Views from the Choir Loft

Fota X Conference (and other Summer Opportunities)

Fr. David Friel · May 7, 2017

DD ANOTHER event to the list of liturgy conferences planned for this summer. In addition to Sacra Liturgia Milano, the CMAA Sacred Music Colloquium, the Los Angeles Sacred Music Symposium, and the Wethersfield Institute Chant Workshop, the annual Fota Conference has just been announced.

For the tenth consecutive year, liturgical scholars, students, and enthusiasts will gather in Cork, Ireland for a three-day conference hosted by the St. Colman’s Society for Catholic Liturgy. You can view my recap of last year’s excellent Fota IX conference, which I was fortunate to attend.

The subject for this year’s Fota conference is Resourcing the Prayers of the Roman Liturgy: Patristic Sources. Papers will be delivered by speakers including: Prof. Manfred Hauke (Lugano), Prof. Dieter Boehler (Frankfurt), Fr. Joseph Briody (Boston, MA), Gregory diPippo (New Liturgical Movement), Dr. Johannes Nebel (Austria), Fr. Jao-Paolo Mendanca Dantas, (Fortaleza, Brazil), and Fr. Kevin Zilverberg (St. Paul, MN).

For those keeping score at home, here is a chronological lineup of liturgy-related opportunities for Summer 2017:

Sacra Liturgia – Milan, Italy (June 6-9)

CMAA Sacred Music Colloquium – St. Paul, MN (June 19-24)

Sacred Music Symposium – Los Angeles, CA (June 26-30)

CMAA Ward Method Summer Course – Pittsburgh, PA (June 26-30)

Wethersfield Institute Chant Workshop – Amenia, NY (June 27-30)

Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children – St. Joseph’s Seminary Dunwoodie (July 5-8)

Fota X Conference – Cork, Ireland (July 8-10)

This summer will see chant activity in a wide array of areas: East coast, West coast, Midwest, Ireland, and Italy. Each of these events promises to introduce the treasury of the Church’s music to many new people. These workshops will also deepen the knowledge and experience of many folks already working with chant in their parishes and institutions.

The placement of these opportunities across the United States and Europe is very good news for the renewal of sacred music. It is simple evidence that there is a widespread need being met. May the Lord bring forth much fruit from each of these events!

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

About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

“Reminder” — Month of November (2025)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Offertory” at Catholic Funerals

I have argued that the OFFERTORY—at least in its ancient form—is more of a responsory than an antiphon. The 1962 Missal specifically calls it “Antiphona ad Offertorium.” From now on, I plan to use this beautiful setting (PDF) at funerals, since it cleverly inserts themes from the absolution of the body. Tons more research needs to be done on the OFFERTORY, which often is a ‘patchwork’ stitching together various beginnings and endings of biblical verses. For instance, if you examine the ancient verses for Dómine, vivífica me (30th Sunday in Ordinary Time) you’ll discover this being done in a most perplexing way. Rebecca Maloy published a very expensive book on the OFFERTORY, but it was a disappointment. Indeed, I can’t think of a single valuable insight contained in her book. What a missed opportunity!

—Jeff Ostrowski

“In Paradisum” • Gregorian Chant

As a RECESSIONAL on All Souls’ Day (November 2nd), we will sing In Paradísum Dedúcant Te Ángeli (PDF). When it comes to Gregorian Chant, this is one of the most popular “songs.” Frankly, all the prayers and chants from the traditional REQUIEM MASS (Missa exsequialis or Missa pro defunctis) are incredibly powerful and never should’ve been scuttled. Click here to hear “In Paradisum” in a recording I made this afternoon. Professor Louis Bouyer spoke of the way Bugnini “scuttled the office of the dead” in this fascinating excerpt from his memoirs. In his book, La riforma litugica (1983), Bugnini bragged—in quite a shameful way—about eliminating the ancient funeral texts, and even admitted those venerable texts were “beloved” (his word) by Catholics.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Gospel Options for 2 November (“All Souls”)

We’ve been told some bishops are suppressing the TLM because of “unity.” But is unity truly found in the MISSALE RECENS? For instance, on All Souls (2 November), any of these Gospel readings may be chosen, for any reason (or for no reason at all). The same is true of the Propria Missæ and other readings—there are countless options in the ORDINARY FORM. In other words, no matter which OF parish you attend on 2 November, you’ll almost certainly hear different propers and readings, to say nothing of different ‘styles’ of music. Where is the “unity” in all this? Indeed, the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community.”

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“Our Father” • Musical Setting?

Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?

—Jeff Ostrowski

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