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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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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

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

“The Lord’s Prayer, among the Greeks, is said by all the people; among us, by the priest alone.”

— Pope Saint Gregory the Great

Recent Posts

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  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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