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Views from the Choir Loft

Liturgy and Sensory Issues

Veronica Brandt · November 19, 2016

Brandt family 2016 FIND MYSELF reading up about autism from time to time. None of my kids have been diagnosed, but there are times when I can really relate to the challenging reactions to everyday events.

Tonight, after browsing through Asperger Experts, it occurred to me that my family’s leaning to more traditional Masses may be related to having a finite reserve of energy available for social interaction.

Sometimes the very steps people take to be more welcoming can become threatening. The Sign of Peace is a stress point for people who have limited social energy. A priest descending from the altar to shake hands with everyone is not just a distraction, but a threat. Better to save greetings for after Mass in a setting where there can be time to think and room to escape.

Predictability is important too. Knowing that the priest will “say the black, do the red” is reassuring.

Although our culture seems to deride people who can’t go with the flow or maintain a witty repartee, maybe the Mass allowed for these people long before terms like “sensory processing disorder” were invented.

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 Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“And thus, when we renounce for Thee | Its restless aims and fears, | The tender mem’ries of the past, | The hopes of coming years, | Poor is our sacrifice, whose eyes | Are lighted from above; | We offer what we cannot keep, | What we have ceased to love.”

— Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman

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