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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

Father Richard McBrien & The Passing Of An Era

Jeff Ostrowski · January 26, 2015

425 Fred Thompson HOEVER CAME UP with the phrase “speak no ill of the dead” surely had good intentions, but there’s a problem here.

People who cite that phrase have no qualms about recounting the history of Adolf Hitler (who’s dead). The same people are comfortable speaking of Watergate and the involvement of Richard Nixon (who’s dead). Thousands more examples could be given. Only a hypocrite, then, would contend that objective facts about someone’s life are off limits once they’ve passed into eternity. Whether we like it or not, the objective facts remain.

That’s why, for example, I have no problem discussing Watergate, even though Richard Nixon died in 1994.

When I heard about the death of Fr. Richard McBrien, I found myself reflecting upon old questions which refuse to go away. Along with so many Catholics, I asked, “How could this man have remained a priest, while publicly denying so many fundamental Catholic teachings?” After all these years, I still don’t have an answer. In 2008, McBrien was asked why he remained in the Catholic Church. He answered, “I was born in it.” He failed to give the only correct answer, demonstrating that he lacked a basic understanding of the Faith. It is unacceptable to be a Catholic merely because one “was raised” Catholic or “feels comfortable” around Catholics. The only correct reason to be Catholic is that one believes in the truth of the Catholic Faith. 1

Much has been written concerning McBrien’s dissent. It bothered me tremendously that he usually wore his Roman collar only when he appeared on television. He even admitted it, declaring, “My Roman collar is my television uniform.” Hearing this makes me so agitated—and it doesn’t help that I’m half Irish. Appearing on television is the one time HE SHOULD NOT have worn his Roman collar. I would not object if he only wore his collar when caring for the poor, but appearing on television dressed as a priest while disssenting from the central truths of the faith I consider shameful. For the record, Fr. McBrien was not alone. Many years ago, I worked for a priest who always wore a Hawaiian shirt. Once—when an FSSP priest who always wore the cassock visited him—he emerged from his rectory wearing a cassock!  But only for that day.

As I’ve said, I cannot explain why someone like Fr. McBrien was allowed to remain a Catholic priest, but perhaps Bishop Fulton Sheen hit the nail on the head when he said, “If the Church were as holy and perfect as some would want, those same people would be too ashamed to seek admittance, because of their great sins.” That is to say, we should focus on our sins, not the errors of others. As usual, Sheen is right—but it’s not always easy.

EVEN IN THIS AGE OF LIES, there are still a few things—albeit only a very few—people will not tolerate. For example, after the Watergate tapes were made public, people would not tolerate Richard Nixon condemning “dishonest politicians.”

This has led to a surprising liturgical development. For years, those seeking to eliminate the Traditional Latin Mass insisted upon tolerance for diversity in worship. Therefore, when Catholics choose the Extraordinary Form, there’s nothing these folks can say without coming across as horrendous hypocrites. It never occurred to them that so many would ardently desire this venerable rite. They concentrated so strenuously on promoting “liturgical diversity” and “letting everyone have what he prefers” they boxed themselves into a corner.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Without question, other factors can also contribute. Fr. McBrien mentioned some other reasons, but failed to give the only authentic answer; which is kind of scary considering the education he received.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Watergate Scandal Last Updated: September 25, 2023

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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

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“For me, religious music ceased with the sixteenth century. The fresh, childlike souls of that time alone expressed their vehement, untainted fervor in music free from worldliness. Since then we have had pious musical improvisations more or less made for show. That wonderful man Johann Sebastian Bach only escaped because of his natural genius. He built harmonic edifices as a devout architect and not as an apostle.”

— Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

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