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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

EF Gospel Illustrations

Veronica Brandt · July 4, 2020

There are many resources available for preparing children for Sunday Mass in the Ordinary Form. I’m thinking of Holy Heroes, Catholic Kids Bulletin and Kids Bulletin.

Children attending the Latin Mass could also use these resources, but they won’t always match up with the readings they hear read and preached on at Mass. The coloring calendars I posted about earlier were a wonderful exception and I hope to see more initiatives like that.

The task of preparing new people for the Latin Mass is a much older task. When you consider the hundreds of years of explaining the readings, it will come as no surprise to find a complete illustrated guide to the Life of Christ linked to the Sunday Gospel Readings.

Jerome Nadal was one of the first ten members of St Ignatius’ Society of Jesus. St Ignatius himself asked him to compile an illustrated book of meditations on the Gospels. He duly chose the scenes and commissioned the artist but died in 1580, some years before the work was published in 1593.

The images have been available in low resolution scans from a professor from Fairfield University for many years. Also more information from Catholic Resources. But only recently I found a group called Devoted Friends of God had tidied up some high resolution scans and released a printed copy complete with translations. They also uploaded their tidied scans to the Internet Archive, making them available for free.

It is possible to look up the relevant plate for each Sunday or feast day and print the page for children to examine and color. The illustrations are fascinatingly detailed. Decoding the Latin annotations is fun too.

Jerome Nadal’s book also includes plates on the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven and her Coronation, so would be suitable for learning the mysteries of the Rosary too!

JoyfulSorrowfulGloriousLuminous
AnnunciationAgony in the GardenResurrectionBaptism (not exact, but close)
VisitationScourgingAscensionWedding at Cana
NativityCrowning with ThornsPentecostProclamation of the Kingdom
PresentationCarrying of the CrossAssumptionTransfiguration
Finding in the TempleCrucifixionCoronationInstitution of the Eucharist

Here are the plates for the next few Sundays:

  1. 5th Sunday after Pentecost – plate 19
  2. 6th Sunday after Pentecost – plates 42 & 43
  3. 7th Sunday after Pentecost – plate 25
  4. 8th Sunday after Pentecost – plate 64
  5. 9th Sunday after Pentecost – plates 86, 87 & 88

The PDF version is very large and is all in Latin with all the quirks of 16th century calligraphy. The printed copy is much more accessible with the literal translations and three different bindings: paperback, hardcover and linen wrap.

Please let me know if you know of any other resources helping kids appreciate the Sunday readings for the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Children at Mass, Coloring Pages, Liturgy For Children Last Updated: July 4, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 26 October 2025, which is the 30th 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 top-notch feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

Random Quote

Far from dreading an encounter with the Iroquois, Fr. Garnier often told us he would be quite content to fall into their hands and remain their prisoner if—while they were torturing him—he at least had a chance of instructing them as long as his torments lasted. If they allowed him to live, it would afford him a golden opportunity to work for their conversion, which was now impossible, since the gateway to their country was closed as long as they were our enemies.

— Father Ragueneau (Jesuit Relations)

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