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Views from the Choir Loft

Holy Souls in Purgatory • 15th-Century Missal Illumination

Fr. David Friel · November 2, 2019

ASCINATING medieval images of Purgatory are easy to find with a simple Internet search. Google quickly lets our twenty-first-century eyes look inside the folios of myriads of manuscripts, held in libraries throughout the world. There is extraordinary power at our fingertips.

One especially notable Purgatorial scene (shown at right) appears as a miniature detail in the missal of Eberhard von Greiffenklau (c. 1425-1450). This extraordinarily elaborate manuscript is held by the The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore and attributed to the Masters of Zwder van Culemborg. The museum webpage dedicated to this volume describes it as “a masterpiece of Dutch manuscript painting.”

This illumination received a brief but excellent analysis in the pages of Magnificat this month (November 2019). The piece is authored by Jennifer Healy, who serves as co-director of the Language & Catechetical Institute and as professor of art history in Gaming, Austria. Her short reflection on this miniature piece of sacred art is worth reading on this commemoration of All Souls.

Image: Souls in Purgatory, Missal of Eberhard von Greiffenklau (W. 174, folio 168v, column miniature) (c. 1425-1450), Masters of Zwder van Culemborg, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: All Souls, Requiem, Traditional Catholic Artwork Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

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“A father cannot introduce mistrust and division among his faithful children. He cannot humiliate some by setting them against others. He cannot ostracize some of his priests. The peace and unity that the Church claims to offer to the world must first be lived within the Church. ”

— Cardinal Sarah (14 August 2021)

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