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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

Latin Mass • Conspicuous Snag in “Clarification”

Jeff Ostrowski · December 31, 2021

EFORE I SAY even one word, let me affirm that the Catholic Church is experiencing a crisis—which is nothing new in her 2,000 year history. Many great saints were reforming saints: e.g. Saint Charles Borromeo, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, and Saint Francis of Assisi. (Many female saints were also reformers.) We desperately need a reforming saint; at least when it comes to our so-called “developed” nations.

Roche “Clarification” • On 4 December 2021, Archbishop Roche—who replaced the saintly Cardinal Sarah upon his retirement—published a series of Responsa ad Dubia. (A “dubium” is a single question; the plural is dubia.) In several places, Archbishop Roche explicitly contradicts Traditionis Custodes, the motu proprio issued by Pope Francis on 16 July 2021. What should we do in such a situation? But wait…there’s more.

Pecking Order • The basic point Archbishop Roche tried to make is that he wants Catholics to ostracize those who love the Extraordinary Form until they learn to prefer the Ordinary Form. If the EF is allowed at a parish, Archbishop Roche says the true parishioners are supposed to make it clear the EF people are the lowest priority: the lowest on the totem pole. In essence, Roche says they’re technically Catholic, but they need to understand there’s a pecking order—and they (and their children) belong at the bottom. Not long ago, Archbishop Roche insisted that the Ordinary Form must learn things from the Extraordinary Form; but maybe he changed his mind? 1 In any event, we must now address a major problem with Archbishop Roche’s Responsa.

Not What You Think • Archbishop Roche and his allies have a major problem, which may prove insurmountable. Perhaps you think I’m about to cite Vatican II, which declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith.” Or perhaps you think I’m going to attack bishops who have not lifted a finger to implement the specific items Vatican II mandated. But that’s not what I’m talking about!

The Real Problem • Archbishop Roche fails to realize that 85% of those who prefer the Extraordinary Form originally came from Ordinary Form parishes. I will use myself as an example. In the early 1990s, my family attended an Ordinary Form parish—which just happened to be the wealthiest parish in the city. (That’s because the parish was located in the wealthiest part of town.) The school had a program which challenged families to “adopt” poor teenagers from Central America, letting them live in your house for one year. Out of the entire school, only two families took up the challenge—and my parents did! (That meant as children we got to know some awesome kids from Guatemala). Indeed, my parents were very popular and involved at the parish; and after Mass we children got angry because so many parishioners insisted on greeting my mother … and to young children it seemed like the socializing would never end!

Putting Jesus First • That parish had everything—except the faith. At the parochial school, our teachers promoted heresy, including saying women could become priests. In 6th grade, I got in trouble for insisting to one of my teachers (I believe her name was name was Ms. Stone) that God was omniscient. Ms. Stone said forcefully: “Oh, God has a general idea of how things will turn out, but He certainly doesn’t know everything!” My mother (as a volunteer) taught First Communion classes for years, but was unable to defeat the rampant heresy—after all, she was only one person. By the way, the liturgical music was goofy, disrespectful, and flippant; it did not reflect what Vatican II said. Vatican II said: “every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others.” When my parents discovered the Traditional Latin Mass—promoted at that time by Pope Saint John Paul II—we embraced it.

Cupich Will Fail • Those who currently hold power are attempting to “elevate” the Christmas letter by Cardinal Cupich, hoping it will influence other bishops to ostracize Catholics who prefer the Missale Antiquius. They have given the Cupich letter great prominence—and all of it smacks of premeditation. But Cardinal Cupich will fail. Paragraph 5 of his letter says that giving Catholics “catechetical resources” will cause them to stop preferring the Extraordinary Form. But I could show you videos of Ordinary Form Masses approved by Cardinal Cupich which are celebrated in such a disrespectful, goofy, profane way it would make your blood boil.

An Indisputable Fact • Cardinal Cupich fails to understand that 85% of those who prefer the Extraordinary Form originally came from Ordinary Form parishes. The Extraordinary Form goes back as far as we have documentation; all the way back to the Gelasian Sacramentary, the Gregorian Sacramentary, the Leofric Missal, the Rodrade Sacramentary, and the Leonine Sacramentary. That’s at least 1,400 years! If the Missale Antiquius survived the 1980s, it will survive the efforts of Cardinal Cupich. Archbishop Roche says the Missale Antiquius should not be listed in the parish bulletin (to remind EF people they’re lowest on the totem pole). He fails to realize millennials get their Mass times online!

Addendum • As far as I know, Pope Benedict XVI never celebrated the Extraordinary Form while he was pope. However, he warned against treating EF people “as if they were lepers.”


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   The existence of sycophants is nothing new in the Catholic Church. For example, Pope Stephen VI excavated the dead body of a previous pope, putting his rotting corpse on trial in the Lateran Basilica. He cut off three fingers of the corpse as “punishment.” Pope Stephen VI appointed a deacon to supply the “voice” of the dead pope—during the corpse’s “trial”—and I really feel that deacon (whoever he was) should be named as the patron of ecclesiastical sycophants.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Archbishop Blase J Cupich, Bishop Arthur Roche, Responsa ad dubia 4 December 2021, Traditionis Custodes Motu Proprio Last Updated: May 15, 2024

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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

“Church officials frequently asked Tomás Luis de Victoria for his opinion on cathedral appointments because of his fame and knowledge. He was faithful to his position as convent organist even after his professional debut as an organist, and never accepted any extra pay for being a chapelmaster. Held in great esteem, his contract allowed him frequent travel away from the convent, and he attended Palestrina’s funeral (in Rome) in 1594.”

— ‘Dr. Robert Stevenson, 1961 (mod.)’

Recent Posts

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

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