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Corpus Christi Watershed

“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Weakest Argument Ever Made Against “Ad Orientem”

Jeff Ostrowski · November 24, 2014

VER SINCE my exposé of the PrayTell Blog—which caused quite a stir 1—I’ve been keeping an eye on their postings. A recent egregious statement by the blog’s editor demands correction.

It all started with some comments by actor Bill Murray, in favor of the traditional Mass:

“I think we lost something by losing the Latin… And I really miss the music—the power of it, y’know? Yikes! Sacred music has an affect on your brain.”   (source)

These words rankled PrayTell’s editor, and in response he made a statement I’ve never seen anyone else make. He said that Latin—not the vernacular—is used because of the “anthropological” concerns of fallen-away Catholics like Bill Murray! But this was not innocent typo or mistake. He wrote the following (and I kept a screenshot as proof):

The ancient rituals of the great world religions have a certain aesthetic and psychological appeal to the human spirit. We might as well admit it and face up to it, for it is the challenge we face in implementing the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The Council rightly sought to retrieve and reëmphasize what is uniquely Christian, making the liturgy less like the other world religions… […] That’s what drove the Second Vatican Council.

His erroneous statement could be taken apart various ways, but today I’ll only examine two.

It will also become clear why I placed a classic (and hilarious!) excerpt from School of Rock in the upper right.

FIRST OF ALL, the notion that Vatican II sought to eliminate Latin and Gregorian chant to make our liturgy “uniquely Christian” is bizarre. In fact, the opposite is true. Vatican II demanded that Latin be retained: it was not a suggestion. 2 When it comes to Gregorian chant, Vatican II said it must be given “first place” in liturgical services, calling the Church’s sacred music “a treasure of inestimable value,” and demanding that it “be preserved and fostered with great care” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 4 December 1963).

Secondly, his assertion that postconciliar Catholic church music has become “less like the other world religions” is fallacious. The music in too many Catholic churches resembles the School of Rock video I placed at the beginning of this article, but it doesn’t always sound like that. I’ve attended Mariachi Masses, Jazz Masses, Broadway Masses, Rap Masses, Country Masses, and even a “Polka” Mass. Fr. Anthony Ruff could not be more wrong when he says that musical styles for these Masses “retrieve and reëmphasize what is uniquely Christian.” Besides, the music in most Catholic churches now resembles (much) Protestant music.

While we’re examining flawed statements by the PrayTell editor, I should include this one—written in response to Bishop Conley’s support for ad orientem mentioned by Fr. David Friel—wherein the PrayTell editor makes an incredibly weak argument against the posture used for so many centuries:

It was a bit more awkward than I had expected—having to turn around to greet them, and not facing them (i.e., doing as the rubrics direct) for the dialog at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer. I came away thinking that ad orientem isn’t the silver bullet I had sort of hoped it might be after reading Power and re-reading Jungmann.

If he owned a copy of the Jogues Illuminated Missal he might have understood. The dialogue he mentions has always been considered as part of the Canon, and that’s why the priest does not face the people for it. A 2014 pew book—fully approved by the USCCB—explains all this. It even includes color pictures and ancient manuscripts.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   After my article, we received tons of mail—people were greatly supportive and appreciative—but I still don’t get it. I spent only a few minutes writing the PrayTell article, whereas I spent weeks composing my article on Latin hyphenation. Yet, the piece on hyphenation received only 1% of the attention…

2   If you don’t believe me, look at what’s said here regarding “page 18.”

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Ad Orientem, PrayTell Blog Last Updated: April 28, 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

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

“It is profitable for me that shame hath covered my face so I may seek consolation in Thee rather than in men.” (From the Imitation of Christ by Father Thomas à Kempis)

— Cardinal Merry del Val’s Prayer-Book

Recent Posts

  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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