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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

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —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

“After the Second Vatican Council, the impression arose that the pope really could do anything in liturgical matters, especially if he were acting on the mandate of an ecumenical council. Eventually, the idea of the givenness of the liturgy, the fact that one cannot do with it what one will, faded from the public consciousness of the West.”

— Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

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