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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

Connection, empowerment and raffle tickets

Veronica Brandt · May 24, 2014

Dinner party ELPING CAN BE FUN. There are so many potential adventures out there. So many people who need a hand but may be a little shy to ask. Maybe they feel unworthy, or unwilling to put anyone to trouble. Maybe they don’t know who to ask.

Recently I have been helping out by selling raffle tickets. I don’t think this is anyone’s favourite job, but you do get to talk to people, and people are always full of surprises.

I am curious as to whether past generations had an easier time selling raffle tickets than today. It seems the majority of people are happier to buy tickets themselves rather than try selling them on. The prizes are there to appeal to an audience outside those who would support the cause regardless, but to reach that audience requires face to face contact, a personal approach, and that seems to be the obstacle.

Some say in this digital age we are disconnected from real people. Although there is so much information washing around us daily, there is less engagement, less attention being paid. It also doesn’t help that there are professional raffle ticket campaigns by charities who cold-call homes on a fairly regular basis. And there is also the deluge of marketing campaigns proclaiming the ubiquitous CHANCE TO WIN!

Underneath all the spin, the main aim is simply to raise money, in this case for training seminarians for the priesthood through the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter. I guess this would come under the precept of contributing to the support of the Church, one of the duties of every Catholic. Almsgiving is more giving to the poor, which is a little different, though mendicant friars would beg alms.

Would it be more difficult to simply ask for help, rather than go to the trouble of arranging kickbacks for the donors? Would God bless the work more if we stopped playing the games and gave disinterestedly? Or are the games part of the work, involving more people in the work of charity?

Please visit fssp.net and consider a donation towards training Australian seminarians. Or share this on social media and you donate more chances of someone else in the network donating.

And Corpus Christi Watershed could always use donations too.

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 Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

“In condemning us, you condemn all your own ancestors—all the ancient priests, bishops and kings—all that was once the glory of England, the island of saints and the most devoted child of the See of Peter. For what have we taught, however you may qualify it with the odious name of treason, that they did not uniformly teach?”

— Father Edmund Campion (to the Anglicans about to murder him)

Recent Posts

  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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