“You Will Now Feel These Interior Sentiments…”

Jeff Ostrowski · July 10, 2015 ·

WHEN A CHILD IS TAKEN by his parents to Disneyland, he shouldn’t spend the entire time asking, “Are we having fun yet?” If he does that, he’ll never have any fun! He ought to focus on having fun, not wondering whether fun is being had.

We recently posted several brilliant video excerpts of Rev. Robert Skeris on EWTN, who mentioned the 1960s “liturgical commentator.” If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry—they didn’t last very long. In any event, the words of Fr. Skeris were brought to mind when I stumbled upon this 1964 book written under the guidance of Msgr. Frederick R. McManus:

Can you imagine a liturgical commentator standing at the front of Church declaring something like that?

“Alert the people to their responsibility of being actively united with Christ.”

It’s like saying: “Ready to feel interior love for Christ? Three … Two … One … Go!”

About Jeff Ostrowski

A theorist, organist, and conductor, Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004), and did graduate work in Musicology. He serves as choirmaster for the new FSSP parish in Los Angeles, where he resides with his wife and children.

A quote from Fr. Valentine

Speaking of “nihil solliciti estis,” Fr. Valentine recently said: “I’ll bet that most people, including myself, have suffered more from things that never happened than from things that actually did happen.” Wise words!

—Jeff Ostrowski

Circle is complete

This is interesting! We have made it all the way around the liturgical year for Vespers organ accompaniments—which means all we have to do now is fill in the “holes,” such as Candlemas.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Fr. Valentine is very sick

I beg you to pray for Fr. Valentine Young, OFM, who I am told is dying (or may possibly have died already). He’s one of the most faithful & generous priests I know. There would be no CCWatershed without Fr. Valentine.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Discussion on Facebook

Pope Gelasius in his 9th Letter to the Bishops of Lucania condemned the evil practice which had been introduced of women serving the priest at the celebration of Mass. Since this abuse had spread to the Greeks, Innocent IV strictly forbade it in his letter to the Bishop of Tusculum: “Women should not dare to serve at the altar; they should be altogether refused this ministry.” We too have forbidden this practice in the same words in Our oft-repeated constitution “Etsi Pastoralis” (§6, #21)

— Pope Benedict XIV • Encyclical “Allatae Sunt” (26 July 1755)