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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

Improve Your Parish’s Liturgy … Instantaneously!

Jeff Ostrowski · August 18, 2015

394 Donald Trump Hillary Clinton RAVELING BY CAR and bored, I turned on a popular radio talk show. The host kept screaming: “The Republican debate got 24 million viewers; who cares? Big deal. It wasn’t run correctly.” He insisted that debates shouldn’t have moderators, and I don’t disagree. The only “moderator” should be an hour glass, just like the Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858. 1

But I soon switched off the radio, because his approach annoyed me. 2 It’s easy to scream into a microphone all day, but when it comes to forming a coalition to remove all moderators, he wouldn’t lift a finger. Provoking people and getting them riled up is one thing; bringing forth something positive is quite another.

Many liturgical “pundits” fall into the same category. They tell everyone else what to do, yet are unwilling to do the hard work in their own parish. Let’s be honest: working to improve liturgy at the local level—teaching real singers, educating real parishioners—is immensely challenging. Richard Clark and Aurelio Porfiri often share their stories about such difficulties, and I suspect anyone involved in Church music can relate. 3 However, a new publication has come along which should make this very tough job a little easier.

A SPECIAL TEAM OF CATHOLICS came together 4 to produce what I would suggest is the easiest way to instantly improve your parish liturgy. You’ve heard me talk about this pew book before. It’s called the JOGUES ILLUMINATED MISSAL, LECTIONARY, & GRADUAL.

996 Pentecost 995 Exterior 986 Creator Fulness


Even if your parish is nowhere near singing the Propers, this book will change lives. Rather than explain the Propers, it shows you the Propers each Sunday. Rather than explain how Catholics honor the Word of God, it shows you, by a unique & splendid formatting for the Readings. Complete keyboard accompaniments for the Gospel Acclamations & Responsorial Psalms are available online, and the book’s luscious artwork is a veritable catechism class. The formatting of the Order of Mass is unmatched, and includes ancient manuscripts demonstrating the astonishing antiquity of the Mass:

4494 Exsultet 985 4495 Petrus 001 992 Agnus 990 Per Ipsum 989 Therefore 987 Pange Lingua


The Jogues Missal avoids a “cut and paste” feel. Look at these images and see if you can understand what I’m getting at:

984 Cut And Paste 983 Cut And Paste 982 Cut And Paste


Congregations will simply ignore blobs of text like that. Moreover, such formatting is monotonous for the eye. On the contrary, the Jogues directs the eye:

997 Renovabis 993 Cease 988 For Seeing


Let me repeat: even if your parish doesn’t sing a single Mass Proper—and most do not—your congregation will still see the Propers each Sunday. Pastors can even make reference to the Entrance Chant or Offertory, e.g. during the homily. With the passage of time, your congregation will begin to wonder why the Propers are not being sung; and it’s all downhill from there!

Until we are blue in the face, we could repeat what Vatican II said about Gregorian chant. The Council declared that chant must be given “first place” in the liturgy 5 but five decades later, less than 1% of our parishes sing even 1% of the Propers. The Jogues Missal is the easiest way to begin fixing this situation.

P.S.

When discussing the sacred liturgy, always keep things on an adult level.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   For the record, if this same radio host had been invited to ask the questions in front of 24 million viewers, he would have taken part (notwithstanding his objections). But that’s another story…involving sour grapes.

2   I’ve come to realize it’s unhealthy to spend time listening to those with unlimited energy to complain. Time is too precious a gift from God to spend it in such a way, in my humble opinion.

3   Learning to play an instrument is hard enough, but choirmasters must do so much more. Musicians are also very sensitive, so the smallest incidents cause us massive amounts of pain.

4   Our team included members of the Church Music Association of America, Corpus Christi Watershed, folks from Christendom College, experts in the Extraordinary Form, experts from the Anglican Ordinariate, and (of course) priests from the Ordinary Form.

5   Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, §116.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: ICEL New Translation of the Roman Missal Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Impelled by the weightiest of reasons, we are fully determined to restore Latin to its position of honor, and to do all We can to promote its study and use. The employment of Latin has recently been contested in many quarters, and many are asking what the mind of the Apostolic See is in this matter. We have therefore decided to issue the timely directives contained in this document, so as to ensure that the ancient and uninterrupted use of Latin be maintained and, where necessary, restored.”

— Pope John XXIII (22 February 1962)

Recent Posts

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  • “Puzzling Comment” • By A Respected FSSP Priest
  • New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
  • “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)

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