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Views from the Choir Loft

Hymn for the Season of Septuagesima? • Yes!

Jeff Ostrowski · February 11, 2023

ULTON J. SHEEN used to say: “If the Catholic Church were as holy as some wanted it to be, they themselves would be afraid to join because of their sins.” On a telephone call, Monsignor Robert Skeris reminded me that the men of the Church are often corrupt, but the institution itself remains sine ruga et macula (“without blemish or wrinkle”). Sometimes it takes centuries for the Church to ‘course correct’—and a good example would be the hymn corruptions introduced by Pope Urban VIII, which were not corrected until 330 years later. JANSENISM would be another example.

Special Hymn • In a moment, we will discuss the season of Septuagesima. Did you know there’s a special hymn for that season? Here it is:

M To access this hymn’s media in the Brébeuf Portal, click here.

Season of Septuagesima • I believe it was wrong for the post-conciliar reformers to eliminate the season of Septuagesima. Someday, this will be corrected. One of the most prominent post-conciliar reformers was Father Louis Bouyer (d. 2004), who was a close friend of Pope Saint Paul VI. (I’m told Paul VI wanted to make him a cardinal, but Bouyer refused.) Here is what Father Bouyer said about eliminating Septuagesima:

“I prefer to say nothing, or very little, about the new calendar, the handiwork of a trio of maniacs who suppressed—with no good reason—Septuagesima and the Octave of Pentecost and who scattered three quarters of the Saints higgledy-piddledy, all based on notions of their own devising! Because these three hotheads obstinately refused to change anything in their work and because the pope wanted to finish up quickly to avoid letting the chaos get out of hand, their project, however insane, was accepted!”

“Ordinary” Time? • Some people hate the term Ordinary Time (which translates “Tempus per annum”). Father Valentine Young, OFM, refused to use that term. He always called it: Through the Year. In the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, the time after Epiphany is called: “Tempus per annum ante Septuagesimam,” as you can see:

The 1962 Missal has the “Season of Septuagesima,” which reminds Catholics that Lent is coming:

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Louis Bouyer Oratorian Priest, Ordinary Time, Rev Fr Valentine Young OFM, sine ruga et macula Last Updated: February 11, 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

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

It is clear the Church is facing a grave crisis. Under the name of “the new Church” and “the post-conciliar Church,” a different Church from that of Jesus Christ is now trying to establish itself: an anthropocentric society threatened with imminent apostasy which is allowing itself to be swept along in a movement of general abdication under the pretext of renewal, ecumenicism, or adaptation.

— Cardinal Henri de Lubac (29 August 1967)

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