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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

Palestrina Would Not Recognize This! • (Plus: Hopeful Signs)

Jeff Ostrowski · October 2, 2023

HE HOLY MARTYRS of North America were Jesuits who had their nails bitten off, their fingers sawn off, their tongues cut out, and were roasted (slowly) over fires for months. In spite of all that, their desire to suffer for JESUS CHRIST could not be satiated. In one incident, Father Isaac Jogues (d. 1646) knelt at the side of René Goupil, who was bleeding profusely from his wounds. “Dearest brother,” he said, “God has acted strangely toward us. But He is the Lord and the Master. What is good in His eyes, that He has done. As it has pleased Him, so be it. Blessed is His Holy Name forever.”

“God Has Acted Strangely” • In a certain sense, God has acted “strangely” in our day. Powerful clerics have attempted to forbid the Sacrifice of Calvary (!) from being celebrated inside a parish church. On the other hand, Canon Law (932 §1) stipulates: “The eucharistic celebration is to be carried out in a sacred place.” And yet, the following concert (see below) was allowed to take place in a church! Who can make sense of this?

A Different Type Of Jesuit • On 21 September 2023, composers Dan Schutte, Father Roc O’Connor (SJ), and Father Bob Dufford (SJ) joined together at Old Saint Patrick’s Church in Chicago for a concert called: “Sing to the Mountains!” The men stood in the Sanctuary of the church. A crowd of middle-aged and elderly people in the audience sang songs like Be Not Afraid, Sing to the Mountains, and Here I Am, Lord. Many consider those ditties to be a mixture of Broadway and folk—i.e. not suitable for Mass. Pictures from the event:

Palestrina Aghast! • Masters such as Palestrina (who died in the arms of Saint Philip Neri), Guerrero, Lassus, Byrd, Marenzio, Morales, Jacobus Händl, Zachariis, Bernabei, Nanino, Croce, Zoilo, Clemens Non Papa, Gabrieli, Josquin, Ingegneri, and Victoria wrote music of incomparable excellence for the sacred liturgy. Their compositions have never been surpassed. The purity of their melodies, the timelessness of their harmonies, and their utter command of counterpoint boggles the mind even today. Suppose you invented a time-machine to zip back to the 16th century. Suppose you showed them elderly men standing in the SANCTUARY playing secular instruments. What would they have thought?

The Bible • In the Gospel of Saint Matthew, we read: “Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh.” Perhaps we could do a better job shining the light on scandals. It seems like the same mistakes are made over and over again. For instance, my colleague ANDREA LEAL recently posted a video from a major Catholic publisher. I’m not going to repeat everything Andrea already said, but I would note the USCCB had previously given exclusive rights over the psalter to a private, non-Catholic company. Jeffrey Tucker of the CMAA found out about this and attempted to sound the alarm, but very few listened. (Dr. Jerry Galipeau was an exception, and it reflects well on him.) Recently, it was announced that ICEL has given exclusive rights (!) to sell the new LITURGY OF THE HOURS hymns to that same company! That company’s president declared on 30 September 2016:

“I’ve had the honor to work with these three wonderful people [Marty Haugen, Michael Joncas, and David Haas] for more than 30 years, and I can’t overestimate the profound impact that they’ve all had for me personally, for everyone at GIA Publications, and for the worshiping church at large.”

Déjà Vu • Why was that non-Catholic company given exclusive rights to sell (!) the hymns of the LITURGY OF THE HOURS? Do we really want a company that has been “profoundly impacted” by David Haas “for more than 30 years” to have exclusive rights to sell prayers that Catholic priests are required to say each day?

Signs Of Hope • Some claim that efforts to strangle and persecute Catholics desirous of traditional worship and orthodox teachings demonstrate that certain clerics in power deeply fear the groundswell. Si habuerítis fidem sicut granum sinápis, dicétis monti huic: Transi hinc illuc, et transibit, et nihil impossíbile erit vobis. Let’s pray that our leaders respond to what Pope Saint John Paul II called the “legitimate aspirations” of the People of God. Young Catholics especially appreciate and love the MISSALE VETUSTUM. Indeed, I didn’t see a single young person in any of the pictures of their audience. Not a single one. Am I wrong?

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Arthur Cardinal Roche, Dan Schutte Mass of Christ the Savior, Missale Vetustum Last Updated: October 3, 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

    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —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
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “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
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ the High Priest on Calvary is and will remain the basis for the active participation of the faithful in the liturgy. Membership in the Church, which is brought about by valid baptism, makes one a part of the Mystical Body of Christ, THE PRIEST, to whose priesthood one is interiorly conformed through the baptismal character.”

— “Divini Cultus Studium” (Dr. Robert A. Skeris, 1990)

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  • “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)

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