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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

World Meeting of Families 2015 & the Papal Visit to Philadelphia — Part 1 of 2

Fr. David Friel · October 11, 2015

ATE SEPTEMBER was a grace-filled time here in Philadelphia. A visit from the Holy Father to our country is rare, but his presence in our own city was extraordinary. I have spoken with hundreds of people in the two weeks since the events, and, by all accounts, the World Meeting of Families 2015 was a grand success. Coupled with the papal visit over the weekend, it was a great week to be a Philadelphian and to be a Catholic. Many people to whom I have spoken have described the week as “electrifying” or “energizing” or “refreshing.”

Mass was offered at the Pennsylvania Convention Center each day as part of the World Meeting of Families Congress. His Holiness celebrated Masses on Saturday morning at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul and on Sunday afternoon on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. These Masses required a team of priests to serve as masters of ceremonies. As part of that team, I would like to share some of the experience with you.

Next Sunday, I will post a summary of Msgr. Marini’s remarks to the servers before Mass. This week, I will share with you a few behind-the-scenes photos.

First, you will see the golf cart used to transport the Holy Father during his stay at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary; the cathedral altar set up with a 7th candle; and the vestments laid out in our cathedral sacristy for the Saturday morning Mass:

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Below is a photo of the long, vaulted hallway in the Philadelphia Museum of Art that served as the vesting area for concelebrating priests; a look at Archbishop Chaput’s birthday cake, which was on display in the papal vesting room on the Parkway; and a couple of backstage views; There is also a photo of what Pope Francis would have seen from his chair behind the altar:

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A few photos of the seminarian servers with the papal MCs; a photo of the choir rehearsing with David Kimock, conducting from a lift:

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For overseas trips, it is apparently customary for the Vatican to produce a special missal for the Holy Father to use throughout the Apostolic journey. The missal contains all the texts for the liturgies during the trip and nothing else. Inside the missal for this visit to Cuba and the USA, you can see the title page, the start of the canon (which was prayed in Latin at both Masses in Philadelphia), and a reading in Vietnamese:

PopeBook5 PopeBook4 PopeBook3 PopeBook2 PopeBook1

The Holy Father’s Fiat exiting the sacristy area en route to the airport and departure for Rome; a pizza shop near the seminary (affectionately known as “Padre Pio Pizza,” on account of the religious décor) produced commemorative papal pizza boxes:

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Philadelphia is a place filled with history, art, and unusual doses of civic pride. It is also a place filled with great love for our Holy Father. We are deeply grateful for the visit of Pope Francis, who brought the ministry of Peter into our midst.

Next week, I will post an inside account of Msgr. Marini’s last words to the servers before the papal Masses on Saturday & Sunday of the World Meeting of Families week.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Pope Francis Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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’ with regard to 1960s switch to 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
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —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

“Custom preserves many things in liturgy after their first reason has ceased.”

— Father Adrian Fortescue (writing in 1916)

Recent Posts

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  • “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
  • Involving Women in the Communion?
  • “Toward a More Sacred Style With Pastoral Charity” • Guest Article by Dr. Myrna Keough

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