“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)
In his illustrious 1912 tome—The Mass: A Study Of The Roman Liturgy—Father Adrian Fortescue spoke of sequences, writing: “Strangest of all were the vernacular sequences in France and Germany, or those partly vernacular and partly Latin.” Our volunteer choir experimented with that on Holy Thursday, mixing Latin verses with an English refrain. For the record, […]
Dedicated to my brother, Father Mark Ostrowski.
Visit a random church on Sunday morning and ask parishioners basic questions…
With a digression on ‘drab’ modern architecture.
This clip was sent to us. The conductor is Martin Baker!
Justice Clarence Thomas attended the seminary for several years, including “Conception” (north of Kansas City).
Working with volunteers can be discouraging, but always remember there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday, during PALM SUNDAY MASS, our 100% volunteer choir pulled out the SANCTUS from William Byrd’s “Mass for Five Voices.” This colossal performance was the result. (They literally didn’t know I was going to have them sing that […]
Expect to hear Morales, Palestrina, Victoria, Pierre de la Rue, Tallis, Haydn, Gounod, Rovetta, Lassus, Byrd, Senfl, Taverner, Wingham, and more.
Becoming Missionaries for the Beautiful
This version by Father Adrian Fortescue is fascinating!
A disturbing video sent to us from the Diocese of Superior (Wisconsin).
Msgr. Leo Manzetti foolishly wrote: “Church musicians, when experts in vocal art, agree that women’s voices are effeminate, sensuous, and operatic, hence un-churchly.”
The last one I uploaded was downloaded more than 1,700 times in a matter of hours. Therefore, folks seem interested in such a project.
I propose that we consider Dom Pothier’s method without making an unnecessary appeal to authority.
I opted for the Church’s official rhythm.
The election of Pope Leo XIV has been exciting, and we’re filled with hope for our apostolate’s future!
But we’re under pressure to transfer our website to a “subscription model.”
We don’t want to do that. We believe our website should remain free to all.
Our president has written the following letter:
President’s Message (dated 30 May 2025)
