial Psalms used in America are—broadly speaking—stolen from the hard work of others. In particular, they borrowed heavily from Father Cuthbert Lattey’s 1939 PSALTER TRANSLATION:
    *  PDF Download • COMPARISON CHART —We thank the CCW staff for technical assistance with this graph.
    Analysis • Although certain parties have been selling (!!!) that translation for decades, the chart demonstrates it’s not a candidate for copyright since it “borrows” or “steals” or “rearranges” so much material from other translations, especially the 1939 translation by Father Cuthbert Lattey. What this means in layman’s terms is that individuals have been selling a translation under false pretenses, a translation they don’t own (although they claim to). To make RESTITUTION, all that money will have to be returned. A few years ago, the head of ICEL gave a public speech in which he said they give some of “their” profits to the poor. While almsgiving is a good thing, it cannot justify theft. Our Constant Theme • Our series will be held together by one thread, which will be repeated constantly: “Who was responsible?” Since 1970, the conduct of those who made a profit by selling these sacred texts has been repugnant. Favoritism was shown toward certain entities—and we will document that with written proof. It is absolutely essential going forward that the faithful be told who is making these decisions. Moreover, vague justifications can no longer be accepted. If we’re told they are “making the translations better,” we must demand to know what specifically they’re doing and what specific criteria they’re following. Stay Tuned • If you’re wondering whether we’ll address the forthcoming (allegedly) Lectionary and the so-called ABBEY PSALMS AND CANTICLES, have no fear. We’ll have much to say about both. Please stay tuned. We believe this will end up being the longest series of articles ever submitted to Corpus Christi Watershed. To be continued. ROBERT O’NEILL Former associate of Monsignor Francis “Frank” P. Schmitt at Boys Town in Nebraska JAMES ARNOLD Formerly associated w/ King’s College, Cambridge A convert to the Catholic Church, and distant relative of J. H. Arnold MARIA B. Currently serves as a musician in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. Those aware of the situation in her diocese won’t be surprised she chose to withhold her last name.
    1 Even if we’d been able to obtain Roman journals such as NOTITIAE, none of them contained English translations. But such an idea would never have occurred to a high school student or a college student growing up in the 1960s. 2 A number of shell corporations claim to own the various biblical translations mandated for Roman Catholics. They’ve made millions of dollars selling (!) these indulgenced texts. If time permits, we hope to enumerate these various shell corporations and explain: which texts they claim to own; how much they bring in each year; who runs them; and so forth. It would also be good to explore the morality of selling these indulgenced texts for a profit. Furthermore, for the last fifty years these organizations have employed several tactics to manipulate and bully others. If time permits, we will expose those tactics (including written examples). Some of us—who have been working on this problem for three decades—have amassed written documentation we’ll be sharing that demonstrates behavior at best “shady” and at worst criminal. 3 Again, we are not yet examining the morality of selling (!) indulgenced texts to Catholics mandated to use those same translations.
    —Guest Author
    “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

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

“By no means would I offer the counsel that Mass be celebrated in languages other than Latin.”

— Archbishop Dwyer (one of the Vatican II fathers)

Recent Posts

  • PDF Comparison Chart • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”
  • “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • Flor Peeters In A Weird Mood?
  • Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
  • Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser

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