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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

“No Time For Cowardice” • A Letter To Liturgy Columnists

Jeff Ostrowski · April 18, 2016

552 USCCB IKE YOU, I constantly read articles from liturgy blogs, liturgical journals, and major publications dealing with liturgical questions. Far too many columnists focus endlessly on tiny details that don’t amount to much, yet leave untouched a crucial issue that goes to the heart of the matter. The following is a letter to liturgical opinion makers.

The Entrance Chant in the Ordinary Form for the FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (Year C) is from Psalm 33. If you don’t believe me, here’s how it appears in a book approved by the USCCB on 3/20/2014.

HE EARTH IS FULL of the mercy of the Lord, alleluia; by the word of the Lord, the heavens were established, alleluia, alleluia. Vs. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! Praising befits those who are upright.

ISERICÓRDIA Dómini plena est terra, allelúia: verbo Dómini cæli firmáti sunt, allelúia, allelúia. Vs. Exsultáte, iusti, in Dómino: rectos decet collaudátio.

On 20 November 2012, the Bishops’ Liturgy Committee confirmed a practice that had been going on for decades behind closed doors. The committee said that several sections in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal can be ignored. For those unaware, the official GIRM (going back all the way to the 1970s) requires that any text replacing the Entrance Chant must be approved by the local bishop. In light of the 20 November 2012 statement, there’s nothing to stop someone from replacing Psalm 33 (see above) with a “gathering song” like this:

And we accept bread at this table,  |  broken and shared, a living sign.
Here in this world, dying and living,  |  we are each other’s bread and wine.

If you doubt that’s a real hymn from a real GIA hymnal, click here.

CONSIDER A SECOND EXAMPLE: the Entrance Chant for the THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year C) taken from Psalm 105. You can verify this by clicking here.

ET THE HEARTS of those who seek the Lord rejoice; seek the Lord and be strengthened; seek his face for evermore. Vs. Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name; declare his deeds among the gentiles.

ÆTÉTUR COR quæréntium Dóminum: quaérite Dóminum, et confirmámini: quaérite fáciem eius semper. Vs. Confitémini Dómino, et invocáte nomen eius: annuntiáte inter gentes ópera eius.

According to the 20 November 2012 USCCB statement, nothing prevents a choirmaster from replacing Psalm 105 with the following, even though it lacks the approval required by the GIRM:

I am reaching for the highest goal, that I might receive the prize.
Pressing onward, pushing every hindrance aside,
Out of my way, ‘cuz I want to know you more.
I want to know You, I want to hear Your voice, I want to know You more.
I want to touch You, I want to see Your face, I want to know You more.

A THIRD EXAMPLE will have to suffice for now. The Entrance Chant for the ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A) comes from Psalm 27. Click here to verify.

EARKEN, O Lord, unto my voice which has called out to you; deign to be my help, forsake me not, and do not despise me, O God my Savior. Vs. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

XÁUDI, DÓMINE, vocem meam, qua clamávi ad te: adiútor meus esto, ne derelínquas me neque despícias me, Deus, salutáris meus. Vs. Dóminus illuminátio mea et salus mea, quem timébo?

Thanks to the 20 November 2012 ruling, nothing prevents someone from replacing Psalm 27 with a hymn like this, taken from the “American Catholic Hymnbook” (1992):

The time has come for roses; they’re blooming bright today.
And while we walk in daylight, the sun will show the way.
God grant us joy and justice from our birth until life closes.
With men and women equal, give us bread and give us roses.
When women rise as equals, their gift enriches men.
Let friendship grow and flourish; let love be born again.

If you believe I’m cherry picking the worst songs I can find, you’ve completely missed the point. Once we eliminate the official texts & music for the Ordinary Form, we can no longer speak of a Roman Rite. The irony is that Vatican II wanted to make the treasures of authentic liturgy more accessible to congregations—not replace them with songs about roses!

557 General Instruction of the Roman Missal OME WILL ARGUE that certain hymns replacing propers have already been approved by another American bishop. Those who make this argument are partially correct, but it’s more complicated. Consider the following:

(1) When the USCCB approves a hymnal—as they often do—the approval does not apply to any of the music inside that hymnal. The approval only applies to certain texts excerpted from the Missal, such as the Ordinary of the Mass. I realize—oh, never doubt how I realize—that 99% of Catholic priests who see USSCB approval will (wrongly) assume it extends to the musical sections, such as the hymns. 1

(2) Nobody agrees what precise “wording” is required for a bishop to approve a substitute text. I demonstrated above how much difference the “alius cantus congruus” makes—is it too much to demand after five decades that we agree on this important process? Bishop Doerfler has already done so. If a bishop approves a substitute text, surely there ought to be some indication regarding when it should be used during Mass, right? (For more on this, cf. the footnote.)

(3) The Bishops’ Liturgy Committee maintains a principle called “one-for-all,” which says that if any USA bishop approves a substitute text, that same permission automatically extends to every other USA diocese. That means a musician in Los Angeles can use an alternate text approved by the bishop of Philadelphia in 1978. Likewise, a musician in Houston can use an alternate text approved in 1984 by the bishop of Minneapolis. Is this really what the GIRM meant when it stipulated that an alternate text must be approved by the local bishop? Many believe this “one-for-all” rule violates the spirit and letter of the law. Moreover, according to this rule, if the bishop of Milwaukee approves the Douay-Rheims for singing the Responsorial Psalm, all the other bishops in the USA must accept this as a valid option forever—but were that to happen, the “one-for-all” rule would suddenly receive scrutiny!

(4) To complicate things further, the 20 November 2012 ruling said that no approval by any bishop is needed. Therefore, whether a hymn gets precise approval by the correct bishop becomes irrelevant.

Catholic authors who claim to care about the liturgy have an obligation to discuss this topic openly. There is no good reason for such ambiguity. Moreover, these rules ought to apply equally to everyone—and be articulated clearly. I understand trying to be irenic. I understand hesitancy when it comes to “getting on the wrong side” of powerful Church leaders. At the same time, it’s absurd to keep pretending that progress can be made on liturgical reform without addressing this pivotal issue.

That is why I say to anyone writing about liturgy: If cowardice has prevented you from speaking out before now, take heart!  Let us boldly attack the heart of the matter, and stop beating around the bush.

 


A discussion about this post is underway.

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   And who can blame them for making such an assumption? Yet the USCCB has denied this time and again.

Speaking of “counterintuitive,” I have a copy of an email shared publicly on a liturgical mailing list. Composed on 1 Feb 2012 (12:53pm), a Senior Research Editor at OCP named Bari Colombari admits that Responsorial Psalms printed in one of their major hymnals cannot lawfully be used, since they lack approval by a bishop. However, then Mr. Colombari says they can be used as recessional hymns. Can you imagine using a Responsorial Psalm as a recessional hymn? My strong suspicion is that many people who purchase that hymnal use the Responsorial Psalms as … Responsorial Psalms!

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hymns Replacing Propers Last Updated: July 19, 2022

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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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    PDF Comparison Chart • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”
    EARS BEFORE truly revolutionary changes were introduced by the post-conciliar reformers, Evelyn Waugh wrote (on 16 August 1964) to John Cardinal Heenan: “I think that a vociferous minority has imposed itself on the hierarchy and made them believe that a popular demand existed where there was in fact not even a preference.” We ask the kind reader— indeed, we beg you—to realize that those of us born in the 1940s and 1950s had no cognizance of Roman activities during the 1960s and 1970s. We were concerned with making sure we had the day’s bus fare, graduating from high school, taking care of our siblings, learning a trade, getting a job, courting a spouse. We questioned neither the nuns nor the Church.1 Do not believe for one instant any of us were following the liturgical machinations of Cardinal Lercaro or Father Bugnini in real time. Setting The Stage • To never question or resist Church authorities is praiseworthy. On the other hand, when a scandalous situation persists for decades, it must be brought into focus. Our series will do precisely that as we discuss the Lectionary Scandal from a variety of angles. We don’t do this to attack the Catholic Church. Our goal is bringing to light what’s been going on, so it can be fixed once and for all. Our subject is extremely knotty and difficult to navigate. Its complexity helps explain why the situation has persisted for such a long time.2 But if we immediately get “into the weeds” we’ll lose our audience. Therefore, it seems better to jump right in. So today, we’ll explore the legality of selling these texts. A Word On Copyright • Suppose Susie modifies a paragraph by Edgar Allan Poe. That doesn’t mean ipso facto she can assert copyright on it. If Susie takes a picture of a Corvette and uses Photoshop to color the tires blue, that doesn’t mean she henceforth “owns” all Corvettes in America. But when it comes to Responsorial Psalm translations, certain parties have been asserting copyright over them, selling them for a profit, and bullying publishers vis-à-vis hymnals and missals. Increasingly, Catholics are asking whether these translations are truly under copyright—because they are identical (or substantially identical) to other translations.3 Example After Example • Our series will provide copious examples supporting our claims. Sometimes we’ll rely on the readership for assistance, because—as we’ve stressed—our subject’s history couldn’t be more convoluted. There are countless manuscripts (in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin) we don’t have access to, so it would be foolish for us to claim that our observations are somehow the ‘final word’ on anything. Nevertheless, we demand accountability. Catholics in the pews are the ones who paid for all this. We demand to know who specifically made these decisions (which impact every English-speaking Catholic) and why specifically certain decisions were made. The Responsorial Psalms used in America are—broadly speaking—stolen from the hard work of others. In particular, they borrowed heavily from Father Cuthbert Lattey’s 1939 PSALTER TRANSLATION:
    *  PDF Download • COMPARISON CHART —We thank the CCW staff for technical assistance with this graph.
    Analysis • Although certain parties have been selling (!!!) that translation for decades, the chart demonstrates it’s not a candidate for copyright since it “borrows” or “steals” or “rearranges” so much material from other translations, especially the 1939 translation by Father Cuthbert Lattey. What this means in layman’s terms is that individuals have been selling a translation under false pretenses, a translation they don’t own (although they claim to). To make RESTITUTION, all that money will have to be returned. A few years ago, the head of ICEL gave a public speech in which he said they give some of “their” profits to the poor. While almsgiving is a good thing, it cannot justify theft. Our Constant Theme • Our series will be held together by one thread, which will be repeated constantly: “Who was responsible?” Since 1970, the conduct of those who made a profit by selling these sacred texts has been repugnant. Favoritism was shown toward certain entities—and we will document that with written proof. It is absolutely essential going forward that the faithful be told who is making these decisions. Moreover, vague justifications can no longer be accepted. If we’re told they are “making the translations better,” we must demand to know what specifically they’re doing and what specific criteria they’re following. Stay Tuned • If you’re wondering whether we’ll address the forthcoming (allegedly) Lectionary and the so-called ABBEY PSALMS AND CANTICLES, have no fear. We’ll have much to say about both. Please stay tuned. We believe this will end up being the longest series of articles ever submitted to Corpus Christi Watershed. To be continued. ROBERT O’NEILL Former associate of Monsignor Francis “Frank” P. Schmitt at Boys Town in Nebraska JAMES ARNOLD Formerly associated w/ King’s College, Cambridge A convert to the Catholic Church, and distant relative of J. H. Arnold MARIA B. Currently serves as a musician in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. Those aware of the situation in her diocese won’t be surprised she chose to withhold her last name.
    1 Even if we’d been able to obtain Roman journals such as NOTITIAE, none of them contained English translations. But such an idea would never have occurred to a high school student or a college student growing up in the 1960s. 2 A number of shell corporations claim to own the various biblical translations mandated for Roman Catholics. They’ve made millions of dollars selling (!) these indulgenced texts. If time permits, we hope to enumerate these various shell corporations and explain: which texts they claim to own; how much they bring in each year; who runs them; and so forth. It would also be good to explore the morality of selling these indulgenced texts for a profit. Furthermore, for the last fifty years these organizations have employed several tactics to manipulate and bully others. If time permits, we will expose those tactics (including written examples). Some of us—who have been working on this problem for three decades—have amassed written documentation we’ll be sharing that demonstrates behavior at best “shady” and at worst criminal. 3 Again, we are not yet examining the morality of selling (!) indulgenced texts to Catholics mandated to use those same translations.
    —Guest Author
    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 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 Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —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

Far from dreading an encounter with the Iroquois, Fr. Garnier often told us he would be quite content to fall into their hands and remain their prisoner if—while they were torturing him—he at least had a chance of instructing them as long as his torments lasted. If they allowed him to live, it would afford him a golden opportunity to work for their conversion, which was now impossible, since the gateway to their country was closed as long as they were our enemies.

— Father Ragueneau (Jesuit Relations)

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