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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

Cardinal Sarah’s Missing Paragraph…

Jeff Ostrowski · October 3, 2016

ISHOP RENÉ GRACIDA recently posted an article (“I Used To Be A Human Being”) on his personal blog. The author was someone I never heard of—Andrew Sullivan—but I found his article intriguing (and eerily true). Speaking of cell phone addiction, I personally have never been a fan of photography during Mass, and if you carefully examine the speech given by Cardinal Sarah on 5 July 2016, you’ll notice that he condemns in the strongest terms priests taking pictures during Mass. 1

Cardinal Sarah initially said nothing about the laity taking pictures at Mass.

But after the conference ended, Cardinal Sarah published a revised version that included this paragraph:

It is equally a scandal and profanation for the lay faithful to take photographs during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. They should participate through prayer and not by spending their time taking photos!

The explanation given was that he did not have time to deliver the full comments. 2 However, because pictures were taken during a Mass offered by Cardinal Sarah at the conference where his comments were delivered—and this photograph is particularly beautiful—his comments require interpretation.

In my view, taking judicious photographs at Mass seems acceptable if the intention is to show our brothers and sisters that a particular parish might be worth exploring, and that reverence for the Blessed Sacrament can be found there. This should be only be done with the celebrant’s permission.

Apropos recordings at Mass, the FSSP.la choir was asked to sing for an 8:00am Saturday Mass during a conference by the Society for Catholic Liturgy, which ended last Saturday.

Here we are warming up:


The following are snippets from the actual Mass. Somebody had a pocket recorder in the Soprano section, which means the Soprano line sometimes comes through too loud. I apologize for the poor quality of the recording, but I hope anyone looking to join a Roman Catholic choir will give us a look:

    * *  Mp3 “Live” • KYRIE (Guerrero)

    * *  Mp3 “Live” • GLORIA (Viadana)

    * *  Mp3 “Live” • ALLELUIA (Guerrero)

    * *  Mp3 “Live” • HYMN TO THE SACRED TRINITY (Guerrero)

    * *  Mp3 “Live” • SANCTUS (Guerrero)

    * *  Mp3 “Live” • AGNUS DEI (Guerrero)

In spite of my aversion to photography during Mass (SEE ABOVE), I did snap a quick shot:

973 Society for Catholic Liturgy


Afterwards I was sorry more wasn’t recorded. Some of the contemporary pieces (as well as the SATB hymns) were sung very well. But that’s how the cookie crumbles!



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   If you scroll to the very bottom of an article by Daniel Craig, you’ll see the shocking photograph that may have been the catalyst for Cardinal Sarah’s comments.

2   Some have suggested Cardinal Sarah omitted that paragraph in order not to offend those at the conference, because photographs were being taken—just as they are routinely taken at the Vatican. While I have no reason to doubt the official explanation, I couldn’t help noticing that the missing paragraph would have required only about 11 seconds to include.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Photographs At Mass, Photos During Mass, Reform of the Reform, Robert Cardinal Sarah, Society for Catholic Liturgy 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

    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Music List” • 28th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 12 October 2025, which is the 28th 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 dazzling feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on which source text is chosen and what each translator wants to emphasize. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Naturally the accompaniment of the organ is merely tolerated during the office of the dead, but in fact, in nearly every parish this toleration has become a habit.”

— Henri Potiron, 1958

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