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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

Pope John Paul II Wearing The Cappa Magna (As Cardinal Wojtyla)

Jeff Ostrowski · August 25, 2014

923 JP2 Cappa WAS SITTING IN A BANK. In walked four men dressed in suits with beautiful ties and handkerchiefs. They went down the corridor and began conducting business with clients. The attire of these men was totally appropriate. Can you imagine getting a loan from someone dressed in bermuda shorts and a Tank Top?

It makes me sad when priests wearing their proper “uniform” are subjected to mockery by progressive liturgists. Why don’t they leave our priests alone and instead criticize bankers wearing suits? Anyone who’s truly human understands perfectly why we dress up for certain events. Doing so is natural, fitting, and appropriate.

Priests should never be embarrassed to wear proper attire, any more than a soldier should be embarrassed to wear his uniform. By the way, my wife’s family members are all involved with the armed forces (Navy, Marines, and so on), so I’ve seen some really nice uniforms over the years. The most marvelous uniform I ever saw was the one worn by Prince Charles when he married Diana.

POPE SAINT JOHN PAUL II, like Pius XII, understood the seriousness of being a «Prince of the Church» and often wore the Cappa Magna (even as late as 1968). Here are some photographs showing John Paul II in proper attire:

925 A Cappa 924 B Cappa 727 version 1

I will not here address Cappaphobia — a malady afflicting those who haven’t used Google to learn the true history of the “Cappa Magna.” However, the words of Monsignor Patrick Brankin (who is mentioned by name in the Jogues Missal) are worthy of consideration:

HE CAPPA MAGNA does indeed represent the finery of the world: its power and prestige. That is why—after his entrance wearing it—the prelate is publicly stripped of this finery, and humbled before the congregation. Then, vestment by vestment, the bishop is clothed in the new man of which St. Paul speaks, including the baptismal alb, dalmatic of charity, stole of pardon, maniple of sorrow, and chasuble of mercy. When finally clothed in Christ, the prelate makes a second entrance into the church to begin the Eucharistic celebration in persona Christi, the visible head of the body (the Church).

It was a clear statement that the power and prestige of the world have no place at the altar, but it is expressed in a liturgical ritual or symbol, which, unfortunately, are often lacking in the contemporary rites and thus hard to grasp.   (source)

It’s worth considering that Judas Iscariot was the first person to object to having beautiful vestments at Mass (Jn 12:5).

To see more pictures of Karol Cardinal Wojtyla wearing the Cappa Magna, click here. To learn about “distinctive garb” for Catholic priests, click here. For the record, here’s Pope John XXIII wearing the Cappa Magna (courtesy of Orbis Catholicus):

920 John XXIII cappa magna

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Cappa Magna Liturgical Vestment Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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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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

“As late as 1834, British society had many restrictions on any person not adhering to the Anglican church. For example, Roman Catholics could not attend a university, serve on a city council, be a member of Parliament, serve in the armed forces, or even serve on a jury.”

— Regarding the Church of Henry VIII

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