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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Feast of Bl. Álvaro del Portillo

Andrew Leung · May 12, 2016

CTL Bl. Alvaro del Portillo ODAY IS THE FEAST DAY of Blessed Álvaro del Portillo, the successor of St. Josemaría Escrivá and the first prelate of the Opus Dei. Don Álvaro was beatified last year in Madrid and you may remember this post where I shared about the Mass of Thanksgiving for the Beatification.

Bl. Álvaro was one of St. Josemaría’s first followers. He was also among the first handful of members of Opus Dei, well before official Church approval. He became the first prelate and bishop of Opus Dei after it was named the first and only personal prelature of the Church in 1982. Under his leadership, Opus Dei was brought to many countries and they continue to encourage people to sanctify their lives through their daily work. His love for the poor, loyalty to the Church and the Holy Father is often recalled. Don Álvaro was a very close friend of St. John Paul the Great, and at his request, Álvaro founded the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross which is now thriving in Rome. Here is a short video about the life of Blessed Álvaro del Portillo by Romereports:

Opus Dei played a huge role in my formation as a Catholic, and it is because of Opus Dei, that I became interested in the liturgy and the Church’s Tradition. There is no doubt that they are defenders of the Church’s teachings and traditions. I would like to share one more video, the highlights of the transfer of the body of Bl. Álvaro from Saint Eugene to the Crypt of Our Lady of Peace. In this video, you will see beautiful vestments and the beautiful Chapel of Our Lady of Peace located in the headquarter of Opus Dei in Rome. The crypt church is the prelatic church of Opus Dei and the mortal remains of Saint Josemaría Escrivá are contained in a casket located beneath the altar.



Beato Álvaro de Portillo, Ora pro nobis!

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

“With all the powers of modern music open to him, from romanticism through French impressionism to the German and Russian modernists, he is yet able to confine all these contradictory forces on the groundwork of the Gregorian tradition.”

— Theodor Rehmann (on Msgr. Jules Van Nuffel)

Recent Posts

  • “What Martin Luther Said…”
  • “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
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  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

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