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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

“Did Bishop Burbidge Violate Canon 932 in Order to Punish His Flock?”

Corpus Christi Watershed · September 16, 2022

Canon Law (932 §1) stipulates:

M The eucharistic celebration is to be
M carried out in a sacred place,
M unless in a particular case
M necessity requires otherwise;
M in which case the celebration
M must be in a fitting place.

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge • Bishop Burbidge recently banned the Traditional Latin Mass from Holy Trinity Parish in Gainesville (as well as most of Arlington diocese). Our president, Jeff Ostrowski, recently shared some personal reflections about the deliberate marginalization of certain groups by clerics in some localities. Bishop Burbidge has ordered that the Holy Mass be celebrated in a gymnasium. The word gymnasium comes from a Greek word meaning “nude”—because Greeks in those days participated in sports without wearing clothes.

Words Have Meaning • There was no necessity—none whatsoever—to marginalize certain Catholics. Indeed, Pope Francis said (26 September 2021): “The Holy Spirit does not want closedness; He wants openness, and welcoming communities where there is a place for everyone. […] We are called to build an increasingly inclusive world that excludes no one.” The whole point of Traditionis Custodes [supposedly] was to reaffirm that each local bishop is “chief liturgist” for his own diocese. In Italy, there are tons of empty churches, oratories, chapels, and so forth—but that is not the case in the United States. Bishop Burbidge should have waited until these Catholics had a chance to construct their own churches (if he was ‘bound and determined’ to marginalize them).

Not One Single Word • Bishop Burbidge justifies marginalizing Summórum Catholics by citing Vatican II: “Liturgical services are not private functions, but are celebrations of the Church, which is the sacrament of unity.” Yet we are unaware of a single word spoken by Bishop Burbidge seeking to marginalize Catholics who attend the Anglican Ordinariate. Pope Francis has said (31 October 2014): “Unity does not imply uniformity; it does not necessarily mean doing everything together or thinking in the same way.” Moreover, the very same document from Vatican II cited by Bishop Burbidge also says: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community; rather does she respect and foster the genius and talents of the various races and peoples.”

Did Bishop Burbidge Lie? • It’s best not to accuse others of telling a “lie” because perhaps they were deceived into a false belief. That being said, several of the paragraphs in the letter (29 July 2022) by Bishop Burbidge contain egregiously erroneous statements and it’s difficult to know who’s at fault. Was the letter ghostwritten, and did Bishop Burbidge—therefore—unwittingly sign his name? Perhaps one of our authors will publish an article tackling each false statement one-by-one.

Just One Example • The letter from Cardinal Roche said: “Such a celebration should not be included in the parish Mass schedule.” Yet Bishop Burbidge acts as though he’s bound by that letter (he’s not) and misquotes it as: “The parish may not publish the times of the Mass in the usus antiquior in the bulletin or on the parish website or social media sites.” So parish BINGO games can be published on the social media, but what Vatican II called The Source And Summit Of The Christian Life cannot? And Bishop Burbidge is going to police social media? It’s not difficult to see why Bishop Burbidge’s actions toward his flock have been described as “sadistic.” LET THAT SINK IN: Bishop Burbidge says it’s fine to advertise a BINGO GAME in the parish bulletin (or on social media sites or on the parish website), but Bishop Burbidge says it’s forbidden to let people know about the Reënactment of the Sacrifice of Calvary in the bulletin (or on social media sites or on the parish website).

Firefighter To The Rescue • A firefighter named Josh Taylor—who also works for TM&W—felt called to construct an Altar for the gymnasium. Holy Trinity had been the parish where Mr. Taylor came into the Church, went through RCIA, was married—and Father Vander Woude was there every step of the way. After many hours of research and collaboration, Josh designed the Altar to be not only beautiful but liturgically correct. Through hundreds of man hours and all-nighters, they were able to complete the Altar for the first Mass on 11 September 2022.

From the Taylor Milling & Woodworks Facebook page:

“The Altar is made of all locally-sourced black walnut. The design on each side of the Tabernacle is to symbolize the unity of Holy Trinity Parish and the Renaissance Montessori school in Nokesville, who welcomed the TLM with open arms. We would also like to thank all the volunteers who worked countless hours to transform a gym into a beautiful place of worship.”

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Arthur Cardinal Roche, Bishop Arthur Roche, Bishop Michael F Burbidge, Meme Traditionis Custodes Last Updated: October 2, 2023

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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

“…I started down the road of the liturgy, and this became a continuous process of growth into a grand reality transcending all particular individuals and generations, a reality that became an occasion for me of ever-new amazement and discovery. The incredible reality of the Catholic liturgy has accompanied me through all phases of life, and so I shall have to speak of it time and again.”

— Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

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  • “Our Father” • Musical Setting?

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