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Views from the Choir Loft

Why Did Nobody Inform Me That Latin Was Abolished?

Aurelio Porfiri · July 10, 2014

REMEMBER!   I don’t mean the title of a movie about civil issues; rather, I mean the state of mind I have when I think about the level of dishonesty some people can reach, even without the intention of harming others.

Now, here it is: many years ago, in the 1990s, I assisted in a dialogue between a Deacon, and an organist who was trying to ask about the use of the Missa de Angelis setting during the Mass. The request freaked the Deacon out, and, through sweat, he answered that the Council had abolished Latin.

Having listened to this, I started to ponder about the words of the Deacon and asked myself what Council may have abolished Latin: Calcedonia? Nicaea? Trent? Lateran IV? Pistoia? (Yes, it must be Pistoia, for it was not a piece of cake for the Pope to condemn the many erroneous theses coming from there).

But instead I learned that it was not Pistoia the Deacon was referring to, it was Vatican II! When and where had this happened? What documents are there abolishing the Latin ‘now and forever’ (et in saecula saeculorum), amen? There aren’t any. But this is the method: Use the Council to affirm every possible thesis, to incredible effect, because most people have never read the real documents.

Anyone who has seen Sacrosanctum Concilium, even in passing, knows that a word is used about the use of Latin: “servetur” (preserved). Yet, the aforementioned tactic is the method of many bad servants of Vatican II: they use it to cover themselves with the hope that other people have not looked at the real documents. We should always be on the alert, or at least counter react that Vatican II cannot abolish something declared forever from the Council of Pistoia. And don’t worry, very few have studied the documents of this XVIII c. Council; at least at the level of lies, it’s an equalizer.


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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 Aurelio Porfiri

Renowned as composer, conductor, theorist, author, pedagogue, and organist, Aurelio Porfiri has served the Church on multiple continents at the highest levels. Born and raised in Italy, he currently serves as Director of Choral Activities and Composer in Residence for Santa Rosa de Lima School (Macao, China).

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    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

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“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

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