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Views from the Choir Loft

Why Did Vatican II Happen?

Jeff Ostrowski · September 29, 2016

977 Montini Gracida HY DID VATICAN II happen in the first place? The liturgical reforms were not a surprise, as we learn from this book by Bishop Gracida, who was ordained to the priesthood in 1959. I think it’s fair to say that a major reason was an attempt to achieve a higher degree of participatio actuosa, and that’s what I’m writing about today.

Consider the following pages from a Roman Catholic Hymnal (CANTIONES SACRAE, 440 pages) published in 1878 by Father Joseph Mohr:

    * *  PDF • “Cantica et Preces at Missam Privatam”

This was no fluke, as demonstrated by these pages from a 1913 American hymn book. The only difference is that Fr. Mohr’s prayers and hymns are in Latin, as they were intended for Jesuit colleges where the young men were learning Latin. 1

Again, these hymns would have been sung during Low Mass:

981 Fr. Joseph Mohr SJ


I don’t believe I’m alone when I say it seems jarring to see encouragement of hymn singing rather than joining with the priest in the actual prayers of the Mass. I feel that many bishops who voted for Sacrosanctum Concilium wanted to get away from this type of thing, because they wanted the congregation to pray along with (or sing) the actual liturgy.

THE GREAT IRONY, OF COURSE, is what happened after Vatican II. While the bishops had wanted to help the faithful enter more deeply into the ceremonies and prayers of the Mass, the complete opposite happened. These days, 99% of Catholic Masses include a bunch of songs that have nothing to do with the formularies of each feast. This was partially done because composers found out they could make money by substituting their own translations for the Church’s official ones. Another very damaging aspect was a decision by the USCCB Liturgy Committee, which ruled that the GIRM is not a binding document and can be ignored when it stipulates that permission is required to replace the Mass Propers. 2


FUN FACT : Until a certain year, priests attending papal audiences were required to wear a ferraiolo, and Bishop Gracida once described how he had to scramble desperately to obtain a black one before the photograph shown at the top.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Father Mohr explains that the prayers are for “youths acquainted with the Latin language” [juvenes latini sermonis gnari]. By the way, Fr. Joseph Mohr (1834-1892), a remarkable priest and musician, is treated extensively by Fr. Robert Skeris in Divini Cultus Studium (1990) beginning on page 162.

2   Some have even argued that obtaining permission from a bishop is virtually impossible and only a fool would be so silly as to try to follow the GIRM—but I’ve never found that argument plausible.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hymns Replacing Propers 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

    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

“By no means would I offer the counsel that Mass be celebrated in languages other than Latin.”

— Archbishop Dwyer (one of the Vatican II fathers)

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