IEWING THIS FILM, you might think: “Wow, that’s an incredibly short video that probably took five seconds to create.” But I have been assisting SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS with the creation of some of these videos. Let me assure you: producing them takes longer than you could imagine. By the way, I was the one who recorded the background track (playing the pipe organ) so please don’t make any nasty comments about it!
There’s Work To Do • If you asked random Catholics to recite in English—without reference to a book—a stanza from the “Tantum Ergo” of Saint Thomas Aquinas, how many do you think could? If we’re honest, probably less than .05% could do that. Do you agree this situation is intolerable and must be remedied as soon as possible? Perhaps that’s one reason I keep pushing the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal, which is absolutely revolutionary in a multitude of different ways.
Making Your Life Easy! • The two sections (explained in the video above) demonstrate how an “average” parish can begin to expose members of the congregation to the rich treasury of Catholic sacred music (THESAURUS MUSICAE SACRAE). Needless to say, anyone who believes the status quo is acceptable would in all likelihood not want the Brébeuf Hymnal. Indeed, some have made comments like: “The Brébeuf is so different than the typical Protestant hymn book. Its editors should have tried to mimic Protestant hymnals.” Clearly, I disagree. For myself, I believe the status quo is completely unacceptable and we must do better. The Brébeuf collection—which includes the marvelous Choral Supplement and spiral-bound Organ Accompaniment—has completely revolutionized my choir rehearsals.
