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Corpus Christi Watershed

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

Saving the Church, One Choir at a Time

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · August 29, 2018

87756 alfred calabrese IS THE SEASON for choirs that have been on summer hiatus to begin work anew. This year, for the first time ever, I decided to begin our season’s work after Labor Day, never realizing last June when I made that decision how welcome these extra few weeks would be. Welcome, because it’s been hard to digest all the awfulness that’s been going on in our Catholic world, hard to know how to answer the inevitable questions that will come from choir members, those eager to know how “I feel” about this or that. I’ll tell them, of course, that I feel mostly likely just as they do—scandalized, angry, discouraged, fed-up, (did I say angry?). Many will have shed tears. Where’s the good news in all of this?

If you have, like I do, an enlightened and thoughtful pastor, then you’ll have some hope. Mine has talked to us about the strength of the parish, the sanctity of the small community. I believe it. It’s the parish, each exercising its own little “Benedict Option” that will save the Church. And it can start with our choirs. Do not be fooled into thinking there is nothing we can do, lowly church musicians that we may be. We have the power because we’re on the ground, in the parishes. We have credibility. Now is not the time to sit idly by and wring our hands. Now is the time for action. Here are three things you can do with your choir to save the Church.

Sing music of the true faith, both ancient and newly composed.

We have at our disposal a treasure trove of truth and beauty, of tradition and sanctification. The beauty which formed the great saints of old is still ours today. Pope Paul VI said, “The smoke of Satan has entered the Church of God.” And yet, each week we give form to true words and truer faith, to music composed for the ancient and beautiful worship of God. With our collective choral inspirations and exhalations, we can cut through that fetid smoke and drive it away.

Pray with your choir.

Begin and end each rehearsal with prayer. Pray upon entering the church and before Mass. Pray for help, for strength, and for courage. Pray for the Church. Find and use the prayers of old before they are lost, those that remind us of the heroic saints, the noble women and men of brave convictions, before we forget that such a being ever existed.

Teach the children.

Let the little ones come unto you. Teach the youngest among you about the faith. If you have not already done so, form a children’s choir. They will learn so much from you. They are our hope and our future.

On the ground in our parishes and in our choirs is where the truth lies. Let us not retreat. In our choirs we teach, pray, guard and defend, build relationships and create the light. We can save the Church, one choir at a time.

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

    (Part 2) • Did they simplify this hymn?
    Choirs love to sing the resplendent tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1929, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. Their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Father Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1929 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. As always, the Germans added an organ INTRODUCTION. For the record, I posted a different harmonization a few months ago which was downloaded more than 2,000 times.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF • “Lectionary Comparison Chart”
    Various shell corporations (in an effort to make money selling Sacred Scripture) have tinkered with the LECTIONARY texts in a way that’s shameful. It’s no wonder Catholics in the pews know so few Bible passages by heart. Without authorization, these shell corporations pervert the official texts. Consider the Responsorial Psalm for the 1st Sunday of Advent (Year A). If you download this PDF comparison chart you’ll notice each country randomly omits certain sections. Such tinkering has gone on for 60+ years—and it’s reprehensible.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Monsignor Klaus Gamber Speaks!
    An interesting quotation from the eminent liturgist, Monsignor Klaus Gamber (d. 1989): “According to canon law, a person’s affiliation with a particular liturgical rite is determined by that person’s rite of baptism. Given that the liturgical reforms of Pope Paul VI created a de facto new rite, one could assert that those among the faithful who were baptized according to the traditional Roman rite have the right to continue following that rite; just as priests who were ordained according to the traditional Ordo have the right to exercise the very rite that they were ordained to celebrate.”
    —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 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

“The priest coming nearer to the faithful; communicating with them; praying and singing with them and therefore standing at the pulpit; saying the COLLECT, the EPISTLE, and the GOSPEL in their language; the priest singing in the divine traditional melodies—the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Credo—with the faithful: these are so many good reforms that give back to that part of the Mass its true finality.”

— Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1965) praising vernacular readings at Mass

Recent Posts

  • (Part 2) • Did they simplify this hymn?
  • PDF • “Lectionary Comparison Chart”
  • “Can Choral Music Survive?” • 3 Reasons It Will
  • A Simple Way to Sing and Notate Organum Harmony
  • Monsignor Klaus Gamber Speaks!

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