OME PEOPLE consider me “well read”—but they’re mistaken. There is, however, one exception: books about music. In high school, I could read a book of pianist interviews in mere minutes with 100% comprehension—even if that book contained hundreds of pages. Today, on the feast of Father John Brébeuf and companions, I’m pleased to release a book I’ve been saving since the summer. My original plan was to reproduce excerpts to “entice” our readers to give it a chance. But I abandoned that plan; there are just too many delightful and engrossing sections!
Raphael Cardinal Merry Del Val died the same year that Father Brébeuf, Father Isaac Jogues, and their companions were canonized.
* PDF • BIOGRAPHY: CARDINAL MERRY DEL VAL (272 Pages)
—Written by Monsignor Vigilio Dalpiaz. • Published in Westminster in 1937.
—Translated by a Benedictine of Stanbrook Abbey. • Publisher: Burns, Oates & Washbourne.
Who Was He? • Many know Raphael Cardinal Merry Del Val as he to whom the LITANY OF HUMILITY is ascribed—but he was so much more. A very dear friend to Pope Saint Pius X, he was chosen to serve as his Secretary of State. He was a composer of music, and his compositions are still sung in Italy. He was intimately involved with the reform of CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”) which took place under the reign of Pius X. He was a brilliant linguist, and composer of powerful prayers. As a Theologian, he published an important dissertation proving that Anglican ‘orders’ are invalid. He was also holy—and after his death people came forward to speak of the heavy penances he performed in private (which they had discovered by accident). He once wrote: “Each of our sins was one more thorn in our Lord’s crown, one more blow of His scourging.” If only the powerful men in today’s Vatican felt this way!
Choir Prayer • For many years, my choirs have begun each rehearsal with an abridged version of his daily offering, translated into English by Monsignor Robert A. Skeris. If you look on page 204, you can find the full version of this marvelous prayer. I intend to print that out for my family to pray, along with the LITANY OF HUMILITY.
An Excerpt • Here’s a brief excerpt from Monsignor Vigilio’s book: “He had a very sensitive musical ear, and his voice was not only tuneful and pleasing, but sufficiently powerful to make itself heard in every part of the Basilica of Saint Peter’s. It was known that sometimes the choir deliberately pitched the note very high to see whether the Cardinal could reach it, but he never failed their rather mischievous test!”
Renewal of Challenge • In many recent articles, I’ve been recommending the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal. I believe this book is indispensable for any serious Catholic choirmaster. (I certainly couldn’t run my choral program without it.) I don’t use the “P-word” word lightly, but I’m comfortable calling the BRÉBEUF HYMNAL peerless. Indeed, one of the main authors for the Church Music Association of America weblog declared (6/10/2022) that the BRÉBEUF HYMNAL “has no parallel and not even any close competitor.” For years, I’ve been searching for a qualified partner willing to debate this assertion over zoom. Today—19 October 2024—I respectfully renew my challenge. Our website garners millions of hits, but so far nobody has accepted my challenge.
