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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

Clarion Call To All Choirmasters! • (26 Sept.)

Jeff Ostrowski · September 19, 2021

ICHARD NIXON COMBED his hair the opposite way growing up because as a child he sustained a head injury falling from a horse-drawn buggy. You heard me correctly: Richard Nixon—a man who would live to see the moon landing, the fall of the Soviet Union, and even the advent of the internet (before his death in 1994)—could remember pre-automobile days. This is a reminder to us: “Truth is stranger than fiction.”

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction: What will future generations think when they consider our age? Vatican II said “choirs must be diligently promoted” (SC §114), yet virtually none of the spirit of Vatican II parishes promote choirs—instead, they have a single cantor with a microphone. Vatican II said Vespers should be “celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts” (SC §100), yet the spirit of Vatican II parishes ignore that. Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “should be given pride of place in liturgical services” (SC §116) with special emphasis on polyphony and organ music, yet most spirit of Vatican II parishes promote goofy, secular, undignified songs. Vatican II said the Latin language must be preserved in the Latin rites; yet we know what has happened. The list goes on and on. The strange thing is, my parish (which is “Extraordinary Form”) is doing all the things Vatican II wanted!

Injustice Is Real: I suspect anyone who has ever tried to be a faithful Catholic choir director in today’s environment has suffered hardships and injustices. Each of us could probably “write a book” about such experiences. In the United States, it has been particularly painful to observe how the USCCB gives special advantages to composers who (publicly) lead immoral lives and deny Church teaching on various issues.

Mass in a Barn: It is helpful to consider the life of Father Adrian Fortescue, the preëminent scholar of his time. The word “polymath” does not begin to describe this man, who earned three doctorates and was a specialist in a fantastic amount of sundry fields. Fortescue could have had a brilliant career as an Anglican, which is the state-sponsored religion in England (meaning Anglicans have access to luxurious benefices, huge churches, and choirs paid for by the secular state). But Fortescue was only interested in the church founded by Christ—viz. the Catholic Church—therefore he accepted miserable conditions. When he first arrived at his parish, there was no church, so he had to offer Mass in a barn until a church could be built.

Only One Thing: Fortescue also died young—which from a worldly perspective seems such a “waste” of all that education—yet faithful Catholics realize that our time on earth is like “the blink of an eye” and only one thing is necessary (Lk 10:42). Indeed, people who have everything quickly find out that worldly joys do not endure, and many end up committing suicide: Elvis Presley, Robin Williams, Kurt Cobain, Anthony Bourdain, Michael Jackson, and so forth. Shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer, Fortescue put the parish papers in order for his successor, preached his last homily (“Christ our Friend and Comforter”), and entered his little church for a long and final farewell. Fortescue’s biographer says: “He was seen to kiss fervently the altar on which he had so often offered the Holy Sacrifice, about which he had written so profoundly.”

Patron Saints: Catholic church musicians know what it is like to face serious obstacles year after year. I would suggest that the very best patrons we can have are the Jesuit Martyrs, who are the patron saints of North America (Patróni Sáncti Boreális Américae). I say this because these brave men left the most civilized country in Europe to bring the Catholic Faith to the people of the New World, and experienced daily hardships beyond anything we could possibly imagine. Their bravery and faith in JESUS CHRIST was truly heroic—and they remained joyful despite very heavy (daily) crosses. Their EF feast-day is 26 September; their OF feast-day is 19 October. Here is a very brief chart which gives an “overview” of each Martyr:

*  PDF Download • EXPLANATION CHART
—Explaining how each martyr was murdered.

Below, you will find images of each martyr.

59101-Isaac-Jogues-nn78921-IMAGE
59102-Father-Isaac-Jogues-IMAGE
59098-Saint-Isaac-Jogues-nn65038-picture
59097-Isaac-Jogues
59099-Father-Isaac-Jogues-IMAGE
59103-Saint-Isaac-Jogues-Stained-Glass
59100-Saint-Isaac-Jogues-Stained-Glass
STAINED-GLASS CANADA SAINTS

Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
59076-Father-Jean-de-Brebeuf-MARTYR
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf

59083-Saint-Rene-Goupil
59081-Saint-Rene-Goupil
59084-Saint-Rene-Goupil
59086-Saint-Rene-Goupil
59085-Saint-Rene-Goupil
59087-Saint-Rene-Goupil

59072-SAINT-GABRIEL-LALEMANT-Martyr-Image
59073-SAINT-GABRIEL-LALEMANT-Martyr-Image
59071-SAINT-GABRIEL-LALEMANT-Martyr-CATHOLIC

59105-Father-Antoine-Daniel-400
59105-Father-Antoine-Daniel-600
59105-Father-Antoine-Daniel-200

59088-Father-Noel-Chabanel-Catholic-Martyr
59090-Father-Noel-Chabanel-Catholic-Martyr
59089-Father-Noel-Chabanel-Catholic-Martyr

59094-Saint-Jean-de-Lalande-stained-glass
59096-Saint-John-Lalande
59095-Saint-Jean-de-Lalande

59092-Father-Charles-Garnier-Catholic-Martyr
59093-Father-Charles-Garnier-Catholic-Martyr
59091-Father-Charles-Garnier-Catholic-Martyr

Some pictures with all the (canonized) Martyrs of North America together:

59067-JESUIT-Martyrs-of-North-America
59066-JESUIT-Martyrs-of-North-America
59068-JESUIT-Martyrs-of-North-America
59062-Saint-Isaac-Jogues-Jean-Brebeuf-Martyrs
59063-Saint-Isaac-Jogues-Jean-Brebeuf-Martyrs

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

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Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Congregation Singing Vespers, Father Isaac Jogues, Father Noel Chabanel, Jesuit Martyrs of North America, Richard Nixon, Saint Antoine Daniel, Saint Charles Garnier, Saint Gabriel Lalemant, Saint John Brebeuf, Saint Rene Goupil, Watergate Scandal Last Updated: September 25, 2023

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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

    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
    Little Encouragement?
    In the Gospel, our Savior tells about 10 lepers who were healed. Only one went back to give thanks. Precious few express gratitude, yet many have endless energy to complain. For that reason, I deeply appreciate receiving messages like the following, which arrived a few days ago (about the parish where I direct in Michigan): “Last Sunday, a couple I knew from Grand Rapids was at Mass at 10:00 a.m. I got a chance to talk to them after Mass. I wanted to let you know what they said about the choir. They were absolutely floored by our sound!!!!! They both said they could continuously listen to our choir and the beauty of it. They asked me: “Do you always sound like that?” And they were also very surprised at how packed the church was. They said it was nice for them to be in such a full church. I just thought you would be interested to know their thoughts about our choir.”
    —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

Benedict XVI in particular felt it was wrong to prohibit the celebration of Mass in the ancient rite in parish churches, as it is always dangerous to corner a group of faithful so as to make them feel persecuted and to inspire in them a sense of having to safeguard their identity at all costs in the face of the “enemy.”

— Archbishop Georg Gänswein

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  • Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
  • “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • “Our Father” • Musical Setting?

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