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Views from the Choir Loft

Printable Card • “Prayers at the Foot of the Altar”

Fr. David Friel · October 1, 2017

OR PRIESTS and servers new to the Extraordinary Form, it is often helpful to have a card from which to read the prayers at the foot of the altar until they are memorized. Finding the “perfect” card, however, is more difficult than one might expect.

Incorporating the best features of the various cards I have seen, while eliminating a wide array of defects, I am pleased to present my own feeble attempt at this useful altar card. It is available here in .pdf format:

    * *  PDF • Prayers at the Foot of the Altar

The file is set up in such a way that it is possible to print the card twice, using both sides of the same sheet of paper. After laminating and slicing the sheet once down the middle, you’ll have yourself two copies of the card.

What are the features of this card that I believe make it more useful than some of the other options available for purchase or download? They include the following:

1. The card presents the full text of Psalm 42, not simply the first and last words of each line.

2. It indicates where the Sign of the Cross is to be made with a “+” symbol.

3. Pertinent rubrics are included, in red ink.

4. Accent marks are included in the text.

5. The prayers for ascending the altar steps (Aufer a nobis and Oramus te) are provided.

6. Everything fits on a card half the size of a normal sheet of paper.

This card may be freely reproduced and distributed. Corrections and recommendations for improvement are quite welcome. I hope this resource proves useful to some of our readers!

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Altar Boy, Altar Serving Guide, Latin Mass, Traditional Latin Mass, Traditional Latin Mass Tridentine Rite Last Updated: December 6, 2020

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Fr. David Friel

About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at St. Anselm Parish in Northeast Philly. He is currently a doctoral candidate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski
15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski
15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Friedman met Egon Wellesz in Altaussee on one of the walks, and Egon started to speak about atonal music—and Ignaz replied: “No, no, no. Melody for me.”

— From the Life of Ignazy Friedman

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