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Views from the Choir Loft

The Power of Sacred Music

Andrew Leung · September 15, 2016

CTL The Power of Sacred Music ISITING THE SICK is a very important part of the ministry of a Catholic priest. Last Sunday, I visited the hospital with the bishop and seminarians of Macau. Fr. Law, a priest who was in the hospital for three weeks, is 83 years old and has been sick for 18 years. Fr. Law is a church historian and the dean of the cathedral chapter (canons, which, by the way, can only be found in two places in Asia: the Diocese of Macau and the Archdiocese of Manila).

We were told, before our visit, that Fr. Law wasn’t doing too well, he was loosing his memory and his mind was clouded. But that was not the case when we get to the hospital, he was awake and he recognized the bishop right away. He was very happy to see us and welcomed us with his beautiful smile. After a little bit of chatting, the bishop suggested that we, the seminarians, sing Salve Regina for him. Fr. Law was very excited about the singing and started to make the Sign of the Cross so that we can begin our prayer to the Blessed Virgin together.

The miracle happened after the Salve Regina. Fr. Law’s memory came back suddenly and he started to tell stories and sing pieces of music that he used to taught in the seminary. He was the Gregorian chant and choral instructor at St. Joseph Seminary in Macau. Once we started singing in the hospital room, we couldn’t stop singing. We sang Ecce Sacerdos in the presence of the bishop, how appropriate is that! When we got to Cesar Franck’s Panis Angelicus, father even started singing in harmonies.

I don’t usually post stories like this one on the blog, but I think this amazing experience is worth sharing. This experience of mine proved that true sacred music brings hope and joy to the sufferings. This story shows how music can be connected deeply with our minds and souls. Fr. Law was discharged from the hospital two days later and his mind was cleared up after singing with us.

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 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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Corpus Christi Watershed

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

Don Fernando de las Infantas wrote to the Pope, trying to get him to stop Palestrina from corrupting all the plainsong editions: “The errors which certain musicians, in all good faith, think they have found in plainchant are not errors at all, but on the contrary contain some of the most beautiful musical passages ever written.”

— Don Fernando de las Infantas (1578 A.D.)

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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