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Corpus Christi Watershed

“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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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

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“A father cannot introduce mistrust and division among his faithful children. He cannot humiliate some by setting them against others. He cannot ostracize some of his priests. The peace and unity that the Church claims to offer to the world must first be lived within the Church. ”

— Cardinal Sarah (14 August 2021)

Recent Posts

  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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