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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

OF with an EF Priest

Andrew R. Motyka · April 30, 2014

PEND ENOUGH TIME in the online Catholic Tradosphere, and you come up with a very different reality than, well, reality. I suppose this is true of any specialized group of people online. The internet acts as a kind of centrifuge which separates people of differing opinions and groups like-minded people into their respective corners until we all just keep yelling into an echo chamber of increasing radicalism.

One trend I have noticed over the years is the observation that liturgical abuses, and bad liturgy in general, are thought to be the exclusive purview of the Ordinary Form. EF Mass-goers never have to put up with liturgical wackiness or even the general slog of an apathetic priest. Sometimes, I have heard some say that the elimination of the OF altogether would solve this problem, that liturgical abuses would evaporate (for the most part) if the Extraordinary Form was mandatory.

I am not here to argue the differences in content between the two forms. Heck, the first time I attended an EF liturgy, my first observation was how similar the two forms are. They concur far more than they differ. I am simply writing about ars celebrandi, the art of celebration, that definitely has a difference in the forms. Is this something inherent to each form? Perhaps, but I have another suspect in play, too.

None but the most historically ignorant thinks that the preconciliar liturgy was always beauty and Palestrina. The reality in almost every parish was a set of mumbled Low Masses, with one High Mass per Sunday, with Rossini Propers and the smallest congregation of the weekend (it’s the long one, after all). High Mass in 1959 isn’t really the same as High Mass at your average modern FSSP parish. Many priests made it a point to celebrate liturgy well, and many didn’t care as much and muttered their way through the Mass. While the form of the preconciliar liturgy doesn’t allow for as much abuse as the OF, neither can be protected from human weakness or apathy.

This snapshot is what we would find if the OF were abolished tomorrow. The reality is that some priests, just like the laity, don’t care about the liturgy very much, or have other designs as to its purpose. An all-EF Church would contain all of the same priests that the current one does, and the poor celebrants would come with it. The reality is that the EF community is self-selecting. It tends to attract priests and laity that already desire good liturgy, and so they get it. If the same communities celebrated the Ordinary Form, it would be very well done indeed.

As someone who grew up with the Ordinary Form, it is my preference. It is what I’ve always known and am most comfortable praying. However, I am grateful for whatever liturgy Holy Mother Church gives me, and I do not resent the EF in any way. Two forms, one liturgy. My greatest preference would be to celebrate the Ordinary Form with a priest who loves the Extraordinary. I believe this to truly be the “mutual enrichment” of which Pope Benedict spoke, and I hope that that enrichment carries into the future to the benefit of both forms.

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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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

On 26 July 1916—during the German occupation of Belgium—a student choir led by Van Nuffel performed his setting of the psalm “Super flumina Babylonis” in Saint Rumbold’s Cathedral. The text and the musical setting very aptly expressed the depressed and rebellious mood of the population. The acclaim was enormous, and it laid the foundation for Van Nuffel’s formation of the Saint Rumbold’s choir.

— Unknown

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