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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

A Whale of a Pulpit

Fr. David Friel · November 30, 2020

ULPITS come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, colors and styles. From the early examples at San Clemente in Rome and Hagia Sophia in Constantinople to more recent examples in 21st-century churches, ambos have always been marked by significant variety. There are wooden pulpits and marble pulpits, Baroque pulpits and art deco pulpits, flimsy pulpits and bully pulpits. Some are set up high above the congregation, some are out in the midst of the nave, and some sit meekly beside the altar.

There are also whale pulpits.

Recently, a friend sent me a couple photos of this genre of ambo, previously unknown to me. The images were quite striking, and they led me to do a little Internet investigation. This search revealed that there are actually quite a few such appointments in Catholic churches, particularly in 18th-century churches in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Check out this photo gallery, which highlights some examples of whale pulpits.

Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Duszniki (Poland)
Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Duszniki (Poland)
Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Duszniki (Poland)
Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Duszniki (Poland)
St. James the Greater Church, Kratonohy (Czech Republic)
St. James the Greater Church, Kratonohy (Czech Republic)
St. Hedwig Church, Dobroszów (Poland)
St. Hedwig Church, Dobroszów (Poland)
St. Marin Church, Bošilec (Czech Republic)
St. Marin Church, Bošilec (Czech Republic)
Church of Our Lady, Mnichovice (Czech Republic)
Church of Our Lady, Mnichovice (Czech Republic)
Lovrečka Varoš (Croatia)
Lovrečka Varoš (Croatia)

Most of these images are drawn from the website of a Polish art historian (here). She also gives what strikes me as a sound theological reading of these unusual ambos.

In the first place, these ambos allude to the Book of Jonah in the Old Testament. While fleeing to Tarshish in order to avoid his prophetic call to announce the word of the Lord in Nineveh, Jonah ends up being thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish. (Scripture scholars are always quick to point out that the text, strictly speaking, does not say “whale.”) After three days in the belly of the fish, Jonah is spit up onto the dry land and goes forth to announce God’s message—with astonishing success—to the Ninevites. For a preacher to stand at the mouth of the whale, therefore, is to assume a prophetic posture.

Second, it is important to remember the Christological interpretation of the story of Jonah, wherein the three days he spent in the belly of the fish represent the Lord’s three days in the tomb. Speaking from the mouth of the fish, therefore, the preacher stands also as an image of the Risen Christ.

Beyond their theological significance, these whale pulpits also have the potential to serve practical ends. Consider the problem of a preacher who goes on too long. These ambos could be outfitted with a congregant-operated mechanism that would cause the mouth to snap shut!

Not all of these whale pulpits are of equal artistic merit. Some of them, frankly, are a bit goofy. But the theological idea underlying these ambos is nevertheless very sound and quite interesting. They testify, moreover, to the beautiful diversity and creativity that are possible in Catholic architecture.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Sacred Architecture Last Updated: November 30, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 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 Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —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 chapter decides that henceforth neither singers nor instrumentalists may be loaned to any outside individual or organization, any more than can the chalices or copes owned by the cathedral. This prohibition applies to all those days of the church calendar for which polyphony is designated.” [From “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

— Sevilla: Chapter Resolution (13 June 1561)

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