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Views from the Choir Loft

What Happened To Our Catholic Artists?

Jeff Ostrowski · March 31, 2015

075 Levels Original HEN I CONSIDER Catholic artwork from the Middle Ages—like this fantastic page from Trinity Sunday—I can’t help but wonder where our Catholic artists have gone. When I observe altars like this, I question why we cannot create more beautiful altars.

Allow me to introduce Christine O’Brien, who attends a very special Catholic Church along with her husband, Tim, and their four children. Christine is a graphic artist who provides custom clipart for teachers. (School teachers are always in need of fine clipart.)

I was born in the 1980s, but from what I can tell, the trend for ugly artwork—or artwork avoiding reference to Christ, saints, and so on—started with stuff like this in WLP’s Peoples Hymnal. Then “progressive” organizations continued this trend; for instance, here’s a bizarre image from the 1990 Collegeville hymnal. Such pictures stand in stark contrast to, for example, artwork like this, in the Campion Hymnal.

When I asked Christine if she could create liturgical artwork, she sent me this:

078 Catholic Vestments Solemn Mass


If your church needs custom Catholic clipart, why not send Christine an Email? Although she’s a busy mother, she might be able to fulfill your needs. 1 Let’s start the process of restoring beauty and dignity to our churches!



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   As you can see by viewing her store, her prices are quite reasonable.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Religious Clipart 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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

It is clear the Church is facing a grave crisis. Under the name of “the new Church” and “the post-conciliar Church,” a different Church from that of Jesus Christ is now trying to establish itself: an anthropocentric society threatened with imminent apostasy which is allowing itself to be swept along in a movement of general abdication under the pretext of renewal, ecumenicism, or adaptation.

— Cardinal Henri de Lubac (29 August 1967)

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