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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

Pray (At Least) As Much As You Practice

Daniel Tucker · February 19, 2023

HE SEASON OF LENT will soon be upon us, during which we make extra time to devote to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. As musicians, we are well aware that certain “seasons” of our professional life – or of our calendar year – also demand extra time spent at the keyboard, or in front of the choir, or studying scores. For many of us, the self-discipline required to hone our musical craft through daily practice has become second nature. But I propose that we take the opportunity this Lent to transfer that same sense of self-discipline to honing (or rather, to letting God hone by grace) our interior lives.

Lately, I have been reading Dom Chautard’s The Soul of the Apostolate, a book that I would consider required reading for anyone who works in parish ministry. The central thrust of the book is reminiscent of that old Latin adage, nemo dat quod non habet – “you can’t give what you don’t have.” As parish musicians, our fundamental aim is to be conduits of that grace which God wants to lavish on the souls of His children through the beauty of liturgical music and the sacred liturgy. Dom Chautard, following St. Bernard of Clairvaux, challenges us not merely to be channels but to be reservoirs of this grace. Not to be “running on fumes,” as it were, but to be pouring ourselves out to our choristers and our parishioners and our co-workers from the overflow of grace that God pours into us through prayer. He writes:

“Is there anyone who does not know St. Bernard’s saying, to apostles: ‘If you are wise, you will be reservoirs and not channels’?…The channels let the water flow away, and do not retain a drop. But the reservoir is first filled, and then, without emptying itself, pours out its overflow, which is ever renewed, over the fields which it waters. How many there are devoted to works, who are never anything but channels, and retain nothing for themselves, but remain dry while trying to pass on life-giving grace to souls! ‘We have many channels in the Church today,’ St. Bernard added, sadly, ‘but very few reservoirs.’…As a mother cannot suckle her child except in so far as she feeds herself, so [the ministers of the Church] must first assimilate the substance with which they are later to feed the children of the Church…The interior life alone can transform divine truth and charity in us to a truly life-giving nourishment for others.”

My challenge to myself this Lent – and one which I propose to you, dear reader – is that I pray at least as much as I practice. If an hour at the keyboard is an hour well-spent, how much more an hour of silent prayer before Our Lord present in the Most Blessed Sacrament? If fifteen minutes of score study is a productive use of my time, how much more a daily rosary for the intentions of my family and friends? If ten dollars for lunch in the midst of a busy workday is money well-spent, how much more could be gained from skipping that meal and giving ten dollars as a stipend to have Mass offered for the holy souls in purgatory? And so on…

May God who, in His mercy, gives us both the grace to pray in the first place and then, in accordance with His will, the grace of answered prayers, pour these graces into our hearts with reckless abandon, so that we can be overflowing oases of His grace in a world so desperately in need of it.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: February 19, 2023

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About Daniel Tucker

Daniel Tucker is choirmaster at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in South Bend, IN. He holds degrees from Western Michigan University and Yale University. —(Read full biography).

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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

If it is the explicit will of the Council that the faithful are to be able to sing the “Gloria” or the “Credo” together in Latin [which it is] then indirectly there is being expressed here the obligation of regularly celebrating Mass with Latin Gregorian chant. And not merely occasionally, but with such frequency and constancy as to make the singing of these Latin texts a genuine possession of the faithful.

— Heinrich Flatten, Apostolic Protonotary & Canon Law Professor (Bonn)

Recent Posts

  • PDF Downloads • Four (4) Simple Pieces in Harmony for Men’s Choirs
  • Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
  • “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
  • Little Encouragement?

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