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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

PDF Download: Ordo Lectionum Missae & Ordo Cantus Missae

Jeff Ostrowski · May 5, 2014

531 Pope Paul VI HE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL did not reform the liturgy. The fathers merely formulated principles for reform. 1 The actual task of changing the liturgy was left to Pope Paul VI.

Would you like to see the authentic books which gave us the Lectionary and Gradual of Vatican II? These are extremely rare, but you can download them here:

* *  Ordo Lectionum Missae (orig 1969)

* *  Ordo Cantus Missæ (orig 1970)

The Lectionary & Gradual are presented as never before in an exciting new congregational book that begins shipping 14 May 2014.

THE RESULTS of the Ordo Lectionum Missae are in the 1975 Lectionary. The results of the Ordo Cantus Missae are in the 1974 Graduale Romanum. Translations of the OCM’s Introduction are easily found, but English translations of the OCM are not, so we uploaded three versions.

The following video explains the significance of the Jogues Illuminated Missal:

IS IT NOT PECULIAR that the Jogues Missal is the first to highlight the Gradual as Vatican II intended? Yes, but remember that many “odd” things happened after the Council. Listen to the words of Cardinal Stickler, a peritus at the Second Vatican Council, who talks about the vernacular’s introduction into the liturgy (which formerly had been entirely in Latin):

“I still remember very well how after several radical proposals a Sicilian bishop rose and implored the fathers to allow caution and reason to reign on this point, because otherwise there would be the danger that the entire Mass might be held in the language of the people—whereupon the entire hall burst into uproarious laughter.”

As Fr. Georg May (renowned Canonist) has reminded us, when Vatican II decreed that Latin be preserved in the liturgy, the document employed the subjunctive verb (“servetur”) clearly expressing a command, not merely a recommendation.

Speaking of Latin, the OLM shows that errors sometimes exist in the official books (as Fr. Felix Just has documented), and not just the English versions. For example:

2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Ecce vénio, Dómine, ut fáciam voluntátem tuam.

March 25th (Annunciation)
Ecce vénio, Dómine, fácere voluntátem tuam.

Both are technically correct (although experts would most likely prefer the first) but there shouldn’t be two versions of the exact same antiphon.

AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED in 2007 by a leader of the “progressive” liturgical camp claimed that the ORDO CANTUS MISSAE only applies to Masses said entirely in Latin. Such an argument cannot be maintained. For one thing, there’s no such thing as a Mass said “entirely in Latin.” At a minimum, there will be a mixture of languages: Greek for the KYRIE, Hebrew for ALLELUIA/AMEN, and so forth. Whether we like it or not, the Council mandated that Latin be maintained in the liturgy, and Gregorian chant be given first place in liturgical ceremonies.

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   It’s not wrong to say “Vatican II Lectionary” or “Vatican II Liturgy” because it would be cumbersome and confusing to constantly say “the reformed liturgy that was called for by the Second Vatican Council, but whose actual creation took place under Pope Paul VI.”

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Graduale Romanum Roman Gradual Propers, Novus Ordo Lectionary, Ordo Cantus Missae Last Updated: October 12, 2022

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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

    “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

“Much of the reordering [in 1970] of the pieces of the Roman Gradual seems arbitrary and useless; nevertheless, with some exceptions, it does not affect the shape of the service, since like pieces are exchanged for like.”

— Dr. William Peter Mahrt

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