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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

More on the subject of “Mutual Enrichment”

Jeff Ostrowski · June 23, 2020

NSANITY has been described as: “doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results.” Not long ago, I posted an article which asked: Can Ordinary Form Masses be enriched by the Extraordinary Form? Unfortunately, some readers interpreted my actions as an attempt to ridicule, assault, and embarrass fellow Catholics. I would like another attempt—perhaps I can be coherent and clear.

This video recently showed up in my inbox:


That’s a public video from the Sunday Mass on 21 June 2020 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Omaha, Nebraska. 1

I have something to say about their treatment of the Sanctissimum in order to help me make the point I’m trying to make. I hope you’ll keep reading.

The Subject of Mutual Enrichment

A letter of Pope Benedict XVI to bishops, given at Saint Peter’s (7 July 2007), said:

“The two Forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching: new Saints and some of the new Prefaces can and should be inserted in the old Missal. The ECCLESIA DEI COMMISSION, in contact with various bodies devoted to the usus antiquior, will study the practical possibilities in this regard. The celebration of the Mass according to the Missal of Paul VI will be able to demonstrate, more powerfully than has been the case hitherto, the sacrality which attracts many people to the former usage. The most sure guarantee that the Missal of Paul VI can unite parish communities and be loved by them consists in its being celebrated with great reverence in harmony with the liturgical directives. This will bring out the spiritual richness and the theological depth of this Missal.”

I believe the primary way the Ordinary Form can be “enriched” by the Extraordinary Form would be adopting its ars celebrandi. As children, my mother brought us the the Latin Mass, and we hated it. We found it insufferably boring at first, and—I admit with shame—we even poked fun at how the priest kept saying the word “Dóminus.” But one thing stood out, even at that early stage:

The priest always kept his head down. This made quite an impression on me. He was extremely reverent, and even his hand motions were prescribed by the rubrics. This was a beautiful and powerful ceremony. By contrast, did you see the way those people were acting in front of the Blessed Sacrament? They were having some sort of goofy sword fight (I don’t know why). I’ve attended many Masses in these United States where the atmosphere was similar: goofy, silly, and disrespectful towards the Blessed Sacrament of the Sacred Body and Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, which is the “Testament of God with Man” as Saint Noël Chabanel reminded us. Saint John Mary Vianney was so moved—whenever he was in the presence of the Sanctissimum—that “he could scarcely speak or breathe.” Let’s imitate Father Vianney and Father Chabanel.

I submit to you, dear reader, that the Ordinary Form must adopt as quickly as possible this AURA—“atmosphere” or “mood” or “tone” or “vibe” or whatever you want to call it—from the Extraordinary Form. By the way, a key ingredient of this atmosphere is the music. The music “should not sound like a toothpaste commercial” (as one thoughtful theologian noted).

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   The Archdiocese of Omaha currently has a bishop whose name is exactly the same as the creator of Star Wars: Archbishop George Lucas.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Mutual Enrichment Last Updated: June 23, 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

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“If I could only make the faithful sing the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Credo, the Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei…that would be to me the finest triumph sacred music could have, for it is in really taking part in the liturgy that the faithful will preserve their devotion. I would take the Tantum Ergo, the Te Deum, and the Litanies sung by the people over any piece of polyphony.”

— ‘Giuseppe Cardinal Sarto, Letter to Msgr. Callegari (1897)’

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