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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

The Real Enemy: Mediocrity

Aurelio Porfiri · March 17, 2015

154 B16 T IS NOT INFREQUENT to read or hear, in church debates, about fights between conservative and progressive Catholics. Especially the last two pontificates—Benedict XVI and Francis—have polarized much of the Catholic world; as if we must select one side or the other to feel part of “society.” Of course liturgy and liturgical music have known similar situations, intensified after Benedict’s promulgation of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum on 7 July 2007. The “liturgical wars” (to use the Anglo-Saxon term) became more and more violent, and the recent 50th anniversary of the first vernacular Mass by Pope Paul VI in the roman church of Ognissanti has once again brought the “liturgical problem” to the forefront.

Our liturgies—are they more effective and spiritually appealing in recent decades? I would say a clear “no.” The liturgy supposes a rite, and the rite assists passage from the DAILY LIFE DIMENSION to another dimension: the dimension of God. Anthropology has said a lot about rites of passage, especially in the studies of Arnold Van Gennep (1873-1957) and Victor Turner (1920-1983). In Italy, Aldo Natale Terrin and Roberto Tagliaferri—taking inspiration from Van Gennep and Turner—have presented to the liturgical community the problem of the rite and the importance of the limen (“threshold”). Having considered all the important contributions brought by these scholars on the topic of liturgy, we come to realize that the real problem is not between progressive and conservative Catholics, but between the attention to the dynamics of the liturgy and mediocrity.

MEDIOCRITY IS THE REAL ENEMY of liturgy and of liturgical music. In every diocese wherein we contribute, we must ask: where is the balance here? On the side of attention to the needs of the rite? Or is everything dominated by mediocrity? But what is mediocrity?

Mediocrity is the “virtue” of those who choose the medius; staying in a sort of limbo between good and evil. I mean, they are not bad…but not even good. They don’t access the limen; they prefer to stay on our side of the limen—a more comfortable position that does not disturb the dull existence they’re leading.

How many liturgies in our dioceses are the result of mediocrities? The causes are legion. For instance, we don’t have the courage to tell people they’re incompetent, so the liturgy pays for our lack of courage. When everyone—without any study or serious analysis of the liturgy and its needs—can decide how the rite should be performed or which songs should be sung you have mediocrity arising as the sun in the east. Experts may be dangerous, too; but you can imagine how dangerous are the ones who talk without any serious consideration of the liturgical discipline.

The situation, then, is dramatic. Some people are using the liturgy not to seek Christ, but for reassurance. They want to be confirmed on their (already accepted) medius state, continuing to use religion as a tool to feel better and avoid looking inside themselves. They refuse to accept that religion—and especially the meeting with Christ—is not a cup of tea every day at 5:00pm 1 but falling from a horse and accepting the blindness of sin and torment of “otherness.” Real liturgy is for daring hearts, not for uninspired mediocrities. If you don’t accept that in order to find yourselves you must lose yourselves, you will simply lose what you think you have found.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   That is a rite, too, and in some cultures may have a very deep meaning.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Reform of the Reform, Renewal of the Renewal Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Aurelio Porfiri

Renowned as composer, conductor, theorist, author, pedagogue, and organist, Aurelio Porfiri has served the Church on multiple continents at the highest levels. Born and raised in Italy, he currently serves as Director of Choral Activities and Composer in Residence for Santa Rosa de Lima School (Macao, China).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —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

“Pope Francis breaks Catholic traditions whenever he wants because he is free from disordered attachments. Our Church has indeed entered a new phase: with the advent of this first Jesuit pope, it is openly ruled by an individual rather than by the authority of Scripture alone or even its own dictates of tradition plus Scripture.”

— Fr. Thomas Rosica (31 July 2018)

Recent Posts

  • Is this what the new “Youth Mass” looks like?
  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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