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Views from the Choir Loft

Sacra Liturgia 2015 — Update I

Fr. David Friel · June 1, 2015

693 FATHER FRIEL HE FIRST DAY of Sacra Liturgia 2015 began at about 4:30 PM on Monday afternoon. After a few words of welcome from the organizers, Bishop Frank Caggiano of the Diocese of Bridgeport gave a wonderful opening talk. In his typically pastoral way, he called upon us to use our love for the sacred liturgy to promote the necessary work of the New Evangelization amidst the many people who consider themselves “spiritual, but not religious.”

The conference attendees then heard the first keynote address, given by His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke.

Even in just a few hours, several important points have been made, and I will share with you just three.

Among the words of introduction, a fine letter was read from the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship (CDW), Cardinal Sarah. His Eminence had many good things to convey to us, but one thing especially struck me.

Cardinal Sarah revealed that, when he was appointed to be Prefect of the CDW, he asked Pope Francis what he expected him to do in this new role. The response of the Holy Father, according to Cardinal Sarah’s letter, was twofold:

1. Implement the reforms of the Second Vatican Council

2. Continue the liturgical vision of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Those are remarkable marching orders—orders that one might not have expected Pope Francis to give. At the same time, of course, these two directives are inseparable, since the liturgical movement championed by Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI is fundamentally a call to embrace the true vision of Vatican II.

Another highlight moment from today was the announcement of the next Sacra Liturgia conference, which is being planned for July 2016 in London. No further details have been given, but that is a very significant announcement. This movement is growing and spreading, which is already a sign of the fruit that is being borne.

Finally, allow me to recap a few of the many excellent points introduced by Cardinal Burke during his keynote address, entitled Beauty in the Sacred Liturgy and the Beauty of a Holy Life.

The cardinal spoke a bit about the nature & significance of the Transcendentals: Truth, Goodness, & Beauty. He paid special attention to their interconnectedness. Notably, beauty is a prerequisite for truth and goodness. Cardinal Burke observed: “Precisely because we have lost beauty, we have lost also goodness and truth.”

696 Cardinal Burke His Eminence also made the point that, in our modern world, “beauty is suspect.” By this, he meant that beautiful things, especially within the sacred liturgy (e.g., art, architecture, music, gesture, vestments, ars celebrandi, etc.), are commonly disregarded as frivolous, shallow, and “superficial.” I have often witnessed this suspicion at play, and I was very pleased that the cardinal encouraged us to challenge this charge of superficiality.

In the middle of his presentation, Cardinal Burke gave a heartwarming reflection on the Gospel passage wherein Mary of Bethany anoints the feet of Jesus with expensive spikenard. In our own day, many people make the same charge that Judas made: that the money lavished upon divine worship could have been better used in feeding the poor. Cardinal Burke responded firmly & gently to this objection, saying that Christian poverty is a thing most essentially of the spirit. Those whose poverty is physical/financial are those who, most of all, need true beauty in their lives. “The poverty to which we are called as Christians calls not for what is ugly, but for the most beautiful celebration of which we are capable.”

Tuesday will bring several more talks and exquisite liturgies. I will attempt to recap some of the highlights as the conference continues to unfold.


REMINDER FROM FR. DAVID FRIEL :   Any quotations I give in the course of my reporting on this conference should be understood to be inexact, as I am only taking notes during the live presentation. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to be as exact as possible.


700 Father Friel

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Liturgy, Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Francis, Raymond Cardinal Leo Burke, Reform of the Reform, Robert Cardinal Sarah, Sacra Liturgia Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —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

Let us ponder the incontrovertible fact that Eucharistic Adoration in the Ordinary Form (“Novus Ordo”) is always and everywhere celebrated “ad orientem.” Why, then, is there such opposition to Mass being celebrated in that way, which is actually stipulated by the 1970 Missal rubrics?

— A Benedictine Monk (2013)

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  • Boston Auxiliary Bishop: “In offering the Traditional Mass for the first time, after removing the vestments, I knelt in the back pew and wept.”

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