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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

Sacra Liturgia 2015 — Update III

Fr. David Friel · June 3, 2015

HE FIRST lecture given on Wednesday came from Archbishop Cordileone, who spoke on “Liturgical Leadership in a Secular Society: A Bishop’s Perspective.” As the Ordinary of San Francisco, the archbishop’s reflections have particular significance.

One of the core points made by Archbishop Cordileone concerned the manner in which one should read Sacrosanctum Concilium. This document, he said, must not be read in isolation. It should, rather, be read in the light of the liturgical movement that preceded it and the liturgical documents that followed it. In this way, we are able truly to embrace the “hermeneutic of continuity” advocated by Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI.

Another very interesting facet of the archbishop’s presentation was a brief reflection on the significance of veiling in Catholic tradition. “In Christian liturgy,” he observed, “the sacred is veiled.” We see this even in the activities of ordinary human life, wherein we veil birthday gifts, our bodies, etc. In addition to this natural sort of veiling, Catholics also veil things such as chalices and tabernacles. Traditionally, women have often veiled their heads during worship, in token of their special role as bearers of life. Archbishop Cordileone noted that, in former times, a screen would sometimes be hung between two pillars of the baldacchino to form a sort of “tent” around the holy of holies. He challenged us to recover an appreciation for the mysterious significance of veiling.

I was intrigued by a historical observation that Archbishop Cordileone shared with conference attendees. He acknowledged that the modern world largely did away with faith—a reality that is fairly easy to observe. He then suggested that our post-modern world, in which we now live, is doing away with reason. This is something that I think warrants further thought and discussion.

Another interesting presentation was given by Mr. Matthew Menendez, whose talk was entitled “Youth and the Liturgy.” A young man himself, Matt is the founder of Juventutem Boston and a graduate of Harvard University.

He explained how several priests had a significant role in his faith formation as a child. In particular, he recalls having been invited to special tasks, as part of a select group of servers whom the priests trained—rather, formed—in the liturgy. Matt encouraged us priests to learn from this model and to implement it in our pastoral ministry. By offering such special liturgical formation, we engage young people deeply and challenge them to become missionaries who share their formation with others. This model, Menendez noted, is the one Jesus chose for His public ministry.

Some attention was given during this lecture to the phenomenon of “youth Masses” attracting congregations largely composed of baby boomers. Menendez recommended that we not accept unquestioningly the “youth culture imposed by the elderly.” These are wise words. They reminded me of those two remarkable chapters from Jeffrey Tucker’s book, Sing Like A Catholic, “A Letter to Praise and Worship Musicians” and “The New Youth Mass.”

This lecture also spoke to the experience of the American Catholic millennial. In particular, Matt highlighted a contradiction that many millennials feel—a detrimental contradiction that needs to be addressed. On the one hand, we millennials look around and see how much the liturgy has changed since the Second Vatican Council; on the other hand, we are told that Church teaching on many controversial social issues cannot be changed. While I am personally able to reconcile this, many of my fellow millennials have (perhaps a bit subconsciously) left the Church on account of precisely this apparent contradiction. Indeed, the unchanging nature of church doctrine might be easier to accept if our liturgy had been subjected to less radical change in the post-conciliar period.

One day of Sacra Liturgia USA 2015 remains. I look forward to sharing a few more thoughts about the experience with you tomorrow.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Authentic Liturgical Renewal Reform, Reform of the Reform, 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

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 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 Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —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

In the place of liturgy as the fruit of development came fabricated liturgy. We abandoned the organic, living process of growth and development over centuries, and replaced it—as in a manufacturing process—with a fabrication, a banal on-the-spot product.

— ‘Pope Benedict XVI, describing the postconciliar liturgical reforms’

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