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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

Are We Getting Dumber?

Jeff Ostrowski · September 24, 2014

834 Fulton Sheen ULTON SHEEN frequently reminded his listeners that all seven Sacraments have parallels in the natural world. As birth begins our earthly life, Baptism begins our spiritual life. As our bodies require healing when wounded, so do our souls (Confession). As our bodies require nourishment, so does our spiritual life (Holy Eucharist). And likewise for the other Sacraments.

Moreover, many aspects of our faith have parallels in the natural world. Consider how God revealed Himself through the ages: very slowly, over many centuries. Some ask, “Why didn’t God instantly reveal everything to His people?” The correct answer is, of course, “Because God reveals Himself as He wishes.” However, wasn’t His choice fitting? Think of how children obtain knowledge. They can do almost nothing when born, but gradually begin to crawl and eat solid food. They begin to pick up a word here and there. They begin to understand who their parents are and ask questions. It’s a process requiring many years.

IN SPITE OF ALL THE PROGRESS our civilizations have made, when it comes to self-appointed “expert liturgists,” it seems that thinking themselves wise, they have become as fools (Rom 1:22). Not long ago, I saw yet another attempt to explain what the “primitive” Mass looked like, using the typical sources: Justine Martyr, Iranaeus, Didache, and so on. However—astounding as this may sound—there was absolutely no attempt to understand the circumstances under which those various fragments were written. I say “astounding” because this is the same error made by early Protestants with regard to the Bible (which has been thoroughly refuted many times). Stated briefly: the Bible was not intended as a “catechism”—it’s a collection of various documents and letters written TO VARIOUS GROUPS under various circumstances.

The same is true of the early accounts of the Mass. 1 One must take into consideration, for example, the disciplina arcani|: the deliberate hiding of what goes on at Mass (to protect something so sacred). Some of the descriptions were written in a deliberately obscure manner (since they were addressing pagans who feared the rites of the early Christians). I could continue, but you get the point: just as the Bible has very little to do with a “catechism” 2 (in spite of what some might wish), many early accounts of the Mass had no intention of describing the rites in a detailed way. When we ignore this basic reality, we end up making silly mistakes.

Here and there, the early Christians left us “clues” referencing the liturgy. For instance, Pope Leo and St. Augustine refer to some kind of ancient “Responsorial Psalm,” but we have absolutely no idea what such a thing would have looked like (much less how it sounded when sung). Several times on this blog, I’ve offered a $300,000 reward for anyone who can produce an authentic Responsorial Psalm from the 5th century or earlier, but no one can. By the way, the first time Catholics really began writing down liturgical manuscripts was under Charlemagne; the stability of his reign allowed for such things.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   I suppose it’s possible some early Christian attempted to leave a detailed description of the early Mass, but such a thing was either lost or destroyed because we don’t possess it. We can criticize the early Christians for not having the courtesy to leave us a detailed description of their rites, but we would be foolish to do so. (Remember, they did not possess iPads, iPhones, computers, electricity, running water, or modern medicine, and most of them couldn’t read or write.)

2   Of course, nothing in the catechism conflicts with the Bible (whose New Testament was composed by the Catholic Church), but Bishop Sheen has reminded us that “Christ left us a Church, not a book.”

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Annibale Bugnini Reform, Bishop Fulton J Sheen 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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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
    “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
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th 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 spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “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
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“It is the choir that can make the most valuable contribution to the liturgy; it is through the choir that significant numbers of the congregation can make a significant and valuable offering in the community’s act of worship. The choir links directly academic excellence, artistic creation, disciplined attention and self expression in the making of something fitting for the worship of God.”

— Father Daniel Higgins, Choirmaster at Saint Edmund’s College, Ware

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  • New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
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  • “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)

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