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Views from the Choir Loft

Elvis Presley, Offertory Processions, & “Alius Cantus”

Jeff Ostrowski · February 2, 2015

384 Offertory Procession 1940s ACK IN 2013, we uploaded the complete 1965 Missal, which has generated a considerable amount of interest among those seeking to understand the reformed rites. I was recently made aware of an incredible video which shows an “Offertory Procession” from the 1960s:

      * *  Video • Elvis Presley & 1965 Missal

I’m not kidding. Click the link to see for yourself.

If you scroll down, you’ll see that Offertory processions and “versus populum” were started before the 1960s in some locations. Progressive liturgists of the 1940s justified processions at the Offertory because “the rubrics don’t specifically say they cannot be done.” However, when today’s priests try to reintroduce more traditional practices by means of “mutual enrichment,” these same liturgists complain. A double standard appears to be at work…

In any event, I would say three things about this video: *

1. A most destructive force at work after the Second Vatican Council has been a “loophole” which allows musicians to substitute alius cantus congruus (“anything else appropriate”) for the official Propers assigned by the Church. Only recently have books such as the Jogues Pew Missal made the official texts accessible to congregations. Hopefully more parishes will consider using these assigned texts (in English or Latin).

2. People justify alius cantus congruus in the name of “people participating at Mass.” They fail to realize that when you replace the official texts and sing something else—like Elvis did in that video—you’re no longer participating at Mass the way the Vatican II fathers desired.

3. Everything says something. Everything. If we eliminate the Mass Propers, we must replace them with something. Therefore, we cannot fault Elvis for what he did in that video.

376 Facing the People 1954 377 Facing the People 1965 378 Facing the People 1947 379 Facing the People 1965

P.S.

Based on a quick Google search, I assume the video clip comes from a movie I’ve never seen called Change of Habit. Obviously, a film is not real, but in this case, it gives us a glimpse into what was happening in some Catholic Churches during the 1960s.




NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

*   Regarding number 1, the GIRM says any substitute texts must be approved by the local bishop. The USCCB Committee on the Liturgy—in clear contradiction to the GIRM—declared that this requirement can be ignored. However, several Canonists have said the USCCB does not have the power to overrule the GIRM, and official replies by the Pontifical Commission for the Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law support this view.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: 1965 Missal, Hymns Replacing Propers Last Updated: January 1, 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

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —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

“After the Second Vatican Council, the impression arose that the pope really could do anything in liturgical matters, especially if he were acting on the mandate of an ecumenical council. Eventually, the idea of the givenness of the liturgy, the fact that one cannot do with it what one will, faded from the public consciousness of the West.”

— Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

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