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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

Pontifical Solemn High Mass in Steubenville

Andrew Leung · September 17, 2015

CTL Pontifical Solemn High Mass AST TUESDAY, I was in Steubenville, Ohio, participating in and singing the Pontifical Solemn High Mass celebrated by His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke. The two-and-a-half-hour long Mass started at 10:30 in the morning at St. Peter Catholic Church in downtown Steubenville. The church was packed and filled with students, professors, staff, families, laity and religious from around the area. About twenty priests from the Diocese of Steubenville, Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, Franciscan Third Order Regular, and Diocese of Columbus, Youngstown, Pittsburgh, Wheeling-Charleston, and Altoona-Johnstown assisted at Mass or sat in choir.

The Schola Cantorum Franciscana sang under the direction of Professor Nicholas Will. The schola is part of the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Sacred Music Program. The program has been committed to the training of professional church musicians for nine years. It has been flourishing these past few years and is attracting more and more young singers and organists to join. A few other fellow alumni and myself had the privilege to sang with the schola and it was an incredible experience for me. The musical highlight of the Mass is the Messe Solennelle by French composer Louis Vierne. Here is what Steve Skojec of OnePeterFive had to say about the Mass and the music:

“For those who think Steubenville and tradition don’t mix, the college has several on-campus TLMs a month. On the particular and quite special occasion of Cardinal Burke’s visit, a Pontifical High Mass was also arranged at St. Peter’s, the local parish. Professor Nicholas Will, who teaches Sacred Music, played the organ in a style that would impress even the most demanding Frenchman, and he also directed the Schola Cantorum Franciscana in the Messe Solennelle by Louis Vierne. In general, I respect and appreciate the organ as a liturgical instrument, but my preference is for the human voice, sparsely adorned.

And Oh! Those human voices! It was an absolutely stunning performance. The Kyrie and the Sanctus in particular were incredibly moving. Many of the students who come to Franciscan are musically talented, but not all of them are limited to softly strumming guitars and Christian contemporary ballads. I do not overstate the case when I say this was the most powerful vocal performance I have ever heard in all my travels – including Rome, Vienna, and Salzburg.”

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski also agrees with him and said that the Mass and the music is “just magnificent in every way”. After the Mass, Cardinal Burke thanked Prof. Will personally and congratulated the schola on the impressive music. Dr. Michael Sirilla, a theology professor at Franciscan, told me that Vierne’s Kyrie was the most powerful Kyrie he has ever experienced. How powerful is it? Here is a recording of the Kyrie from Vierne’s Messe Solennelle:

    * *  Mp3 Audio • Kyrie from Louis Vierne’s Messe Solennelle

Director: Prof. Nicholas Will
Organist: Andrew Barnick, ’15
Audio Technicians: Dr. David Schaefer and Ryan Harner, ’16

The Mass and the music was definitely a very powerful experience for me personally. I have never been to a Pontifical Mass where the prelate wears his cappa magna. To attend a Solemn High Mass, the fullness of the Roman Rite, with a cardinal was a mountaintop experience! The beauty of the Liturgy, the arts and music really reflected the heavenly banquet. I believe this has to be the closest thing on earth to the heavenly Liturgy.

Vierne’s Mass is only the second French Mass I have sung in my musical career, the first one was Faure’s Requiem. I know! I still have many more to work on: Franck, Durufle, and many others. Anyway, as a singer, I really enjoyed the dramatic effects, the expressiveness and the color of the Messe Solennelle.

CTL Pontifical Solemn High Mass Gallery 9 CTL Pontifical Solemn High Mass Gallery 8 CTL Pontifical Solemn High Mass Gallery 7 CTL Pontifical Solemn High Mass Gallery 6 CTL Pontifical Solemn High Mass Gallery 5 CTL Pontifical Solemn High Mass Gallery 4 CTL Pontifical Solemn High Mass Gallery 3 CTL Pontifical Solemn High Mass Gallery 2 CTL Pontifical Solemn High Mass Gallery 1


Photo Credit: Drew Pultorak
More pictures of the Mass by Allison Girone.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 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 feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —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

“The free space which the new order of Mass gives to creativity it must be admitted, is often excessively enlarged. The difference between the liturgy with the new liturgical books, as it is actually practiced and celebrated in various places is often much greater than the difference between the old and new liturgies when celebrated according to the rubrics of the liturgical books.”

— Cardinal Ratzinger (1998)

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  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
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