• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

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.”

  • Donate
  • Our Team
    • Our Editorial Policy
    • Who We Are
    • How To Contact Us
    • Sainte Marie Bulletin Articles
    • Jeff’s Mom Joins Fundraiser
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • Repository • “Spanish Music”
    • KYRIALE • Saint Antoine Daniel
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Catechism of Gregorian Rhythm
    • Father Enemond Massé Manuscripts
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
    • Feasts Website
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Secrets of the Conscientious Choirmaster
    • “Wedding March” for lazy organists
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
    • The Eight Gregorian Modes
    • Gradual by Pothier’s Protégé
    • Seven (7) Considerations
Views from the Choir Loft

“The Gloves Are Off” — Jonathan Gruber & The Traditional Mass

Jeff Ostrowski · December 15, 2014

565 Gloves Off HE RISE of the Traditional Latin Mass seems to me nothing short of a miracle. Consider the disdain heaped upon it during the postconciliar years, most especially by the academic community! This was done even though many experts involved in the changes—Bouyer, Jungmann, Ratzinger, Antonelli—later changed their minds. Moreover, although it took longer for this to happen, many bishops who originally supported the reforms have developed a different point of view, and now celebrate the preconciliar rite daily. 1 I personally know several priests with Latin degrees, ordained in the 1950s, who were made to feel “selfish” (and persecuted mightily) for wanting to keep the traditions. As recently as 2007, Fr. Reginald Foster—a Papal Latinist for four decades—said of the ancient liturgy: “It is a useless Mass and the whole mentality is stupid.”

When my siblings and I first experienced the Extraordinary Form, we thought it unendurably boring, but our parents kept bringing us, and we eventually came to love it.

However, it seems the gloves have now come off for those not in favor of this EF resurgence.

JESUIT ROBERT TAFT, formerly a professor at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, has repeatedly referred to those who appreciate the Extraordinary Form as “neo-con wackos” and even called them “a threat,” writing: 2

Summorum Pontificum created unnecessary divisions in the Church and has driven crazy our harried bishops who have too few priests to start with and now have to try and accommodate the neo-con wackos.

When one of Bishop Dominique Rey’s monks reviewed a recent book by Andrea Grillo, he published a hysterical response, 3 whose seven paragraphs contained (among others) the following:

“disingenuous” — “shameless” — “reactionary” — “even at the cost of reason” — “completely ideological” — “without any respect for the truth” — “naïve” — “obvious incomprehension”

Grillo, a professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm in Rome, ended with:

I believe I have already wasted too much time on these pointless ravings.

Increasingly, yesterday’s progressives are making a number of “Jonathan Gruber” statements. Paul Inwood, a leader in “progressive” church music following the Council, has criticized the revised English translations of the Mass precisely because of their accuracy, saying:

7th-century theology, spirituality, and culture are very far from where most of the Church is now. The 1973 translation concealed this fact from us. If we had known what the prayers really said, we would not have wanted to pray them any longer. Now we are faced with that question 40 years later, and it is not any easier.

[…] As long as we continue to be frightened of acknowledging the elephant in the room—that we actually can’t pray many of these particular texts any longer—it will remain difficult for us to grasp the nettle of providing new texts for our age…

Trying to explain why the percentage of Catholics attending Sunday Mass is so low compared to before the Council, Paul Inwood said (emphasis in the original):

As for other reasons why there has been a drop in Catholic practice from the heady days of the 1950s, it seems clear that a major part of this is because Catholics have becoming [sic] a thinking people. We no longer take things on trust “because the Church/Father says so.”

[…] Today’s Catholics are far better educated than previous generations. […] Catholics don’t do blind obedience any more, nor do they do excessive devotions. They examine the tenets of faith and test them—sometimes to destruction.

Mr. Inwood went on say:

I think it’s fair to say, without too much caricaturing, that before the Council Catholicism was largely a gut thing, sentimental if you like. You didn’t have to know anything, but merely recite parrot-fashion the answers to catechism questions. You certainly weren’t expected to think about anything. The faith of many was quite infantile, I would say.

I could not disagree more strongly with Mr. Inwood’s assertion that Catholics no longer go to Mass because they’ve become a “thinking” people.

In my recent article on hymns, I made reference to some troubling texts by contemporary composers, many of whom are not Catholic. Several good people wrote to me, claiming I had a duty to construe problematic verses “in the most orthodox way possible.” However, I would suggest the opposite is true—hymns ought to be written in the clearest & most orthodox way possible. Moreover, in light of such statements by Mr. Inwood, could it be time to carefully reëxamine the theology contained in their texts?

Thoughtful Catholics will continue to ponder Cardinal Ratzinger’s 1997 statement, which can only be described as momentous:

AM OF THE OPINION, to be sure, that the old rite should be granted much more generously to all those who desire it. It’s impossible to see what could be dangerous or unacceptable about that. A community is calling into question its very being when it suddenly declares that what until now was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden and when it makes the longing for it seem downright indecent.

—Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Salt of the Earth, 1997)




NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Needless to say, I cannot reveal their names!

2   For the record, Fr. Taft has some rather bizarre ideas about the Roman Rite. He has said: “The Tridentine reform of the liturgy was just as much of a change, with respect to what preceded it, as the Vatican II restoration of the liturgy was”—a statement revealing remarkable ignorance of liturgical praxis before Trent. Moreover, he said of Pope Francis:

When he first celebrated Mass in the Sistine Chapel he had them toss out the altar facing away from the congregation that his predecessor had installed, and thereby gave the signal indicating how he rated the reformed Vatican II liturgy vis-à-vis the restored pre-Vatican II Summorum Pontificum “extraordinary form.”

His statement is factually incorrect: his predecessor did not “install” anything. Furthermore, Pope Francis has offered Mass ad orientem several times. Finally, not a single document of Vatican II mentions or envisions an altar facing the people, and the postconciliar books still assume the priest will face ad orientem during the Canon.

3   To make matters worse, Professor Grillo wrongly understood a phrase (“often found amongst liturgists and prelates in Italy”) to be referring to the Consilium, whereas—as context makes clear—the phrase was referring to people alive today, fifty years after the Council. From what I understand, Grillo’s English is rather poor, which might explain his error. However, he should have asked one of his anglophone students to look over his response.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Extraordinary Form 1962 Missal, ICEL New Translation of the Roman Missal, Pope Francis Last Updated: January 1, 2020

Subscribe

It greatly helps us if you subscribe to our mailing list!

* indicates required

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).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    New Bulletin Article • “14 September 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 14 September 2025) discusses OFFERTORY ANTIPHONS and contains a wonderful quote by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Draft Copy (Pamphlet)
    A few days ago, I posted a draft copy of this 12-page pamphlet with citations about the laity’s “full, conscious, and active participation.” Its basic point or message is that choir directors should never feel embarrassed to teach real choral music because Vatican II explicitly ordered them to do that! We’ve received tons of mail regarding that pamphlet, with many excellent suggestions for improvement. Please feel free to chime in!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Entrance Chant” • 23rd (Ordinary Time)
    This coming Sunday, 7 September 2025, is the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). You can download the “Entrance Chant,” conveniently located at the feasts website. I also recorded a rehearsal video for it (freely available at the same website). The Communion Chant includes gorgeous verses in FAUXBOURDON. I attempted to create a rehearsal video for it, and it’s been posted at the feasts website, called by some: “church music’s best kept secret.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Karl Keating • “Canonization Questions”
    We were sent an internet statement (screenshot) that’s garnered significant attention, in which KARL KEATING (founder of Catholic Answers) speaks about whether canonizations are infallible. Mr. Keating seems unaware that canonizations are—in the final analysis—a theological opinion. They are not infallible, as explained in this 2014 article by a priest (with a doctorate in theology) who worked for multiple popes. Mr. Keating says: “I’m unaware of such claims arising from any quarter until several recent popes disliked by these Traditionalists were canonized, including John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II. Usually Paul VI receives the most opprobrium.” Mr. Keating is incorrect; e.g. Father John Vianney, several centuries ago, taught clearly that canonizations are not infallible. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen would be another example, although clearly much more recent than Saint John Vianney.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Vatican II Changed Wedding Propers?
    It’s often claimed that the wedding propers were changed after Vatican II. As a matter of fact, that is a false claim. The EDITIO VATICANA propers (Introit: Deus Israel) remained the same after Vatican II. However, a new set of propers (Introit: Ecce Deus) was provided for optional use. The same holds true for the feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great on 3 September: the 1943 propers (Introit: Si díligis me) were provided for optional use, but the traditional PROPRIA MISSAE (Introit: Sacerdótes Dei) were retained; they weren’t gotten rid of. The Ordo Cantus Missae (1970) makes this crystal clear, as does the Missal itself. There was an effort made in the post-conciliar years to eliminate so-called “Neo-Gregorian” chants, but (contrary to popular belief) most were retained: cf. the feast of Christ the King, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and so forth.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“The chants of the Proper of the Mass—that is, the Introit, Gradual, Offertory, Communion—in sung Masses may be chanted in the vernacular to melodies legitimately approved.”

— Statement (20 April 1964) by the Consilium, the group Paul VI put in charge of inventing the New Mass

Recent Posts

  • Charlie Kirk’s Fascination with Traditional Catholic Liturgy
  • “Novus Ordo Parish … With Polyphony?” • Is that possible? How specifically does that work?
  • “The Injustice of Traditionis Custodes” • (Private Meetings at the Vatican)
  • New Bulletin Article • “14 September 2025”
  • PDF Download • Croft’s “Canonic Kyrie” (SATB)

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2025 Corpus Christi Watershed · Isaac Jogues on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.