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Views from the Choir Loft

Translations By Non-Catholics In A Catholic Hymnal?

Jeff Ostrowski · September 27, 2017

OR A LONG TIME, Catholic hymnals categorically refused to include translations by Protestants. The fear was that Protestant translators might taint or distort the theology contained in the ancient Catholic hymns—and in some cases this fear was justified. However, Fr. Adrian Fortescue disagreed, writing in 1913: “After Dr. Neale’s beautiful poetic translations of nearly all our hymns it seems vain for anyone else to try to rival them.”

This prohibition—at least for American hymnals—seems to have softened in the 1950s. The Mediator Dei Hymnal (1955) contains many translations by non-Catholics, such as the following:

4335 Neale

The New Saint Basil Hymnal (1958) also contains many translations by non-Catholics, such as this one by Athelstan Riley:

4335 Riley

The Catholic Hymn Book (1998) by the London Oratory contains a translation by someone considered by many to be a “virulant anti-Catholic,” viz. Percy Dearmer:

4335 Dearmer

FOR MYSELF, I HAVE NO ISSUE with English translations by Protestants, so long as theological truth is not damaged. Before agreeing to help with the St. Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal—which is turning out fantastic, by the way!—I made it clear that we should accept translations by non-Catholics if they are excellent and fully correct from a theological standpoint.

On the other hand, it is sad to see that John Henry Newman’s prediction has come to pass:

“Liberalism in religion is the doctrine that there is no positive truth in religion, but that one creed is as good as another… It teaches that all are to be tolerated, for all are matters of opinion. Revealed religion is not a truth, but a sentiment and a taste; not an objective fact, not miraculous; and it is the right of each individual to make it say just what strikes his fancy. […] Men may go to Protestant Churches and to Catholic, may get good from both and belong to neither.”
—Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman (May of 1879)


To disguise the real differences between Catholics and Protestants, some now refer to “different traditions”—as if Catholics have one tradition and Baptists another. But JESUS CHRIST was quite clear about what happens to anyone who corrupts his teaching—so perhaps we should reflect carefully on that.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Affordable Hymnal for Catholic Parishes, Jean de Brebeuf Hymnal Last Updated: September 17, 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

    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

“So, as in delirium a man talks in a long-forgotten tongue, now—when her heart is rent—the Catholic Church drops twenty centuries without an effort, and speaks as she spoke underground in Rome, and in Paul’s hired house, and in Crete and Alexandria and Jerusalem.”

— A non-Catholic describing the “Hagios O Theos” of Good Friday in 1906

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