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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • Booklet for Congregation

Jeff Ostrowski · April 10, 2017

HAT WE REFER TO as “progress” is not always true progress. For example, the creation of television—where producers supply all the sights and sounds—has led to a society incapable of listening carefully. We no longer appreciate beautiful language or powerful sermons, and the fact that we don’t close our eyes and listen has harmed our imaginations. How sad we no longer make believe!

Many churches are installing “movie screens” into church, for people to follow the liturgy. This will fail, just as the “YouTube news” effort failed. People like to read (or skim) at their own pace, and that’s why missals and booklets are so wonderful for prayer.

Here’s a page from a booklet I produced ten years ago, for my wedding:

263 Latin Booklets


I think you’ll agree the booklet I created for last year’s Sacred Music Symposium is more professional, although far from perfect:

    * *  PDF Download • 2016 SYMPOSIUM BOOKLET (47 pages)

The wedding booklet I mentioned contained sketches of the Mass expertly drawn by my mother. Getting the Solemn Pontifical Mass just right required research:

260 Mother Sketch


Each person was sketched “true to life.” For example, the Deacon has a tonsure and hood, because he’s Franciscan. My father and uncle served as Acolytes, so one Acolyte (shown on the right) was drawn with a beard because my uncle has a beard in real life, as this photograph from the 2007 wedding shows. 1

I hope to improve when it comes to making Mass booklets, because I believe this is what Vatican II wanted: helping Catholics enter more deeply into the sacrifice of the Mass. May I share with you a secret? The best way to make booklets is to just start making them. With each booklet you create, you’ll get better and better.

P.S.

I scanned into PDF seven sketches I was able to locate.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Many have asked why I always wear the Filipino “Barong Tagalog” when I conduct. I do this because I was so impressed seeing all the members of my wife’s family dressed in the Barong. Here’s my wife’s brother at the wedding: very impressive, no?

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download 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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    26 January 2023 • FEEDBACK
    “Jeff, I wanted to personally thank you for your spiritual witness at the Symposium & often blogs that you write too. Praying that prayer in the mornings My God, my Father and my all (by Cardinal Merry Del Val), mentioning saints’ stories of Brébeuf, Jogues, John Vianney, monks who fought in WWII, their hard work in spite of terrible conditions, their relentless zeal for the faith, their genuine love for the laypeople they served, etc. Overall though—more than anything concrete I can point to that you did or said—it was your demeanor at the Symposium. I could tell you really absolutely love and believe the Catholic Faith. You don’t get that everywhere, even in Church circles. And your humility is what then makes that shine even brighter. It is super inspiring! God is working through you probably way more than you know.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Symposium Draft Schedule Released!
    Those who head over to the Symposium Website will notice the tentative schedule for 2023 has been released. This is all very exciting! Very soon, we will begin accepting applications, so please make sure you have subscribed to our mailing list. If you are subscribed, that means you'll hear announcements before anyone else. (It’s incredibly easy to subscribe to our mailing list; just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Polyphony by L. Senfl
    The editor of the Sacred Music Magazine recently made available to the public this splendid article by our own Charles Weaver. It includes an edition of polyphony for the GOOD FRIDAY “Reproaches.” Renaissance composers often set the various offices of Holy Week; e.g. readers will probably be familiar with the beautiful TENEBRAE setting by Father Tomás Luis de Victoria (d. 1611). From what I can tell, Ludwig Senfl (d. 1543) was originally a Catholic priest, but eventually was seduced by Luther and ended up abandoning the sacred priesthood.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

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“The Catholic Church has a dignity far surpassing that of every merely human society, for it was founded by Christ the Lord. It is altogether fitting, therefore, that the language it uses should be noble, majestic, and non-vernacular.”

— Blessed John XXIII (22 February 1962)

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