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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

“The Story Of The Adoremus Hymnal”

Jeff Ostrowski · September 4, 2018

87699 ADOREMUS HYMNAL HE INTERNET is a vicious place; probably because people communicate without looking each other in the eye. Even in “traditional” circles, jealousy and dishonesty abound (which is very sad). Sometimes, it feels like the Catholic Church is a circular firing squad, whereas enemies of the Faith seem united and powerful. Online Catholic music circles are even worse: everyone has strong opinions, and if someone dares to suggest a different approach, out come the knives! Today, however, I desire to do something positive. I wish to pay tribute to the creators of the ADOREMUS HYMNAL, which in 1997 was a real game changer.

The CMAA recently posted a fascinating article by Dr. Kurt Poterack, describing its origin:

    * *  PDF Download • The Adoremus Hymnal—Its Origin (2 pages)

Recall the environment of 1997. The internet existed, but barely. Just a few years earlier (25 December 1991) the Soviet Union fell. The television show “Full House” had just ended. Michael Jordan was at his zenith, and DVDs started to appear. Most Catholic choirmasters in those days who supported authentic sacred music were isolated. The rotten ICEL translation was in its heyday. What ADOREMUS accomplished in 1997 was daring and powerful, and they deserve our gratitude.

This honest and well-written article by Dr. Poterack hit home with me, especially where he speaks of how much work goes into producing a hymnal. Like Poterack, I serve on a committee, which is creating the St. Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal. Our book—finally!—is almost complete and being proofread, but it took five years of grueling work.

TEN YEARS AGO, when I had to choose a hymnal for the Catholic high school choral program I was running, I chose Adoremus. I do feel it has shortcomings—but before I say anything further, let me repeat:

When the Adoremus Hymnal appeared in 1997, it was by far the best hymnal created by a major USA publisher. The brave people who produced it are to be commended.

Now that I have made it clear how seminal this book was, let me mention a few unsatisfactory things. First, in my humble opinion, it was extremely limited—in terms of the number of hymns. Secondly, there were tons of “missing numbers,” and our school principal kept insisting that we send the books back because “they are missing pages.” (Dr. Poterack explains this mystery in the article above.) Thirdly, the hymns almost always required a page turn right in the middle—forcing the singers to keep turning back and forth.

My main objection to the book, however, was this: the hymnody is too Protestant. “What?” you exclaim. “Too Protestant? But isn’t the best hymnody Protestant?” No, it isn’t. If one carefully examines the situation, one discovers that Catholics have written tons of really tremendous hymns. In particular, the ancient Breviary hymns have been translated by numerous Catholic priests—and frequently what they produce is outstanding.

If a Catholic priest has written an English translation for a Breviary hymn—one which is more beautiful, more accurate, and more theologically correct than a translation by a Protestant—why wouldn’t we choose that one? When the St. Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal is released, I feel that people will be blown away by how Catholic it is. Yet, the quality is extremely high. We never accepted anything just because it was written by a Catholic. What I’m saying is, we looked for the most excellent hymns, and (surprisingly!) the vast majority turned out to be Roman Catholic!

Did the Brébeuf committee have to search and search? Absolutely. Have we unearthed Catholic treasures we never dreamed of? You bet! Was it worth all the trouble? Oh, yes! Does it stand on the shoulders of books like the Adoremus hymnal? It does.

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 Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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
    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on which source text is chosen and what each translator wants to emphasize. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —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

Using the shoddiest, sleaziest material we have for the purpose of glorifying God is not very sound theology or even very good common sense. […] (In general, when you see a diminished seventh chord in a hymn, run.) And these chords are usually used in bad hymns in precisely the same order in which they occur in “Sweet Adeline.”

— Paul Hume (1956)

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