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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF • “Spiritual Mass Plan for Church Organists”

Keven Smith · February 16, 2021

MUST THANK MY Corpus Christi Watershed colleague, Fr. David Friel, for his article last summer, “Bishop Sheen on Sanctifying the Moment.” Not only did he provide many helpful quotes from Bishop Sheen, but he also recommended the great prelate’s book, Calvary and the Mass.

I finally got a copy of the book and read it last week. It’s fantastic. It’s not a step-by-step explanation of the words or actions of the Mass, but rather a sort of spiritual game plan for maintaining the right kind of recollection at each part of the Mass.

Source: gospelimages.com

The book focuses on the Seven Last Words of Christ and links each of these words to a part of the Extraordinary Form Mass:

  • Confiteor: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34)
  • Offertory: Amen I say to you, this day you shall be with me in Paradise (Luke 23:43)
  • Sanctus: Woman, behold your son….behold your mother (John 19:26-27)
  • Consecration: My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:46)
  • Communion: I thirst! (Matthew 27:46)
  • Ite Missa Est: It is finished. (John 19:30)
  • Last Gospel: Father, into Your hands I commend My Spirit. (Luke 23:46)

As a Catholic, I was immediately eager to apply this book to the very next Mass I attended. As a Church musician (specifically, a choir director increasingly pressed into organ duties), I also wanted to apply this book to the Masses I play.

Playing the organ at Mass is a privilege and a joy. But as I’ve discussed here before, one of the challenges is to stay recollected—to be at Mass, and not just play at Mass. You play a bit, pray a bit, play a bit. You’re constantly jumping back and forth between your hand missal and the organ bench. And I don’t want to give up and say, “Well, if I’m playing five Sunday Masses, I only have to be prayerful at the first one to fulfill my obligation.” What a recipe for spiritual mediocrity!

One thing that has helped me immensely is the concept of “praying the organ.” Simply put, you improvise on the Gregorian chant and try to pray the text mentally as you’re playing. It’s a profoundly spiritual experience, and the results are audible to the congregation. Do it convincingly, and you might hear people tell you, “The music was very prayerful today.”

Even so, it’s hard to switch gears between praying the chant and returning to the missal. So Bishop Sheen’s book seemed to be an ideal way to tie together those stretches in between propers and make the Mass seem more cohesive for me when I’m playing.

Over the weekend, I used the book to put together a Low Mass Plan for Organists. This plan helps me integrate the Seven Last Words into my habit of praying the propers while I play them.

*  PDF Download • Mass Plan for Organists

I share this document not with any sense of authority, but as a starting point for your customization. (I think this plan can work for the Ordinary Form, too, but that’s not my bailiwick.) You’ll notice that the plan calls for nothing but improvisation. I know minimal repertoire, and I love to improvise on the chant propers. But you’ll do as you like.

You’ll also notice that this is a very bare-bones document. I include the text of the Seven Last Words, but you’ll want to read Bishop Sheen’s book to put meat on those bones.

My initial results? I used this Mass Plan in my five low Masses yesterday. As always, by the time the 7:00 PM Mass rolled around, it was challenging to keep my mind prayerful because I’m human. But I did better than usual. I found that each of these brief Last Words “anchored” me to each part of the Mass and kept me from overthinking how my playing was going or what I was about to play next.

Also, I had always understood that Mass is a re-presentation of Calvary. But this book drives the point home in an especially poignant way. You’ll excuse me if I never play in major tonality again. (I’m half-joking.)

In the Extraordinary Form, the organ will soon go silent for most of Lent. But I look forward to using this Mass Plan (with continued refinement) on Laetare Sunday as well as on the handful of feast days that permit organ. Many thanks to Fr. Friel, and of course, to Bishop Sheen.

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

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Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: organ Last Updated: February 16, 2021

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About Keven Smith

Keven Smith, music director at St. Stephen the First Martyr, lives in Sacramento with his wife and five musical children.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    Schola Director Posts ‘Live’ Recording
    As I explained in my article posted earlier today, Nun Komm Der Heiden Heiland is actually a Catholic tune (in spite of what some have claimed). The volunteer choir I direct sang that beautiful ADVENT melody last Sunday, and I invite you to listen to the live recording. It will get better the more we sing it.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Message from the Vice-President!
    The Vice-President of the Church Music Association of America, Dr. Horst Buchholz (who also serves as Director of Sacred Music for the Archdiocese of Detroit) sent us an email yesterday regarding the harmonizations (PDF) I composed for the Gregorian Chant psalm tones. Dr. Buchholz says: “Those settings are absolutely exquisite, as I'm used to when it comes from you. Bravo! Well done! Now, as a sequel, if you could write something for accompanying psalms in English that would be awesome.”
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    Requesting Our Advent Eucharistic Hymn
    A young lady named Agnes wrote to us: “Dear Mr. Ostrowski, do you have the PDF score for Ave Corpus Domini set to the ADVENT melody? Last year, we sang the hymn tune “Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland” quite a bit using your contrafactum technique. My choir appreciates the Latin hymns and practice videos, especially in the ADVENT and CHRISTMAS seasons. Your recent article on Gregorian Psalm Tones is a great help to my organist brother, and reminds us of attending VESPERS years ago when we lived in California. Thank you so much for all the effort put into providing these wonderful resources!”   Agnes, if you are listening! Yes, the PDF file you desire can be downloaded for free at the Brébeuf Portal via this URL link. Thanks for writing to us!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

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“Our Christian people regard with great joy everything that contributes to the splendor of the ceremonies. Jesus—who was poor in His private life—received ointment on His feet. See Thomas Aquinas (Prima Secundae, q. 102, art. 5, ad 10) and the holy Curé of Ars. The Church has always loved beautiful churches, and so forth. We must preserve our sacred patrimony and make sure sacred objects do not become secular possessions.”

— Abbot & Council Father denouncing “noble simplicity” during Vatican II

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