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Views from the Choir Loft

Saints and the “Ad Orientem” Worship

Andrew Leung · July 23, 2016

CTL Saints and Ad Orientem Worship N THE PAST TWO WEEKS, there were a lot of discussions in the Church about the orientation of the liturgical celebration. I have written about the Three Common Misconceptions about “Ad Orientem” Worship and hopefully that helps clear up some of the misunderstandings and confusions.

I have been reading a book called, The Mass and the Saints, which contains quotations on the Mass from the saints selected by Fr. Thomas Crean, O.P.. The third chapter of the book is about the orientation of the Mass. As we continue to learn and discuss about this topic, we should take the saints’ words into consideration. After all, the Church canonized them so that they may be our examples and we can learn from them. So, here are four quotes on “facing east”:

ST. GREGORY OF NYSSA : “We turn ourselves to the east to pray. Not that God may only be seen there, for he is everywhere, and is not limited to any particular place; but because our first home was in the east. I mean that dwelling that we had in Paradise, from which we were expelled – for God planted a paradise in Eden in the east.”

ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO : “We turn to the east when we stand to pray, since this is where the sun and the stars rise. It is not, of course, as if God were there alone and had forsaken the rest of creation. Rather, when these earthly bodies of ours are turned towards the more excellent, heavenly bodies, our minds are thereby prompted to turn towards the most excellent being, that is, to our Lord.”

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS : “It is also fitting to do this (pray towards east) because of Christ, who is the light of the world, and is called the Orient.”

ST. ROBERT BELLARMINE : “When our Lord died on the Cross, he was looking towards the west. So we pray facing east, as if to look at the face of the Crucified. And since he ascends above the heaven of heavens to the east, we, so to speak, accompany him as he ascends by our prayers and petitions. And finally, it is believed that he will come from the east in judgement: For as lightning cometh out of the east, and appeareth even into the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

I hope you would appreciate the wisdom of the saints. I think I have written enough on the topic of AD ORIENTEM; this will be my last post on the orientation of the Mass for now. I am glad that the recent controversy gave us to opportunity to rediscover and to learn more about our rich Traditions. I pray that the Liturgy might be renewed with charity.


Note from CCW President: I was taught that we face liturgical East because Christ will return from the East when He comes again. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than myself could elaborate on that. There was also a (beautiful) practical value to facing East. The priests would say Mass early in the morning, and when the sun rose, it would “color” the stained glass windows in a marvelous way. There was often a huge stained glass window behind the Altar.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Ad Orientem 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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President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —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

“Abbat Pothier’s great accomplishment is having returned to the Catholic world—along with the traditional melody—the traditional way of performing it. The foundations laid by this providential man have been accepted by all those who practice Gregorian chant.”

— Dr. Peter Wagner (Commissionis Pontificiæ Gregorianæ Membrum)

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