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“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

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

    “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
    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

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

Indeed I might add that although unfamiliar with it myself, the Extraordinary Form expressly reminds us that Mass in either form is not merely a communion meal but a ritual of love, a sacrifice at Calvary, by which, for you and for me, yes, here and now, Jesus Christ lays down his life.

— ‘Most Rev. Philip Egan, Bishop of Portsmouth’

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