Views from the Choir Loft

Serving Latin Mass • Learn from FSSP Seminarians!

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 14, 2018

OW WOULD YOU LIKE for your son to learn the proper method of serving in the Extraordinary Form? What if you could have them trained by seminarians from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter? Does this sound too good to be true? Think again!

Alongside the Sacred Music Symposium, there will be a special FSSP training camp for those who desire to serve at the Altar:

* * Direct Link: Register Instantly (FSSP.la)

Boys 12 and under have their own classes; so do boys 13 and older. All events take place at Saint Therese Catholic Church: 1100 East Alhambra Road; Alhambra, CA 91801. There is no cost, but a donation is requested to help cover the expense of feeding the participants—and young boys can eat a lot! (By the way, the Sacred Music Symposium still has a few spots available.)

89025 FSSP Altar Boy Training Workshop

Full Resolution Poster : (PNG) • (PDF)

89023 ALTAR BOYS Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter F

89023 ALTAR BOYS Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter E

89023 ALTAR BOYS Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter D

89023 ALTAR BOYS Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter C

89023 ALTAR BOYS Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter B

89023 ALTAR BOYS Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter A

Here’s a fantastic video from last year, courtesy of the TLM YouTube channel.

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

19 January 2021 • Confusion over feasts

For several months, we have discussed the complicated history of the various Christmas feasts: the Baptism of the Lord, the feast of the Holy Family, the Epiphany, and so forth. During a discussion, someone questioned my assertion that in some places Christmas had been part of the Epiphany. As time went on, of course, the Epiphany came to represent only three “manifestations” (Magi, Cana, Baptism), but this is not something rigid. For example, if you look at this “Capital E” from the feast of the Epiphany circa 1350AD, you can see it portrays not three mysteries but four—including PHAGIPHANIA when Our Lord fed the 5,000. In any event, anyone who wants proof the Epiphany used to include Christmas can read this passage from Dom Prosper Guéranger.

—Jeff Ostrowski

6 January 2021 • Anglicans on Plainsong

A book published by Anglicans in 1965 has this to say about Abbat Pothier’s Editio Vaticana, the musical edition reproduced by books such as the LIBER USUALIS (Solesmes Abbey): “No performing edition of the music of the Eucharistic Psalmody can afford to ignore the evidence of the current official edition of the Latin Graduale, which is no mere reproduction of a local or partial tradition, but a CENTO resulting from an extended study and comparison of a host of manuscripts gathered from many places. Thus the musical text of the Graduale possesses a measure of authority which cannot lightly be disregarded.” They are absolutely correct.

—Jeff Ostrowski

2 January 2021 • Temptation

When I see idiotic statements made on the internet, I go nuts. When I see heretics promoted by people who should know better, I get angry. Learning to ignore such items is difficult—very difficult. I try to remember the words of Fr. Valentine Young: “Do what God places in front of you each day.” When I am honest, I don’t believe God wants me to dwell on errors and idiocy; there’s nothing I can do about that. During 2021, I will strive to do a better job following the advice of Fr. Valentine.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Tournemire could be charming or he could bite your head off. One day I could not replace him at St. Clotilde because I had a wedding to play at another church. Tournemire played on Sunday, period—that was all. He did not play weddings and so forth. (He put all that on my back.) So I went to Tournemire’s house to tell him, “Master, I am sorry but, for once, I cannot replace you. I have another obligation to fulfill.” He said, “Get out of here!” I left for good.

— Testimony of Maurice Duruflé