Views from the Choir Loft

Videos • Bishop-Elect Robert Barron on the Liturgy

Andrew Leung · July 20, 2015

ONGRATULATIONS to Bishop-Elect Robert Barron. The Holy Father Pope Francis just appointed Fr. Robert Barron, the current President of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake and Rector of Mundelein Seminary in Chicago, as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Titular Bishop of Macriana in Mauretania.

Born in Chicago in 1959 and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1986, Fr. Barron was named Rector in 2012. He has been a tremendous supporter of the work of the Liturgical Institute, referring to it as “a jewel in the crown of Mundelein”. Fr. Barron is the founder of the Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and his “Catholicism” series is very well known. I would like to share two of his videos on the Liturgy.

“What if Catholics Find the Mass Boring?”

He mentioned a two ways to “get ready” for the Liturgy:

(1) Read the readings before Mass;|
(2) Read Bible Commentaries or listen to Commentaries online.

Another way I will add to that is, to learn more about the Liturgy by reading documents, books and other articles. A lot of people probably find the unchangeable parts (the Canon and the Ordinaries) of the Mass boring. It is very important to understand the actual high point of the Liturgy.

Here is another video:

“The Sacrament of the Eucharist as Sacrifice”

Please keep him in your prayer!

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

About Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski