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Views from the Choir Loft

Improve Your Parish Liturgy … Instantly!

Jeff Ostrowski · March 17, 2015

143 pew missal Ordinary Form XPLORING LOS ANGELES, I notice beautiful roads and neighborhoods. Someone must have said, “Let’s get busy building this town.” Speaking of productivity, whenever I present on Sacred music, someone invariably asks, “What can I do this very instant to improve my parish’s liturgy?”

As a presenter, I used to dread this question. They don’t want solutions requiring decades of work. Nor are they interested in articles like the one Anthony Esolen recently published called “Rescuing Hymnody from Stupidity.” His article is not bad; indeed, it resembles articles 1 published on our blog. But such things ultimately amount to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, while desperate Catholics want to know how to improve their liturgies immediately.

No longer do I dread such questions. They want an extremely short answer; I’ve got one. They crave an authentic answer; I’ve got one. They want an answer not requiring excessive amounts of money; I’ve got one. They want an instant fix, because their children will soon be adults. I’ve got the solution, and it couldn’t be simpler: obtain the St. Isaac Jogues Pew Lectionary for your congregation. Consider the following rationale.

For years, I prepared xerox copies with the Order of Mass (including Propers) for the people in the pews…and it was a horrendous experience. I used to ask:

HY ISN’T THERE A PEW BOOK containing the lectionary readings in a large, pristine typeface? Why isn’t there a pew book that has the complete Propers for each Sunday but avoids page turns? Why isn’t there a pew book reproducing ancient manuscripts from the 7th and 8th centuries, showing the continuity of the Novus Ordo with Catholic tradition? Why isn’t there a pew book using luscious full-color fonts & artwork to illustrate the Ordo Missae—including pictures of the priest? Why isn’t there a reasonably-priced book for congregations with Latin alongside English, helping parishes become more faithful to Vatican II, which never said to eliminate Latin? Why isn’t there a pew book containing complete Responsorial Psalm refrains (with fully-notated accompaniments for liturgical years ABC freely available online) so the congregation can finally sing dignified, modal, simple, fresh melodies between the first & second reading? Why isn’t there a pew book with exquisite line art, allowing illiterate Catholics to learn about the Faith? Why isn’t there a pew book fully approved by the USA bishops, yet designed for parish life, including Funerals, Benediction, Confirmation, and Weddings?

Surprise! The Jogues Lectionary fulfills each question in a fantastic way. Moreover, its professionalism and subtlety will appreciated by all. I was involved with this book’s production, so some will think I’m biased; that’s fine. Just get yourself a copy and verify what I say (BELOW).

BUT HOW WOULD THIS WORK on a practical level? Let’s explore. For one thing, no matter how your parish attempts the Propers—in English, Latin, or Psalm tone—you must avoid having the congregation just sit there as you sing. Give them a way to follow along! The translation doesn’t have to match perfectly, but it needs to be close. For instance, slightly different translations—some created “in house”—were chosen by Fr. Samuel Weber, 2 Fr. Guy Nicholls, 3 and others; whereas the Jogues uses a translation identical to the Simple English Propers, the Lalemant Propers, and the Gregorian Missal.

142 Lectionary USCCB Pew Missal Amazingly, the Jogues can be used by ANY parish. Some parishes may require years to fully adopt the Mass Propers, but at least your congregation can see them in the meantime. Other parishes might sing some Propers—such as the Communion—but replace others with hymns. Other parishes might choose a Processional Hymn, using a psalm tone for the Entrance Chant while the priest incenses the Altar (which is entirely lawful, by the way). Others might sing the full Latin Propers during their main Mass, but use psalm tones for the 7:00am Mass. Others might alternate between a Gradual and Responsorial Psalm, week by week. NO MATTER WHAT COMBINATION IS CHOSEN, the Jogues will prove itself convenient and perfect for your needs.

The book’s exterior is elegant, and it’s a good size—not too heavy. The quality is extremely high, so having it in your pews will raise expectations. Have you noticed the change in atmosphere when people dress fancy, as opposed to tank tops with jeans? The books will remind everyone that Mass is a serious activity.

Finally, don’t try to explain what an Entrance Chant is to your congregation; show them! They’ll see the Entrance Chant each Sunday, and with time they’ll understand what it is; but watch out! Once they know, they’ll ask why it’s not being sung each week!



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Esolen would doubtless be horrified to learn the reprehensible way the Sequences were bowdlerized.

2   Ignatius Press will soon release Fr. Weber’s massive Gradual with three (3) English versions for each chant.

3   Fr. Guy Nicholls is releasing each Entrance Chant from his Graduale Parvum each week on the Blog of the Newman Institute of Liturgical Music—in Latin and English.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Jogues Illuminated Missal Lectionary Gradual, Novus Ordo Lectionary 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

“And thus, when we renounce for Thee | Its restless aims and fears, | The tender mem’ries of the past, | The hopes of coming years, | Poor is our sacrifice, whose eyes | Are lighted from above; | We offer what we cannot keep, | What we have ceased to love.”

— Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman

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