Views from the Choir Loft

“Society of Saint Bede” • Free Liturgical Resources

Jeff Ostrowski · June 18, 2020

ELOW is a website I recently discovered. It is called Society of Saint Bede and offers free liturgical resources. I have not been able to locate any information about who creates the website, but it seems to have been created in the United Kingdom. I prefer when websites provide information about who is “behind the curtain”—such as what Corpus Christi Watershed provides at the ABOUT US website. Maybe someday, the Saint Bede people will reveal more about themselves, but until such time I don’t wish to speculate. ¹

* PDF Download • “Society of St Bede” • Free Liturgical Resources

From what I can tell, the website has been around since 2012. They seem to provide some very useful “out of the ordinary” things, such as a Booklet for First Vespers of the Immaculate Conception. They also re-typeset rare examples of plainsong which I have never heard of, such as this hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, including an English translation. In a certain sense, the people at the Saint Bede website seem to be in “spiritual union” with the Brébeuf hymnal, inasmuch as they seem to spend a lot of time writing out each verse of hymns, such as they did for the beautiful hymn called Præclara Custos Virginum. For myself, I am not a fan of the artwork they have on their page, but Father Valentine used to say: de gustibus non est disputandum (“About taste let there be no dispute”).

They include a copy of Jesu Nostra Redemptio, a beautiful hymn featured prominently in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal. If you notice, they claim to have access to a “1909 Liber Usualis.” If that is true, I would love to see that book—because I don’t believe the Antiphonale Romanum had been released in 1909.

NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1 I’ve seen other major websites where certain people consider themselves “detectives”—and they attempt to use Google (and other sources) to ascertain who’s behind certain projects. They make all sorts of mistakes, and they have absolutely no right to proceed in such a manner; it’s contemptible.

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

Follow the Discussion on Facebook

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).

“Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). 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 feasts website.

—Jeff Ostrowski

This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon

This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly

Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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