Views from the Choir Loft

Fr. Robert E. Barron To Be Made A Bishop!

Jeff Ostrowski · July 21, 2015

R. ROBERT BARRON was named by Pope Francis as AUXILIARY BISHOP of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles earlier this morning, along with Msgr. Joseph V. Brennan and Msgr. David G. O’Connell. For the moment, those priests are called “bishop-elect.”

When I was in Texas, the parish we attended used a series of videos—created with great skill by the (secular) Public Broadcasting System—which featured talks on the Catholic Faith by Fr. Robert Barron. I was not able to attend them, ¹ but many of my friends & fellow parishioners told me Fr. Barron did a remarkable job.

I thought it was commendable that Fr. Robert Barron was following the advice of Pope Benedict XVI (pope during that period) by using modern technology to evangelize. Moreover, it is my understanding that Francis Cardinal George was a “friend and mentor” to Fr. Robert Barron. Cardinal George was one of the best bishops in the USA, so it seems Los Angeles is in for a treat!

I’ve not yet had an opportunity to meet MSGR. DAVID O’CONNELL. However, our FSSP chaplain here in Los Angeles has spoken numerous times of his admiration for MSGR. JOSEPH BRENNAN. Here’s an excerpt sent out this morning:

I am really excited that Msgr. Joseph Brennan has also been appointed. He is one of the finest priests I know, and he has been so helpful to me, trying to get the FSSP parish established.

What is an auxiliary bishop? The way it was explained to me, a bishop cannot have jurisdiction “nowhere.” So, the pope often names auxiliary bishops to a large diocese, while naming them TITULAR BISHOP of some Catholic diocese that no longer really exists. Therefore, a bishop cannot truly be named “auxiliary” for a diocese.

NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1 Our first child had just been born.

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

About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(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

“We must say it plainly: the Roman rite as we knew it exists no more. It has gone. Some walls of the structure have fallen, others have been altered—we can look at it as a ruin or as the partial foundation of a new building. Think back, if you remember it, to the Latin sung High Mass with Gregorian chant. Compare it with the modern post-Vatican II Mass. It is not only the words, but also the tunes and even certain actions that are different. In fact it is a different liturgy of the Mass.”

— Fr. Joseph Gelineau (1978)