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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

“Fear Of The Dark-Skinned” — Really?

Jeff Ostrowski · November 9, 2014

692 National Catholic Reporter HE NATIONAL Catholic Reporter has long been the darling of “progressive” Catholic liturgists. Most of their articles seem to have a common theme: rebellion against traditional Church teachings. They strike me as a very unhappy group of people, and when I read their paper, I ask, “Are these people real?”

For the record, we at Watershed are real. Each of our full-time contributors is married with children and directs a real choir which sings every week. The only exception is Fr. David Friel, for obvious reasons. 1

But what about folks at the National Catholic Reporter? Consider a recent article they published. Here are some excerpts:

Jesus’ one new commandment was equally clear: Don’t be afraid. Live without fear. Live in harmony. Make peace. But whatever happens, don’t be afraid.

Has this author looked in the Bible? Doesn’t he know the many verses (both Old and New Testament) which praise fear of the Lord? For example, the Tract for St. Joseph on 19 March is the first verse of Psalm 111: “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord.”

The article continues:

Instead of proclaiming confidence in God’s care, right-wing Christians push fear: fear of immigrants, fear of the dark-skinned, fear of Islam, fear of Ebola, fear of education, fear of honesty, fear of the poor, fear of gays and lesbians, fear of women, fear of the Gospel that Jesus actually proclaimed.

Seriously? I can’t remember hearing anyone proclaim, “Abolish honesty!” Nor do I recall anyone saying, “Let’s fear the dark-skinned.” My children are 50% dark-skinned. Does the author maintain that right-wing Christians feel my children should be 50% feared? I feel like I would have remembered such a claim…

Christianity has many viewpoints, from conservative to liberal, traditional to contemporary, institutional to personal, hierarchical to radically independent, wildly exuberant to monastically quiet. No one gets to say theirs is the only “true faith.” No one gets to demonize other pathways, or vote them off the island, as it were. Ours is—or should be—an open society where all ideas are welcome, all voices heard and all citizens free to pursue their self-interest, as they define it.

This person certainly is dogmatic! Apparently, he alone gets to define Christianity. That’s quite a responsibility; who appointed him with this task?

But wait a minute. He said nobody has the “true faith,” yet makes all kinds of demands—telling everyone else what ought to be—and creates rules which must be obeyed, like “No one gets to say such-and-such.” Is that something which is true? But he just denied that anyone can know the truth … I’m so confused!  Maybe we should stick with what our Lord taught, eh?

AGAIN, I ASK: Are these people real? Can I call them on the phone, demanding that they defend their statements? I doubt it. I suspect my questions (above) will be added to the list of unanswered questions we’ve mentioned so many times, such as:

1.) Why are the Mass texts copyrighted and sold for profit, even by non-Catholic companies?

2.) Why does a drafter of the USCCB document on Sacred music refer to Gregorian chant as a “weapon” when Vatican II mandated it?

3.) Why do progressive liturgists assure us over and over that we are free to ignore Latin, while Vatican II mandated its use? (See discussion of “servetur” and page 18 here.)

4.) Why did the USCCB approve a Mass setting which alters the official words of the Roman Missal and imitates a secular song about unicorns?

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Latin Rite Catholic priests cannot get married. Nor can they direct choirs—since they’re busy celebrating Mass at the altar—but Fr. Friel has composed the lovely Mass in honor of St. John Neumann.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: National Catholic Reporter Heresy Last Updated: April 26, 2022

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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

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). 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 feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Both of these appointments—of Cardinal Lercaro and Father Bugnini—to key positions on the Consilium made it possible for voices to be heard that could not be heard during the proceedings of the Council, and likewise silenced others.”

— Alfons Cardinal Stickler, Vatican II ‘peritus’

Recent Posts

  • Is this what the new “Youth Mass” looks like?
  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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