Views from the Choir Loft

World Youth Day Krakow: Music Recordings

Fr. David Friel · August 14, 2016

AST WEEK, I shared news about the liturgical experience at last month’s World Youth Day 2016 in Poland. I wrote about the wonderful work done by the Dominican Liturgical Centre in Kraków, which orchestrated all the liturgies at the Mercy Centre (Tauron Arena), the main English-speaking catechesis site.

If you would like to taste a bit of what pilgrims experienced that week in Kraków, you can do so with the help of iTunes, where the Dominicans have released seventeen new tracks. Take note that the album, entitled “Jesus I Trust in You,” is not a collection of live recordings from the Mercy Centre, but rather the same pieces recorded earlier by members of the Dominican Liturgical Institute. You can download the album here:

* * * “Jesus I Trust in You” — iTunes Album

(WYD music recorded by the liturgical ensemble of the Basilica of the Holy Trinity & Hubert Kowalski)

This music is beautiful, simple, and sacred. It enhanced the World Youth Day liturgies greatly, and it serves as a model for what can be done to promote truly sacred music at the popular, grassroots level.

* * * UPDATE * * *

Additional recordings of some of the “Gouzentine” music used at the Mercy Centre are freely available on SoundCloud. These recordings were made in 2010 by the Columbia University Catholic Ministry Choir, including Chris Mueller, Fr. Lukasz, and other singers.

* * * “In the Gouzentine Manner” — SoundCloud Album

(Music recorded by the Columbia University Catholic Ministry Choir)

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

About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

“Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 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 feasts website.

—Jeff Ostrowski

This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon

This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly

Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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