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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

Don’t compare your kids

Veronica Brandt · July 4, 2015

Hands Full Veronica Brandt with two small children coming back from Communion about ten years ago. RINGING CHILDREN TO MASS DOES make a huge difference in how you experience the Eternal Sacrifice. We might get stuck comparing the before and after – or maybe the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

Once I heard a homily recommending listeners to close their eyes to pray and realized that with a few small children under my care I could not close my eyes to pray. This doesn’t mean I am not praying, but in a public place with little ones I need to have part of my mind keeping watch. In some ways this involuntary and necessary distraction can help crowd out other more subtle distractions though it may not feel this way at the time.

Worse than comparing your pre-child life to the present, there is comparing your family with other families. You may have the sinking feeling that you are doing something wrong. You look at the family with seven children all staying in the pew quietly and wonder why your two or three can’t manage to keep their voices down.

But now, fifth time around, I see that bringing a few very young children is very different to a large family with some well established older children. A one year old attending Mass surrounded by a herd of siblings often has a lot more peer pressure to conform, and many more little games to play unobtrusively interacting with different family members.

Whenever you are struggling you can know you are not alone. It is worthwhile.

I found it comforting to read in St Therese of Lisieux’s Story of a Soul that she was left behind for Sunday Mass as she was too young. She fondly remembers looking forward to her sisters coming home with the blessed bread – a sacramental, not the Blessed Sacrament.

And now I go to check the reference I find an article I wrote a few years back Does Music keep kids quiet at Mass?.

The photo up the top there is blurry, but I’m pretty sure those two little boys who kept me busy in the narthex and courtyard at Maternal Heart are now an accomplished altar boy and a good choir member respectively.

Deo gratias.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Children at Mass Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(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

“Is it not true that prohibiting or suspecting the extraordinary form can only be inspired by the demon who desires our suffocation and spiritual death?”

— The Vatican’s chief liturgist from 2014-2021, Interview with Edw. Pentin (23-Sep-2019)

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  • PDF Comparison Chart • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”
  • “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)

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