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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

Learning Latin in the new millennium

Veronica Brandt · August 30, 2014

Ave Maria cards HAT BETTER WAY TO SPEND A Saturday than by preparing lessons for next week. There is a common misunderstanding that teachers have short working days and lots of holidays, but any teacher will tell you that the preparations make up for that completely.

They are right.

I have posted before about my attempts teaching a little Latin to children in order to understand the prayers we sing in choir. We have made flashcards, had class quizzes, played bingo, made crossword puzzles, all to try to reach that point where I can ask a child “What does Sanctus mean” to hear the reply “Holy”.

Memrise That wonderful goal – Psallite sapienter – praying with understanding. To see young children catch a glimpse of the amazing reality of prayer, that is the aim.

These two photos show two very different approaches. One shows old fashioned cards with my own handwritten Latin illustrated with pictures cut from old calendars and magazines. This was surprisingly effective, with the younger class insisting on laying them all out in order, checking what each one meant.

The other photo shows a screenshot from a online course on memrise which is much the same sort of thing, except in a shiny webpage.

Memrise uses spaced repetition to make sure each new piece of information soaks into your brain. It sends out reminders by email to return and reinforce vocabulary little by little, bit by bit. It has the patience of a mindless computer, enhanced by ultra-cute design and social features to help keep you engaged.

I put together the course on the Salve Regina fairly quickly over the space of a few hours. It was very easy to add terms and then record audio for each one. One of my sons was curious so I set him up to try it out. He wasn’t very enthusiastic – it seems there is a certain demographic that requires explosions and fast cars to really pull them in, but even he completed the given session. It is made to be very easy to take.

So, there you go. Two ideas for learning the Latin of prayers. Neither is very exhausting or exhaustive. They simply show how one word corresponds to another in meaning. They won’t turn out Latin scholars, but maybe this is the sort of ground work that makes later studies a little easier.

And maybe help someone answer the perennial question “What does Sanctus mean?”

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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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

“In my capacity as the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, I continue to remind all that the celebration toward the East (versus orientem) is authorized by the rubrics of the missal, which specify the moments when the celebrant must turn toward the people. A particular authorization is, therefore, not needed to celebrate Mass facing the Lord.”

— ‘Robert Cardinal Sarah, 23 May 2016’

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