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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

Revitalizing Our Missionary Spirit

Fr. David Friel · October 19, 2014

ODAY is World Mission Sunday, a day on which we focus on praying for the missions and supporting them financially. The work of the missions is to bring the Gospel to lands where it has not yet been preached. Today is also October 19th, the date each year when the Church observes the feast of St. Isaac Jogues & his companions, who were among the earliest missionaries to work in what we now call the United States. These remarkable men are, of course, the patron saints adopted by Corpus Christ Watershed.

It may be worthwhile today to take a brief trip back to the mid-1600’s, when Fr. Jogues and his Jesuit companions were working among the Iroquois & Mohawk & Huron Indians of upstate New York. The missionaries began by teaching the Indians the very basics of the Catholic faith. If you visit the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, NY, you can still see how they wrote the name “Jesus” on the trees to teach love and respect for the divine name. They learned some of the native languages so that they could teach catechism lessons and the basic prayers. They really lived out the spirit of Psalm 96 to “tell His glory among the nations, among all peoples.”

Not all of their efforts, however, were met with a terrific welcome. One day, one of the lay Jesuit brothers, Bro. Rene Goupil, was teaching a child how to make the Sign of the Cross. Some of the Mohawks who did not approve of the Christian missionaries saw this, and they martyred him with a hatchet.

Another day, in August of 1642, Isaac Jogues was captured in Ossernenon (now called Auriesville, NY). There, he was ritually tortured and had his two index fingers cut off in the process. This was a very intentional act on the part of his tormenters, since a priest was required to have his two index fingers and two thumbs in order to celebrate Mass. After the dismemberment, Fr. Jogues had to leave America and return to Europe to ask permission to celebrate Mass even with mutilated hands. Pope Urban VIII granted him this dispensation.

At this point, most people would have given up. Most people would not have returned to the New World. Most people would have been happy just to have returned to their homeland and the comparatively comfortable life of Renaissance France. Amazingly, Fr. Jogues wanted to return to the missions to continue his work. He did, in fact, return, and months later, on October 18th, he was killed with a tomahawk. The next day, October 19th, another of his companions, Bro. Jean de LaLande was also martyred.

HOSE JESUIT MISSIONARIES gave so much—including their very lives—to bring the native peoples of our country to faith. The great pioneer of the Jesuit missionaries was a priest named John de Brébeuf. Once, after anointing a dying Indian child, he said: “For this one single occasion I would travel all the way from France; I would cross the great ocean to win one little soul for Our Lord.” Their efforts bore much fruit. We have them to thank for St. Kateri Tekakwitha and for paving the way so that we might also have faith and the freedom to practice it.

Since the time of those missionaries, the United States has brought up thousands more missionaries and sent them all across the world. There is a strange reality, though, in which our country is again, in many ways, mission territory. So many people in our cities and in our countryside do not know their catechism or their basic prayers. So many have strayed from the practice of the faith that they were once taught. More & more priests & sisters are coming here from Africa & Asia—areas to which we once sent American missionaries.

We need a revitalized missionary spirit—in our world, in our country, in our dioceses, in our neighborhoods. We need a renewed and re-energized spirit of evangelization and zeal for souls.

St. John de Brébeuf wrote a beautiful prayer in one of his diaries:

My God, it grieves me greatly that You are not known, that in this savage wilderness all have not been converted to You, that sin has not been driven from it. My God, even if all the brutal tortures which prisoners in this region must endure should fall on me, I offer myself most willingly to them and I alone shall suffer them all.

Is the same missionary spirit that was in the hearts of those Jesuit missionaries of the mid-1600’s alive in you?

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Passing on Tradition, St Isaac Jogues Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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) 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
    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

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

“A striking detail: at Solesmes, we remember hearing Justine Ward criticize accompaniment sometimes or seeing her cover her ears, especially when the organ accompanied a soloist, which is something she could not accept.”

— Dom Pierre Combe

Recent Posts

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  • “Three Reasons To Shun Bad Hymns” • Daniel B. Marshall
  • “Puzzling Comment” • By A Respected FSSP Priest
  • New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
  • “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)

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