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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

Barack Obama & Catholic Sacred Music

Jeff Ostrowski · September 1, 2014

907 Nos Autem HE UNITED STATES has three coequal branches of government—Legislative, Executive, and Judicial—which prevent tyranny by means of checks and balances.

Similarly, the postconciliar liturgy has three “coequal” books: (1) Lectionary; (2) Gradual; and (3) Sacramentary. 1 Therefore, it’s necessary to know WHICH BOOK contains WHICH PART of the Mass. Suppose someone exclaimed: “I’ve looked carefully but cannot locate any Supreme Court rulings by Barack Obama.” The correct answer would be: “You won’t find any. You’ve mixed up the branches of government.” Likewise, someone might say: “Having looked carefully, I can’t find any Eucharistic Prayers in the Lectionary.” Again, the correct answer would be, “You’re looking in the wrong book.” 2

EARLIER THIS MONTH, OCP PUBLICATIONS made an announcement both thrilling and troubling. The exciting part is that OCP will publish, before the end of 2014, more than 400 musical settings for Proper antiphons. But here’s the troubling part:

The OCP editions will be available by the end of the year. The original intent of OCP was to create an English Gradual, but ultimately they chose not to include the Offertory Antiphons since they do not exist in the current Missal.   [source]

The statement by OCP is bizarre. It’s like saying: “We’d planned to include the Prefaces but didn’t, because they do not exist in the current Lectionary.”

The fact is, the Prefaces are not found in the Lectionary. Similarly, the Offertory antiphons are not found in the current Missal: they’re found in the Roman Gradual. While it’s true that some Entrance & Communion antiphons are found in the Missal, those are intended for use in Masses without music. If you don’t understand, read this article. (If you don’t have time to read it, just glance at the amusing image!) When questioned further, the same person added:

I can tell you that this project has been a learning process for all involved. […] The concept and understanding of the Gradual was new to many of the OCP editors.

I admit this subject can cause confusion. For instance, here are eleven different collections of the Propers in English, and each is slightly different:

      * *  Eleven Electrifying Collections — Mass Propers in English

Anyone trying to make sense of the Ordinary Form Propers should obtain the Jogues Missal, which presents each Proper in a beautiful & clear way. Moreover, the formatting of every single page is absolutely unique:

905 Jogues IMAGE



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   The Sacramentary is often called a “Missal,” but that’s not an accurate term.

2   I wish somebody had explained this to me in 2005, when I began working for the Ordinary Form. The Extraordinary Form has just one book—the priest’s red Altar Missal—containing all texts necessary for the celebration of Mass.

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 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

    Liturgical Round (“Canon”) in C-Major
    Those who direct children’s choirs are always on the lookout for repertoire that’s dignified, inspired, and pleasing—yet still within reach of young choristers. Such directors will want to investigate this haunting liturgical round (PDF download) which has been married to the KYRIE from Mass VI (EDITIO VATICANA). I have provided an accompaniment, but it’s only for use during rehearsal; i.e. when teaching this round to your choristers. I also provided an organ accompaniment for the KYRIE—which some know by its trope (Kyrie Rex Genitor)—so that your congregation can take part when this round is used as a choral extension during Mass.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Music List” • 28th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 12 October 2025, which is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 dazzling feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —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

The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [From “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

— Sevilla Cathedral: Chapter Resolution (13 December 1564)

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