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Views from the Choir Loft

Letter To The FSSP Choir In Los Angeles

Jeff Ostrowski · January 9, 2016

871 knocking OW MANY OF YOU have gone door to door trying to convince strangers to vote for a political candidate? For that matter, how many of you have spent time trying to convince a friend or family member to vote for a political candidate? I suspect very few—and even when this is done, the results are usually disappointing, right?

Now consider our Catholic faith. How many of us go door to door to evangelize? How many of us ardently strive to convert our friends and family? I suspect not many—and we are quick to make excuses for our behavior. Certainly not everyone is called to every type of evangelization. And it’s true that few people convert to the Catholic faith because of arguments: most convert because of someone’s example.

However…

Did you know there’s something you can do to help spread the Kingdom of God that isn’t quite as scary? When you show up to choir on time, dressed nicely, with music prepared, and a happy attitude, you’re doing something important for the Lord.

CONSIDER : Suppose a nice family attends our Mass, looking for a welcoming, serious, prayerful, vibrant parish. When they see a professional, respectful, and well-prepared choir, they will know our parish is a good fit. Because we take our job seriously, their worship will be enhanced.

So please keep up the great work! When times get tough, please remember that your job is very important!

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 Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • Gorgeous Book

If there is a more beautiful book than Abbat Pothier’s 1888 Processionale Monasticum, I don’t know what it might be. This gorgeous tome was today added to the Saint John Lalande Online Library. I wish I owned a physical copy.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

It is clear the Church is facing a grave crisis. Under the name of “the new Church” and “the post-conciliar Church,” a different Church from that of Jesus Christ is now trying to establish itself: an anthropocentric society threatened with imminent apostasy which is allowing itself to be swept along in a movement of general abdication under the pretext of renewal, ecumenicism, or adaptation.

— Cardinal Henri de Lubac (29 August 1967)

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