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Views from the Choir Loft

“Breathtaking Photographs” • First Mass of Father Michael Caughey, FSSP (Muskegon, MI)

Jeff Ostrowski · June 4, 2025

ITHOUT A DOUBT, Hannibal Bugnini would have been infuriated by the mind-boggling growth of the MISSALE VETUSTUM over the last 25 years. Indeed, Bugnini revealed his true thoughts in a 29-Jan-1969 letter, having become enraged by an article in L’Osservatore Romano by Hubert Jedin defending traditional worship. In that letter, Bugnini claimed that until the liturgical reforms of the 1960s (!) “millions and hundreds of millions of the faithful” had failed to “achieve worship in spirit and truth.” Bugnini said that the great saints—such as Isaac Jogues, John Vianney, John Bosco, Ignatius of Loyola, Thomas Aquinas, Francis of Assisi, and so forth—had celebrated Mass using “meaningless sounds.” Bugnini then insisted that the venerable Roman Rite (which produced so many saints for 1,500 years) was characterized by:

“a lack of understanding, ignorance, and
the ‘dark night’ of a worship that lacks a face
and light, at least for those out in the nave.”

His brazen letter made explicit what clever people had known all along: viz. Bugnini considered the Catholic saints over the last 1,500 years to be imbeciles. But Hannibal Bugnini did not consider himself unenlightened like the great saints (in his view) were. With his superior intellect, Bugnini believed he’d rescued Catholic congregations from the “dark night”—his term—which had lasted centuries.

Banished By Popes • Having been ‘found out’ by Pope Saint John XXIII, in October of 1962 Bugnini was removed from his teaching position at the Pontifical Lateran University, but was ‘rehabilitated’ when John XXIII died. After about ten years, Pope Saint Paul VI ‘found out’ about Bugnini’s true self and attempted to banish him to Uruguay—but Bugnini refused (in disobedience). Then Paul VI ordered him to Tehran (Iran). Alfons Cardinal Stickler summarized the matter as follows: “For all the work that Bugnini did on the liturgical reform he should have been at least a cardinal. Instead he was removed.”

Amazing Growth • In spite of all the actions taken by the notoriously duplicitous Bugnini, the Traditional Latin Mass has grown exponentially since the 1990s. Moreover, I don’t know a single serious Catholic willing to defend the idea that Bugnini was “enlightened” about the sacred liturgy while the great heroes of the Catholic Faith were liturgical imbeciles. Over the last four years, some clerics in Rome—in anguish over the popularity of the TLM—have attempted to strangle its growth … but it’s difficult to see their efforts being successful in the long run. If the TLM could survive the 1980s, it will surely weather this current storm.

Our Parishioner • A young man who grew up in our parish—Father Michael Caughey—was ordained a few days ago for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. I have been helping to provide music for his Solemn Masses (offered in the Extraordinary Form). On Monday night, Father Caughey offered Solemn Mass at Saint Mary’s in Muskegon. Our volunteer choir sang so beautifully for the Mass:

More Photographs:
Below are some splendid
photographs from that Mass,
taken by my wife, Cynthia:

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And here’s an excerpt from the POSTLUDE:

Here’s the direct URL link.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Annibale Bugnini Reform, Archbishop Hannibal Bugnini, Extraordinary Form 1962 Missal, Missale Vetustum Last Updated: June 5, 2025

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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

    “Truly Great Processional” • (Pipe Organ)
    I stumbled upon this live recording of a PROCESSIONAL I played on the pipe organ in 2002. It’s an excerpt from a much longer composition by Sebastian Bach. In those days, there weren’t sophisticated recording devices allowing one “fix” wrong notes. (Perhaps they existed, but we didn’t have machines like that.) So it was necessary to play the entire piece from beginning to end. If you’re a church organist, feel free to download the PDF score. I suppose it’s only a matter of time until some joker uses “artificial intelligence” to play music at church … but there’s something so satisfying about playing an organ in real life.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Proof Which All Can Immediately See!
    “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” as the famous maxim goes. Over the years, I’ve observed malicious attacks on the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal. Rather than scoring a ‘hit’ on the Brébeuf Hymnal, its attackers often reveal profound ignorance. I’ve been advised never to reply … but I break that rule today. Certain voices online assert that the Brébeuf Hymnal is “untraditional” because it includes both the Urbanite and pre-Urbanite versions of the hymns. But if only they would glance at a copy of the 1913 VESPERALE (printed by order of Pope Saint Pius X) they would see how mistaken such statements are.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “8 June 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for the parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article includes a few anecdotes about Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and Abraham Lincoln.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962
    There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop
    —Veronica Brandt
    The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum
    Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.
    —Daniel Tucker

Random Quote

“I love them that love me: and they that in the morning early watch for me shall find me.”

— Proverbs 8

Recent Posts

  • “Breathtaking Photographs” • First Mass of Father Michael Caughey, FSSP (Muskegon, MI)
  • “Truly Great Processional” • (Pipe Organ)
  • “Re: Vigil Masses” • Reader Feedback (3 June 2025)
  • Proof Which All Can Immediately See!
  • New Bulletin Article • “8 June 2025”

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