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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

Of Estate Sales, Prayers, and Mass Attendance

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · July 4, 2018

88359 precis ENJOY going to estate sales. You can find some amazing things at estate sales, everything from lamps to lawnmowers and furniture to fine art. But what I’m most interested in are books. Specifically, I’m on the lookout for Classic literature and books on the Catholic faith.

A book I found recently has become one of my favorites. Perhaps some of you know it. It’s called Blessed Be God: A Complete Catholic Prayer Book, published in 1925. This book has been reprinted and is available on line. I was thrilled that I found an original edition, complete with the leather cover still pretty much intact.

I’ll admit, I’d never heard of this book, and many of the prayers, novenas, and devotions were unknown to me. As I’ve read through this book, it has struck me how many of these prayers talk about death. By that I mean, they bring into focus that we’re all going to die, it’s probably not going to be fun, and there’s no guarantee we’ve got an express ticket to heaven. Things like mercy, release from Purgatory, relief from death’s agony, and the assistance of the angels and saints are ideas scattered all throughout this prayer book. Even the rubrics remind us of mortality. Here is an excerpt from the introduction to Evening Prayers:

Each night may be our last one here below.
We should think of this when saying our evening prayers.

Well that gets right to the point, doesn’t it? To be fair, the book isn’t only about death. It’s actually a primer on how to live as a Catholic Christian, with beautiful prayers and devotions for every aspect of life, from morning to night, and all throughout the year.

I started to realize how precious little time we spend thinking about these things any longer, and I began to wonder if this isn’t one of the reasons we have decades of declining Mass attendance, fewer priestly vocations, and plenty of nominal or cultural Catholics. It makes sense to me, at least, that if you quit thinking you need the Church and her rich prayer life to get to heaven, then why bother going to Mass?

When I was a kid in the 60’s and 70’s (which is probably why I never learned these prayers), we were told that people were leaving the Church because it focused too much on sin and death. So the Church became happy and clappy. Prayer books like these went into closets and bookshelves to gather dust and be forgotten. Maybe if we focused on what the Church really teaches about how to obtain eternal life, people would feel compelled to return to the Holy Mass. And I wonder how we can re-introduce our sisters and brothers to these rich and timeless verses. But I’m sure this book has a prayer for that.

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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President’s Corner

    Liturgical Round (“Canon”) in C-Major
    Those who direct children’s choirs are always on the lookout for repertoire that’s dignified, inspired, and pleasing—yet still within reach of young choristers. Such directors will want to investigate this haunting liturgical round (PDF download) which has been married to the KYRIE from Mass VI (EDITIO VATICANA). I have provided an accompaniment, but it’s only for use during rehearsal; i.e. when teaching this round to your choristers. I also provided an organ accompaniment for the KYRIE—which some know by its trope (Kyrie Rex Genitor)—so that your congregation can take part when this round is used as a choral extension during Mass.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Music List” • 28th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 12 October 2025, which is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the dazzling feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

In 1951 (and again in 1952 and 1955) the Sacred Congregation of Rites gave permission to the bishops of the whole world to celebrate the “Vigil of the Lord’s Resurrection” as much as possible in conformity with the ancient ceremonial: the most noticeable change was to transfer the ceremonies to the late evening of Holy Saturday. During the experimental period the text of the Missal remains unchanged, and a special “Ordo Sancti Sabbati” has been published.

— Charles Richard Anthony Cunliffe (1955)

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