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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

Has Our Catholic Culture Been Completely Dismantled?

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · August 31, 2016

160 Calabrese RECENTLY watched a two-part special on JFK that focused on his early political campaigns through to his presidency. My wife and I noted that his speech, and that of his colleagues and opponents, was nothing like the political discourse of today. Their words were almost always refined and elegant. They were masters of the language. It was beautiful to hear, and it was inspiring. Kennedy’s speeches in particular, with phrases such as “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” or “sending a man to the moon and returning him safely to the earth, not because it is easy but because it is hard” and “we must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth” were important because they assumed that most listeners would understand that striving for excellence is important and that not everything should be so watered down as to be easy or require no effort.

Kennedy (no matter what you think of his politics) spoke in a way that befitted his office. His speech had a cadence and rhythm that made it elevated and aspirational. Further, his wife beautified the White House so that all would recognize it as an almost ‘sacred’ place, worthy of only the best our culture had to offer. She invited the most important musicians and artists to perform there, not because it was her preference, but because it showed that a great country should support and sustain its culture. The use of language, the promotion of beauty, and the aspirational speech galvanized the people of the nation. A bar was raised that made the people proud of their country, aware of their rich cultural heritage, and helped all to appreciate excellence. Today, many would say that we no longer care about excellence, art, beauty, and a sense of the sacred; that we no longer know how to use elevated and respectful speech; and that we have squandered the pride of our rich cultural heritage. Many would say that our country has suffered greatly for these losses.

Our Church has lost many of the same things.

Our Catholic aspirations are much higher than even those of a great nation. Our aspiration is to get to heaven—period. Many people who will read this article have already experienced these losses. They know about the climate and discourse in so many of our parishes and on the internet. Still others will never have known about our rich cultural heritage except by attending a symposium or seminar.

So here is the question: has the kind of speech that has been foisted on the liturgy under the guise of ‘contemporary’ music, and has the loss of great art and architecture, the dismissal of a refined and elegant language, and the lack of aspirational speech focused on excellence led to a dismantling of our Catholic culture?

Excellence, beauty, elegant speech, lofty ideas. Where can these be found? What is our Catholic culture? Perhaps excellence and beauty can be found in the sacred music of chant and polyphony, which the Church tells us should hold pride of place in our liturgies. Perhaps elevated and inspirational language can be found in the sung dialogues of the priest and people, and in the newly refined Collects of the Roman Missal. Perhaps a sense of the sacred can be revived in the way the priests, deacons, and servers might comport themselves during Mass. Perhaps our culture can be saved by allowing people to once again experience the wonder of traditional vestments, by adorning our churches with beautiful art, by building new churches with architecture worthy of a sacred place, and by singing chant and sacred polyphony on a regular basis. Perhaps the 50-year experiment of singing “songs” with words about us, instead of sacred words about God, has led us to lose our focus. Perhaps.

“We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.”

Perhaps this is about truth.

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 Dr. Alfred Calabrese

Dr. Alfred Calabrese is Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Rita Catholic Church in Dallas, TX. He and his wife have two children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

“…I started down the road of the liturgy, and this became a continuous process of growth into a grand reality transcending all particular individuals and generations, a reality that became an occasion for me of ever-new amazement and discovery. The incredible reality of the Catholic liturgy has accompanied me through all phases of life, and so I shall have to speak of it time and again.”

— Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

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