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Corpus Christi Watershed

“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

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

    “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

“Worse, composers are now setting the introits of the missal [instead of the Graduale] to music, even to chant, though these texts were explicitly for spoken recitation only.”

— ‘Dr. William Mahrt (Fall, 2015)’

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