• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

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.”

  • Donate
  • Our Team
    • Our Editorial Policy
    • Who We Are
    • How To Contact Us
    • Sainte Marie Bulletin Articles
    • Jeff’s Mom Joins Fundraiser
    • “Let the Choir Have a Voice” (Essay)
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • Repository • “Spanish Music”
    • KYRIALE • Saint Antoine Daniel
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Catechism of Gregorian Rhythm
    • Father Enemond Massé Manuscripts
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
    • Feasts Website
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Secrets of the Conscientious Choirmaster
    • “Wedding March” for lazy organists
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
    • The Eight Gregorian Modes
    • Gradual by Pothier’s Protégé
    • Seven (7) Considerations
Views from the Choir Loft

New Website! • “Restore The 1954 Holy Week”

Corpus Christi Watershed · March 31, 2021

The following is a guest article by Miss Lydia Friedmann.

OT TOO LONG AGO, a Facebook page called “Restore the 54” was launched to educate the public about Holy Week prior to the 1955 reforms. The Facebook page is run by Mr. Gregory DiPippo (a Roman tour guide who currently edits the NLM blog after Jeffrey Tucker retired) as well as an Australian gentleman, Mr. Ronan Reilly (who currently teaches at Saint Philomena, an SSPX grade school). I readily admit I spend way too much time on Facebook, and I need to consider reducing. Anyway, they have recently launched an interesting website which provides free PDF files related to the sacred liturgy:

*  New Website • “Restore The ’54” .com

It seems many of our PDF files (several of which I helped to meticulously scan) have been added to their website:

Others besides myself, such as Susan Rodriguez, Kristen Ostrowski, and Sarah Halas, have assisted in scanning our PDF books.

Examples of books which were scanned and uploaded by Corpus Christi Watershed:

ANTIPHONALE MONASTICUM (1934)

The scanned copy they uploaded to their website is a scan we made of a book which formerly belonged to Monsignor Robert A. Skeris.

FATHER LASANCE HAND-MISSAL (1937)

This was one of the very first books Corpus Christi Watershed scanned, and we hope someone will “clean” what we have done.

GRADUALE ROMANUM (1908)

About thirteen years ago, Corpus Christi Watershed provided the first online copy of the 1908 Graduale Romanum by the Vatican Press. In January of 2020 we scanned and uploaded the extremely rare and magnificent Solesmes 1908 edition, which was as scarce as hen’s teeth.

Note: We place unique “identifiers” on certain PDF pages so we can always know which scans belong to us—in order to better know the areas in which we are assisting the Catholic Church.

We are glad they are helping to promote the sacred liturgy. At the same time, perhaps those who created the website could mention that Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity which has no endowment and no major donors. We can only continue to scan books like that if more Catholics pledge $5.00 per month.

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

Follow the Discussion on Facebook

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Jeffrey Tucker Sacred Music, Pre-1955 Holy Week, Restore the '54 Last Updated: March 31, 2021

Subscribe

It greatly helps us if you subscribe to our mailing list!

* indicates required

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Music List • (4th Sunday of Lent)
    Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 4th Sunday of Lent (15 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has sublime propers. It is most often referred to as “Lætare Sunday” owing to its INTROIT. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Communion (4th Snd. Lent)
    The COMMUNION ANTIPHON for this coming Sunday, which is the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A), is particularly beautiful. There’s something irresistible about this tone; it’s neither happy nor sad. As always, I encourage readers to visit the flourishing feasts website, where the complete Propria Missae may be downloaded free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Flowers
    Good Friday has a series of prayers for various parties: the pope, catechumens, pagans, heretics, schismatics, and so forth. In the old liturgical books, there was no official ‘name’ for these prayers. (This wasn’t unusual as ‘headers’ and ‘titles’ for each section is a rather modern idea.) The Missal simply instructed the priest to go to the Epistle side and begin. In the SHERBORNE MISSAL, each prayer begins with a different—utterly spectacular—flower. This PDF file shows the first few prayers. Has anyone counted the ‘initial’ drop-cap flowers in the SHERBORNE MISSAL? Surely there are more than 1,000.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Dies Irae” • A Monstrous Translation
    It isn’t easy to determine what Alice King MacGilton hoped to accomplish with her very popular book—A Study of Latin Hymns (1918)—which continued to be reprinted in new editions for at least 34 years. This PDF file shows her attempt to translate the DIES IRAE “in the fewest words possible.” There’s a place for dynamic equivalency, but this is repugnant. In particular, look what she does to “Quærens me sedísti lassus.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Holy, Holy, Holy”
    For vigil Masses on Saturday (a.k.a. “anticipated” Masses) we use this simpler setting of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” by Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989), a Belgian priest, organist, composer, and music educator who ultimately succeeded another ‘Jules’ (CANON JULES VAN NUFFEL) as director of the Lemmensinstituut in Belgium. Although I could be wrong, my understanding is that the LEMMENSINSTITUUT eventually merged with “Catholic University of Leuven” (originally founded in 1425). That’s the university Fulton J. Sheen attended.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Grotesque Pairing • “Passion Chorale”
    One of our rarest releases was undoubtably this PDF scan of the complete Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) by Father Joseph Roff, a student of Healey Willan. One of the scarcest titles in existence, this book was provided to us by Mr. Peter Meggison. Back in 2018, we scanned each page and uploaded it to our website, making it freely available to everyone. Readers are probably sick of hearing me say this, but just because we upload something that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wonderful or worthy of imitation. We upload many publications precisely because they are ‘grotesque’, interesting, or revealing. Whereas the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal had an editorial board that was careful and sensitive vis-à-vis pairing texts with tunes, the Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) seems to have been rather reckless in this regard. Please take a look at what they did with the PASSION CHORALE and see whether you agree.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“We have baptized about 240 this year … All the labors of a million persons—would they not be worthwhile if they gained one single soul for Jesus Christ?”

— Father Isaac Jogues, writing to his mother

Recent Posts

  • Fulton J. Sheen • “24-Hour Catechism”
  • “Breviary Editors Did It First!” • Omitting Verses?
  • Music List • (4th Sunday of Lent)
  • Consultor to the Vatican Council Enters the Fray • (Vis-à-vis Jeff’s Pipe Organ Assertion)
  • Palm Sunday • “Repertoire for Children’s Choir”

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2026 Corpus Christi Watershed · Isaac Jogues on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.