• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

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.”

  • Donate
  • Our Team
    • Our Editorial Policy
    • Who We Are
    • How To Contact Us
    • Sainte Marie Bulletin Articles
    • Jeff’s Mom Joins Fundraiser
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • KYRIALE • Saint Antoine Daniel
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Repository • “Spanish Music”
    • Ordinary Form Feasts (Sainte-Marie)
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Catechism of Gregorian Rhythm
    • Father Enemond Massé Manuscripts
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Secrets of the Conscientious Choirmaster
    • “Wedding March” for lazy organists
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
    • The Eight Gregorian Modes
    • Gradual by Pothier’s Protégé
    • Seven (7) Considerations
Views from the Choir Loft

Gregory the Great Academy

Fr. David Friel · June 15, 2014

HIS IS THE TIME for baccalaureates, commencements, and the start of summer break. At Gregory the Great Academy (GGA), a newly formed school in Scranton, PA, this is the time to celebrate the conclusion of a successful first academic year. Students at GGA are offered a very unique experience. We recently featured a detailed look into Our Lady of the Atonement Academy (part 1; part 2). Also not long ago, I shared remarks about the relevancy of a liberal arts education in a disinterested, post-Modern world. At GGA, not unlike Our Lady of the Atonement, I am happy to say that the liberal arts tradition seems alive and well.

Following is an interview with Matthew Williams, a teacher at the Academy. I first met Matt in Pittsburgh at a CMAA Colloquium, where he has been a familiar face over the years. You will surely be impressed by these insights into a school that, although not specifically a choir school, takes music & liturgy very seriously.

FR. FRIEL: Tell me briefly about the history of Gregory the Great Academy.
MATT WILLIAMS: Gregory the Great Academy is a new boarding school founded from a community of friends, staff, and families from the former St. Gregory’s Academy which was run by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter for 19 years. While we are not associated with the FSSP in any way, the new academy is founded in the same traditions of teaching a classical liberal arts education in the Catholic tradition for boys in grades 9-12. We are pleased to have just completed our first full year in operation.

FR. FRIEL: What is your role at Gregory the Great Academy?
MATT WILLIAMS: I am the music director and schola master at the Academy. I also currently fill the role of “head dorm father,” which means that I manage the dorm staff and oversee the daily schedule of the students.

FR. FRIEL: In your experience teaching young people, have you observed the liberal arts affecting their hearts and minds? If so, in what ways?
MATT WILLIAMS: This is a great question because it gets right the heart of why our method of education is so important in these times. At the Academy, our boys are educated in a way that frees the intellect and engages the imagination in order to help them discover those things that point toward God, Who is the ultimate Truth. Classes are taught in a conversational style between the students and teachers, rather than what you might expect from a typical classroom. The result of this method is that students become engaged and interested in the subject matter. During literature class for instance, Aeneas and Odysseus are not just left to be the main characters of old books, learned simply for a test at the end of the quarter. They become heroes to the boys, and the battles fought and lessons learned from their journeys are taken in and remembered, and the poetic lines of Virgil and Homer can oftentimes be overheard outside of class. It is a great thing to observe this happening, because it means that the education our students are receiving is not just a gathering of memorized facts, but a reality that has become a part of who they are.

I should note, perhaps, that one reason our liberal arts program has been so successful is that our students undertake a “technology fast.” The boys are required to leave their cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices at home. At first this may seem alarming and even backwards in today’s society. However, once a student is removed from the glowing distractions of the world, we have observed that he will begin to develop hobbies, socialize, read a book, or perhaps learn a new musical instrument. The point is that they are free to be active in the doing of good things. Our school has become a living and joyful place unattached from the web of addictive technology in which many youths find themselves tangled these days.

FR. FRIEL: What role do music and liturgy play in the life of GGA?
MATT WILLIAMS: Music informs all that the students do at the Academy, and it is viewed as part of their personal formation into good Catholic gentlemen. We impress upon them how important it is to share their Christian joy with others through the gift of music, and we have found them to be more than willing to undertake this mission. They sing on the streets to passersby, in coffee shops, restaurants, and almost anywhere they can find an audience. It is an inspiring thing to see young men so excited to share the joy of God with others through this venerable art of music, and many listeners can attest to that fact. Yes, music is everywhere at the Academy, and it is common for teachers to begin class by singing a song or reciting a poem with the boys before launching into the day’s work.

Regarding our formal music curriculum, each grade level has at least three music classes per week, which include music theory and history, sacred music, and a weekly folk music class. Additionally, students who show more interest in music may audition for the schola cantorum, which is our liturgical choir.

Our liturgical and spiritual life at the Academy is one of a vigorous and manly charism. The students (and staff!) sing heartily during the Divine Office and Liturgy. The liturgy is taken very seriously, and oftentimes the boys will volunteer to lead the daily prayers and singing. Currently, we are blessed to have a Byzantine-Ruthenian chaplain, which has been a learning experience for all. Those who are familiar with this beautiful liturgy will know that it is musically demanding on the congregation, due to the fact that it is almost entirely sung. This was new for us, coming from a mainly Roman tradition. However the students adapted well, and, in the upcoming year, we will be continuing to explore even more authentic Byzantine chant and learning to sing in Church Slavonic.

The western tradition of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony, so loved by our community, also continues to thrive. Every student at the Academy is taught to read and sing from chant notation. We have been blessed to have several priests come to our chapel and celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite during the school year, and the schola has even had the opportunity to sing for liturgies of the Anglican Use. All of this has given the students the wonderful experience of musical and liturgical diversity and helped them to see how truly universal our Church is.

FR. FRIEL: Does your schola cantorum do any traveling?
MATT WILLIAMS: The schola travels to liturgies throughout the Northeast whenever possible. Most recently we were blessed to sing for the Extraordinary Form at St. Boniface in Pittsburgh, PA and St. Peter’s in Steubenville, Ohio. We also sing for Masses locally at least once per month. Over the past several years we have been invited to various places throughout Pennsylvania and New York State. If any of your readers would like to host our schola cantorum for a liturgy, they are free to contact the Academy. We also have released several recordings, which are available on our website.

FR. FRIEL: Can you speak about the “ten adjectives” the school uses to describe itself?
MATT WILLIAMS: The ten adjectives are: Liturgical, Festive, Brotherly, Formative, Imaginative, Musical, Integral, Small, Amateur, and Experiential. Rather than treat them all individually, I will attempt briefly to summarize them for your readers. These words characterize our education at the Academy and provide a description of how we approach our vocations as educators. For instance, we are liturgical in nature because the liturgy is the center of our daily lives, and we are sure to make it so. We are festive because our faith and life at the Academy is a joyful expression of what it means to be Catholic. As a boys’ school it is only natural that we encourage brotherhood amongst the community, and so on. For a more detailed explanation I invite your readers to visit our ”About Us” page.

FR. FRIEL: Your school claims to form young men into “Catholic gentlemen.” What does this mean?
MATT WILLIAMS: At Gregory the Great Academy, we prepare our students to become active Catholic men and leaders in our society. Our goal is to educate young men to love and seek the good, the true, and the beautiful before they are influenced by the world to do otherwise. Many of them will go on to upstanding Catholic colleges, join the military, become husbands and fathers, or even enter the seminary. After their time at the Academy, it is our hope that they will fulfill God’s plan in their lives joyfully as strong and practicing Catholics in an increasingly hostile world, ready to live and stand firm in their faith.

AM VERY GRATEFUL to Matthew for his help with this interview, and I wish him and all those at GGA a very refreshing summer break!

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Beauty, Catholic Youth Choirs, Our Lady Of The Atonement Academy Last Updated: March 9, 2021

Subscribe

It greatly helps us if you subscribe to our mailing list!

* indicates required

About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

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

“We being many are one bread and one body, All who share the one bread and one cup. Vs. Thou hast prepared of thy sweetness for the poor, O God, who makest us to dwell in one mind in thy house. All who share the one bread and one cup.”

— Responsory (Matins for Corpus Christi) transl. by Fortescue

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

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2025 Corpus Christi Watershed · Isaac Jogues on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

The election of Pope Leo XIV has been exciting, and we’re filled with hope for our apostolate’s future!

But we’re under pressure to transfer our website to a “subscription model.”

We don’t want to do that. We believe our website should remain free to all.

Our president has written the following letter:

President’s Message (dated 30 May 2025)

Are you able to support us?

clock.png

Time's up