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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Repetition at the School Mass: “Do it again!”

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · January 30, 2018

90542 Christ Saves HAVE written before about the pedagogical components of the all-school Mass and how to prepare for it. One of the things, it seems, that confronts those responsible for the music for these Masses is the constant cry for variety. This commentary comes almost exclusively from adults, for whom monotony is anathema. All sorts of interesting bits of advice come one’s way, such as, ‘change the music every week or they’ll get bored,’ or ‘make it more fun,’ or ‘they won’t pay attention if you do the same things.’ But listen to what Chesterton had to say about children and repetition:

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
― G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy


Building up a reliable core of good, solid, orthodox music is not only important as a catechetical tool, but clearly helps with the idea of participatio actuosa. Any congregation—especially one composed primarily of children—feels more comfortable with things that they know, and if they grow to love them, they will rejoice in their repetition. The same holds true for the ars celebrandi of the school Mass. When priests try to entertain, when they try to win over their audience at the expense of the liturgy, and when they see their role as your best friend instead of in persona Christi, they do no one any favors.

A gentle and flowing stream runs its same, monotonous and joyful course day by day and year by year. It’s a beautiful thing. And over these days and years it smooths and polishes the river rocks in its bed so that they become perfected, like gems. So too the Mass, if it remains true and on course, will flow over these children, honing and polishing them to become beautiful and shining Christians.

So stay the course. Develop a strong core of excellent music and build a school repertoire. Perhaps a seasonal psalm on a month-by-month basis will work for you. Or choose just a few Mass settings, assigning each to a liturgical season, and put them in rotation. Repeat Entrance or Communion hymns once every three weeks or so. And don’t be discouraged. If something you’ve chosen doesn’t go well, don’t scrap it—try it again, and again, and see what happens. Some people might complain that you’re being formulaic or lazy. But just think of daisies, and don’t get tired of making them.

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 Dr. Alfred Calabrese

Dr. Alfred Calabrese is Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Rita Catholic Church in Dallas, TX. He and his wife have two children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —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

In the Orthodox Churches they have kept that pristine liturgy, so beautiful. We have lost a bit the sense of adoration. They keep, they praise God, they adore God, they sing, time doesn’t count. God is the center, and this is a richness …

— Pope Francis (8/2/2013)

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