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Views from the Choir Loft

Culmen Et Fons 2017 • On Liturgical Formation • September 18-22

Richard J. Clark · July 14, 2017

ITURGICAL FORMATION is vital for spiritual formation, which is why this conference is well worth attending! This year, the Culmen Et Fons Conference will be held at St. Adelaide’s Church, West Peabody, Massachusetts, from September 18-22 and will be hosted by Michael Olbash.

Register for the conference here.

From the conference website:

“Recognizing the critical need of enhanced liturgical and spiritual formation for both clergy and lay faithful, the organizers, presenters, hosts, sponsors, and delegates of the September 2017 Conference On Liturgical Formation seek to address precisely such a fundamental requirement for the vitality and vigor of the Church. The scope and the topics of the conference correspond precisely to the needs set out with characteristic clarity by Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in his 2016 London Address and in his remarks made in June 2017 at the Sacra Liturgia conference in Milan, Italy.

The principal speaker, Dom Alcuin Reid, will present papers on such topics as “The Spirit and Power of the Liturgy,” “The Liturgical Life of the Priest, the Liturgical Formation of the Laity,” and “Ongoing Liturgical Formation.” Father Thomas Kocik, a priest of Fall River, Massachusetts and author of The Reform of the Reform, will discuss “The Mutual Enrichment of the Two Forms of the Roman Rite.” Father Marco Testa, a priest of Toronto, Canada, will treat “The Elevation of Parish Liturgy through Plainchant and Sacred Polyphony.” Fr Neil J. Roy will address the means by which priests can form and prepare themselves for offering Mass according to the usus antiquior.“

Michael Olbash also writes:

I’m thrilled to be hosting the inaugural Culmen et Fons conference at St. Adelaide’s because I believe we have an important story to share. It is a fitting study of what Fr. Kocik calls “The Mutual Influence of the Two Forms of the Roman Rite on Each Other” in action. In the past decade, the parish has seen an astonishing increase in Mass attendance and financial stewardship owing in large part to the addition of a weekly traditional Latin Missa Cantata, use of handcrafted Roman vestments, emphasis on sacred music, and the acquisition of dozens of statues, paintings, and liturgical furnishings, many of which were adopted from merged or suppressed parishes

The success of St. Adelaide’s Parish in recent years is unquestionable. Parishes should take note that liturgical formation has lead not only to spiritual renewal, but on a pragmatic level, increased attendance and financial donations. Heeding the Church’s traditions and placing Christ at the center will always be the cornerstone of true evangelization.

Soli Deo Gloria

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 Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(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

These prayers were not peculiar to Good Friday in the early ages (they were said on Spy Wednesday as late as the eighth century); their retention here, it is thought, was inspired by the idea that the Church should pray for all classes of men on the day that Christ died for all. Duchesne is of opinion that the “Oremus” now said in every Mass before the Offertory—which is not a prayer—remains to show where this old series of prayers was once said in all Masses.

— Catholic Encyclopedia (1909)

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