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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

A Serious Question About Vatican II

Jeff Ostrowski · September 9, 2016

132 Archbishop of Utrecht CAPPA MAGNA ANY AUTHORS HAVE DISCUSSED the liturgical reforms following Vatican II. As Cardinal Ratzinger noted many years ago, the Council did not reform the liturgy. Rather, the Council said the liturgy should be revised:

“Elements which, with the passage of time…were added with little advantage are now to be discarded.”

If our Lord gives me the strength, someday I’d like to assemble—with the help of our readers—a succinct list that gives reforms done according to Sacrosanctum Concilium as well as reforms contrary to it. Such a list would also include key sources like Cardinal Antonelli, who served as secretary of the Consilium prior to Bugnini.

Many reforms were not in accordance with what the fathers of Vatican II specifically mandated. For example, most people associate Mass “facing the people” with Vatican II, but the Council never said a word about this practice. Most people think Vatican II abolished Latin, but in reality the Council declared that Latin must be preserved. Indeed, the fathers of Vatican II erupted with laughter when someone suggested there was a danger of the vernacular replacing Latin. Many other examples could be given. 1

Today I wish to discuss a different question. Vatican II spoke of “useless repetitions” in the liturgy, and said they should be examined and (possibly) eliminated. There is a real question about what the Council meant. Certainly it didn’t mean, for example, eliminating the 9-fold Kyrie, because in another place the same document says Gregorian chant should be given “first place” and even called traditional sacred music “the greatest treasure of the Church”—which probably annoyed architects and artists!

A liturgical change had taken place which went into effect on 1 January 1961. The final vote for Sacrosanctum Concilium happened on 4 December 1963. I’m told the actual document, however, had been “in production” for years—before the Council even began. Here’s an example of a rubric changed in 1961:

138 Tridentine Gospel Repeated


(Another example would be the Confíteor at Communion.)

In light of the fact that Sacrosanctum Concilium was being drafted at the very time these rubrical changes were happening, was that sufficient time for the bishops to “absorb” them and make informed decisions? Priests I’ve spoken to tend to like that 1961 change. 2

Perhaps a “useless repetitions” they had in mind would be the priest quietly reading certain prayers sung by the choir, such as the Introit—although I personally like that practice very much, and it’s difficult to see how “the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires” that the priest stop doing that. It has no effect whatsoever on the congregation.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   I have yet to encounter a serious scholar willing to defend the specific reforms of Vatican II. The very people involved in the reforms—who at the time were in favor of them, such as Fr. Louis Bouyer—have described the unbelievable, hasty, and shameful way many of these reforms were rammed through. Moreover, some bishops who were 100% in favor of the liturgical reforms, such as Bishop René H. Gracida, now believe the reformers went too far.

2   Indeed, this change had already been made in 1955 for the Holy Week services. Believe it or not, the priest had been required to read in a low voice all the Easter Vigil lessons as they were being sung. By the way, many people don’t realize that before the reforms of Pius XII, Easter actually began the day before Easter Sunday.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, Reform of the Reform 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

    “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

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

After ordering the bishops to appoint in each diocese “special commission of persons who are really competent in the matter, to whom they will entrust the duty of watching over the music performed in the churches in whatever way may seem most advisable,” Pope Pius X continues—“this commission will insist on the music being not only good in itself, but also proportionate to the capacity of the singers, so that it may be always well executed.”

— Dom Alphege Shebbeare (Downside Review)

Recent Posts

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  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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