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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

A Faithful Bishop

Andrew Leung · January 7, 2016

CTL A Faithful Bishop 1 HESE PAST TWO WEEKS, we are blessed to have Bishop Roger Foys, Bishop of the Diocese of Covington, KY, and a former priest of the Diocese of Steubenville, staying with us in the rectory. Bishop Foys is a very good friend of my pastor (you can probably tell from the picture on the right). It is a new experience for me since I have never lived with a bishop before. It is great to be able to serve his Masses. He is a very kind and friendly person, and like many bishops, he has many stories to tell.

Bishop Foys was consecrated and installed as the Bishop of Covington in 2002. Under his care, the vocation to the priesthood increase significantly. While many parishes were being merged around the country, he didn’t close a single church in his diocese. He encouraged his faithful not to destroy those nice and old churches in the diocese. He has encouraged his priests to move the tabernacles to the center and put up crucifixes in the newer churches.

Some of you may remember the famous pastoral letter and decree he wrote back in 2011, when the Third Edition of the Roman Missal came out, and it made it on Fr. Z’s blog. Among his many directions, the address on the proper posture of the faithful during the Our Father (4c in the decree) was widely discussed. Here is a PDF file of Bishop Foys’ Pastoral Letter with the Decree Bulletin Insert from 2011:

    * *  PDF • BISHOP FOYS’ LETTER AND DECREE

Since this is a blog mainly focus on Sacred Music, I would like to highlight specifically his points on Liturgical Music. In his decree’s point 2, he made the Chant Ordinaries in the Roman Missal a mandatory setting that all his faithful should learn it. He explains:

a. This one setting is mandatory so as to foster a unified participation of the faithful at Mass throughout the Diocese.

And here is another good point regarding the proper place of the choir:

5. That choirs and other musicians use choir lofts in churches that are structured as such. While this is not mandated, we strongly recommend it.

He then continues to explain the role of the choir and the purpose of the sanctuary:

a. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, informs us of the importance that choirs have in the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy and that they have a distinct role in fostering the active participation of the faithful by means of supporting the people’s singing. (see GIRM 103-104) It should be noted that the primary purpose of any choir is to support the singing of the faithful gathered in prayer, so as to allow the full, active, and conscious participation of all the faithful. While this does not eliminate pieces of Sacred Music restricted to just the choir, it is a reminder that choirs are not preforming at Mass.

b. The sanctuary is reserved for the Priest Celebrant, concelebrants, the Deacon and the other ministers who serve at the Altar. (see GIRM 294)

I am very thankful that I get to know this faithful Bishop of Covington. May God bless him and his work.

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

    (Part 2) • Did they simplify this hymn?
    Choirs love to sing the resplendent tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1929, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. Their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Father Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1929 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. As always, the Germans added an organ INTRODUCTION. For the record, I posted a different harmonization a few months ago which was downloaded more than 2,000 times.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF • “Lectionary Comparison Chart”
    Various shell corporations (in an effort to make money selling Sacred Scripture) have tinkered with the LECTIONARY texts in a way that’s shameful. It’s no wonder Catholics in the pews know so few Bible passages by heart. Without authorization, these shell corporations pervert the official texts. Consider the Responsorial Psalm for the 1st Sunday of Advent (Year A). If you download this PDF comparison chart you’ll notice each country randomly omits certain sections. Such tinkering has gone on for 60+ years—and it’s reprehensible.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Monsignor Klaus Gamber Speaks!
    An interesting quotation from the eminent liturgist, Monsignor Klaus Gamber (d. 1989): “According to canon law, a person’s affiliation with a particular liturgical rite is determined by that person’s rite of baptism. Given that the liturgical reforms of Pope Paul VI created a de facto new rite, one could assert that those among the faithful who were baptized according to the traditional Roman rite have the right to continue following that rite; just as priests who were ordained according to the traditional Ordo have the right to exercise the very rite that they were ordained to celebrate.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    “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 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

Random Quote

“The first tasks of the new pope will be to restore normality, restore doctrinal clarity in faith and morals, restore a proper respect for the law and ensure that the first criterion for the nomination of bishops is acceptance of the apostolic tradition. Theological expertise and learning are an advantage, not a hinderance for all bishops and especially archbishops.”

— Cardinal Pell (2022) about the pope who will succeed Francis

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