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Views from the Choir Loft

My Trip to Canada

Andrew Leung · July 26, 2018

CTL My Trip to Canada APPOLOGIZE for haven’t been posting for a few weeks. I was on a trip to Canada with my family. We stayed in Toronto for the most part, and we also visited Montreal and Quebec City as well. I must say, after being in Asia for two years, it’s nice to see some gorgeous churches built in the European style.

I had the opportunity to attend the weekly Solemn Mass at Holy Family Parish, where the Oratorian community of Toronto is located. The Mass was very well-attended and the choir sang beautifully! The professional singers of the parish sing weekly for the Solemn Mass and the Solemn Vespers. I was told that about 40 seminarians of the community would join the Vespers during the school year and I can imagine that must be quite a powerful experience for the parishioners.

I got to chat with Dr. Aaron James, the director of music, after Mass for a little bit and he told me about the history of the church and their pipe organ. The original Holy Family Church was built in 1902 and was destroyed by a fire in 1997. It was the rebuilt in 1999 and dedicated in 2001. Their organ, originally built for a residence, was given to the newly constructed church.

Another very special church I got to visit when I was in Toronto was the Cathedral Basilica of St. Michael. The interior of the cathedral is stunningly beautiful. Right across the street from the cathedral is the St. Michael’s Choir School. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to listen to their boys’ choir. The choir school was founded in 1937 by Monsignor John Edward Ronan. Boys and young men are trained in the art of music there and they play a prominent role in the cathedral’s music program. Here is a recording of the choir from 2016, and you can find more videos on their YouTube Channel.

If you ever get a chance, try to attend a Mass at the Toronto Oratory and the St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica! Finally, I leave you with some pictures of the churches I visited during the trip.

CTL Canadian Church 1 CTL Canadian Church 2 CTL Canadian Church 3 CTL Canadian Church 4 CTL Canadian Church 5 CTL Canadian Church 6 CTL Canadian Church 7 CTL Canadian Church 8 CTL Canadian Church 9
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 Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —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

“Victoria not only made his professional debut as church organist: he also continued active on the organ bench until the very eve of his death. Indeed, during his last seven years at Madrid (1604-1611) he occupied no other musical post but that of convent organist.”

— Dr. Robert Stevenson (1961)

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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