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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

An Antidote For Clericalism: Sung Vespers

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · December 17, 2015

924 Pope Francis OR MUCH of his pontificate, and right from the start of it, Pope Francis has spoken openly against a certain kind of CLERICALISM amongst the clergy. That is, a false understanding of priestly service. One of the ways pastors can better serve their people is to offer them every opportunity to participate in the richness of the Church’s liturgies, and these opportunities are not limited to the Holy Mass.

Well before the Second Vatican Council, the Popes Pius (X, XI, and XII) had written about the importance of actuoso participatio. In a 1987 article for Sacred Music, the redoubtable Msgr. Richard Schuler documented this history:

    * *  PDF Download • “Actuosa Participatio” (Msgr. Richard Schuler)

The public singing of Vespers is an antidote to the kind of clericalism that Pope Francis consistently speaks against. How? When pastors offer to the people, as the Church desires, the prayer which they themselves are required to do privately, they keep nothing to themselves. But by denying their flocks the fullness of public prayer, pastors decide, against the wishes of the Church, what to make available to the laity. That’s a lack of service, and that’s clericalism.

In his important volume 1 on the liturgy, Msgr. Peter J. Elliot cites Sacrosanctum Concilium, §100: “Pastors of souls should see to it that the principal hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and on the more solemn feasts.”

922 Calabrese HOW CAN VESPERS BE INTRODUCED to a parish? My first recommendation is to start slowly, offering it on an important day such as Pentecost, then seasonally. After a while you may be able to expand this to once per month. It will soon become part of the flow of the liturgical life of the community.

Be prepared to do a tremendous amount of work. You will have to train choirs, cantors, servers, deacons and priests, create worship aids, do the advertising, and perhaps even compose some antiphons (for services in English). For the service, lower the lighting and use candles wherever possible. Teach and perform solemn and uniform liturgical motions, gestures, and actions. Copy from places that do it well. The bottom line is, you will probably have to do everything yourself to make this a success. But do it anyway!

Vespers can be sung with one cantor, a small schola, or an entire choir. In addition to an SATB choir, you can spice things up, one time employing just the women of the choir, another time, just the men. At Notre Dame in Paris, Vespers is sung almost exclusively by two cantors. This can also be effective, and will give your choir a chance to attend Vespers to help the congregation sing their parts.

A distinguishing aspect of sung Evening Prayer is the way the Entrance and Retiring processions are carried out. Organ improvisations, sometimes based on seasonal melodies or completely abstract, are especially impactful. In our parish—in an attempt to imitate in a small way what happens at Notre Dame—the organ begins the ENTRANCE PROCESSION for the choir, servers and clergy. About half way through the procession, as the organ begins to build, a large hand-bell is rung, indicating the time for the people to stand. This is all well-orchestrated, and the formal role-playing of all involved lends an air of both liturgical solemnity and actuoso participatio.

After a few publicly-offered Vespers, you’ll end up with a small but loyal cohort who attend because they love it. They love the beauty, the stillness, the solemnity, and the smoke. It’s literally smells and bells. And don’t count the number of people in attendance. That’s not why you do it. You do it because it’s the prayer of the Church, and she wants us to pray together. And that is most certainly “the spirit of the Council.”



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   This book’s full title is: “Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite: the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours.” Everyone should own and read Msgr. Elliot’s various volumes on the liturgy.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Participatio Actuosa Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Dr. Alfred Calabrese

Dr. Alfred Calabrese is Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Rita Catholic Church in Dallas, TX. He and his wife have two children.—(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

The eminent theologian Suarez (who died in 1617) […] took the position that a pope would be schismatic “if he, as is his duty, would not be in full communion with the body of the Church as, for example, if he were to excommunicate the entire Church, or if he were to change all the liturgical rites of the Church that have been upheld by apostolic tradition.”

— Monsignor Klaus Gamber (1981)

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