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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

Shocking Developments From Westminster

Jeff Ostrowski · July 13, 2016

326 Nichols Sarah AD ORIENTEM E ALWAYS TRY our best to avoid speculation, gossip, and “personality conflicts” on this blog—but I suppose there’s an exception for every rule. My article today is that exception, and let me remind everyone what is printed at the bottom of each article we post. 1

I have to be 100% honest here: I am shocked by the recent article in the Catholic Herald. Cardinal Nichols had been so welcoming to Cardinal Sarah, who was appointed by Pope Francis as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship in 2014. To then read that Catholic Herald piece is just … well, shocking!

If Cardinal Nichols had simply sent a letter saying why he prefers “versus populum,” I believe that would have been a better choice.

But to strongly contradict one of the highlights of Cardinal Sarah’s presentation in such a way, I find … well, shocking!

CARDINAL NICHOLS DID PRECISELY the opposite of what Jorge Cardinal Medina Estévez instructed on 10 April 2000:

This Dicastery wishes to state that Holy Mass may be celebrated versus populum or versus apsidem. Both positions are in accord with liturgical law; both are to be considered correct.

It should be borne in mind that there is no preference expressed in the liturgical legislation for either position. As both positions enjoy the favor of law, the legislation may not be invoked to say that one position or the other accords more closely with the mind of the Church.

The “Dicastery” mentioned is none other than the Congregation for Divine Worship. In his capacity as CDW Prefect, Cardinal Medina led this congregation to create the 2000 (2002) GIRM, and obtained its approval by the pope. 2

Cardinal Nichols was attempting to be vigorous in following the directives of the Church with regard to the Ordinary Form. Unfortunately, he relied on a false translation, mixing up feminine & neuter, which has been explained in this article. Will Cardinal Nichols be just as vigorous when it comes to other Church directives? For example, what about the mandates of Sacrosanctum Concilium regarding Gregorian chant and Latin? (They are not phrased as suggestions.) What about the directives found in Sacramentum Caritatis and Redemptionis Sacramentum? I sincerely hope to see other letters dealing with these, because many look to the Archdiocese of Westminster for guidance.

This has already been a weird (pointless?) post on my part, so let me also toss in a cartoon which I think is cute:

330 Bus Ad Orientem




NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Every article posted by our contributors—printed at the very bottom—makes clear:

“Opinions expressed by blog contributors do not necessarily represent those of Corpus Christi Watershed.”

2   Essentially, Cardinal Medina was the one who added that “quod” sentence (to eliminate the destruction of altars already in existence) even though the precise words may have been suggested by someone else.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Ad Orientem, Robert Cardinal Sarah, Vincent Cardinal Nichols 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 Michigan. —(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

“The priest coming nearer to the faithful; communicating with them; praying and singing with them and therefore standing at the pulpit; saying the COLLECT, the EPISTLE, and the GOSPEL in their language; the priest singing in the divine traditional melodies—the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Credo—with the faithful: these are so many good reforms that give back to that part of the Mass its true finality.”

— Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1965) praising vernacular readings at Mass

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