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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

“My First Year with the Latin Mass” • A Music Director’s Perspective

Mark Haas · July 4, 2025

YEAR AGO, I was hired as Director of Music at a new parish, which celebrates Mass in both the Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo) and the Extraordinary Form (Traditional Latin Mass). This was a new experience for our family as well as being the first parish in which I was tasked with regularly leading music for the Latin Mass. As I conclude my first full year, I find myself deeply grateful and newly inspired. My role as Director of Music has given me a privileged vantage point to observe, participate in, and grow through this beautiful form of the liturgy. At the outset, let me say: I do not come to this discussion with an agenda. I’ve never had a “dog in the fight,” so to speak, when it comes to liturgical forms. I believe both the Novus Ordo and MISSALE VETUSTUM can both be reverent, dignified, and heavenly. And in our parish, we strive to make this a reality. Our English and Spanish Novus Ordo Masses are beautifully celebrated and well attended. This is certainly also true of our Latin Masses. Moreover, I have been able to recruit some fantastic singers, as you can hear by this live audio recording from one of our Masses:

*  Mp3 Download • Live Rec. (Schola Cantorum)
—“Meditábor in mandátis tuis” • Schola Cantorum founded by Mark Haas.

To conclude such a unique year, I thought that I would offer a few observations:

The Schola:

When I began directing the music for the Latin Mass a year ago, our Schola Cantorum consisted of about a dozen young men and women. Now, we have nearly doubled in size, with 20 to 22 singers—primarily high school and college-aged voices; all with minimal recruiting on my part. New voices would simply show up each week. This growth has been organic and driven by the singers themselves. They are deeply committed to learning the chants of the Church and take personal responsibility for the liturgical beauty they help convey. Their dedication is evident not only in their sound but also in their appearance: the young women wear ornate veils and modest, elegant dresses, while the men arrive in coats and ties. There is a sense of reverence and formality that is striking, even countercultural—and yet it is embraced wholeheartedly.

The Congregation:

What has surprised me most, however, is not what happens in the choir loft, but what happens in the pews. Our Sunday Latin Mass regularly draws 400-600 people. They are overwhelmingly young. Babies ‘coo’ and squirm, toddlers rustle in their pews, and the sound of little voices punctuates the sacred silence; constant reminders that the Church is alive and growing. It’s a welcome noise—proof that the faith is being handed down. I had often heard: the people at the Latin Mass are often disengaged and not participating. Contrary to this stereotype, nearly everyone has a missal open, their eyes carefully following each Latin prayer, each sacred gesture, each response. They are deeply invested—both intellectually and spiritually—in what is unfolding before them. This sense of engagement is perhaps the most moving thing I have witnessed. There is no sense of passivity. Instead, there is attentiveness, hunger, and awe. They are participating. Actively, dare I say.

Holy Communion:

Another aspect that has shaped my experience is the reception of Holy Communion. In the Traditional Latin Mass, Holy Communion is only received kneeling at the altar rail, on the tongue. Also, the communicant does not say “Amen.” This is not a liturgical political statement. Rather, it is the only way to receive at the Latin Mass, as it is written in the Rite this way. Regardless of one’s personal preference on the matter, this mode of reception has a profound effect. For me, there is a heightened sense of reverence and vulnerability. I feel acutely aware of the state of my soul as I kneel and prepare to receive the Lord up at the front of the church in front of God and all His angels and saints. It is a moment that is truly “set apart,” and it invites an encounter that is both humbling and transformative. The piety of the community is not confined to that single moment. Many arrive early to pray in silence before Mass. After the final blessing and postlude, a large number remain to continue their prayer—long after the choir has finished singing. This culture of prayerfulness is not enforced by rules or signs; it is simply the organic fruit of a liturgy that draws the soul upward.

Gregorian Chant:

Singing Gregorian Chant is one of the most profoundly spiritual experiences I’ve known. There is a stillness and depth to it that seems to quiet the soul. Often, I feel my heart rate slow as I sing, as if my body itself is being drawn into prayer. The chant doesn’t seek to dazzle or impress—it simply invites. It pulls me into a space of silence and reverence where I feel fully present and fully attentive. There’s a tactile connection to the liturgy in these moments. It’s as if I start singing in the middle of a story that is constantly being sung in heaven. What moves me the most, though, is the deep sense of connection—both with my fellow singers and with the Church across time. Chant unites us in a way that’s hard to explain. Breathing together, moving as one voice, we become part of something far greater than ourselves. And beyond our small Schola Cantorum, I feel linked to the saints and faithful Catholics who have sung these same melodies for centuries. There’s a quiet awe in realizing that these tones, these prayers, have carried the worship of generations. These same chants have edified the great saints like St. Teresa of Ávila and St. Padre Pio. They have bolstered the minds of St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. John of the Cross. To sing Gregorian Chant is to take up their song and add your own voices to the living memory of the Church.

Unity:

Our parish is blessed with a community that treasures the liturgy in all of its expressions. Many parishioners attend the English or Spanish Masses as well as the Latin Mass. The consistency is reverence, music, and adherence to liturgical documents across all forms. Each Mass, regardless of language or rite, belongs to the same parish family, united in love for the Lord.

Final Thoughts:

Assisting at the Traditional Latin Mass has changed me. It has sharpened my awareness of the sacred, deepened my love for the Church’s musical heritage, and inspired me to strive for greater holiness. I am grateful for this past year—and I look forward with hope and excitement to what lies ahead.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Missale Vetustum, Traditional Latin Mass Last Updated: July 4, 2025

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About Mark Haas

Mark Haas is a composer and speaker whose music has been sung in over 600 parishes and 10 countries. He serves as the Music Director at Ave Maria Parish in Ave Maria, Florida where he lives with his wife and seven children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    (Part 2) • Did they simplify this hymn?
    Choirs love to sing the resplendent tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1929, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. Their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Father Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1929 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. As always, the Germans added an organ INTRODUCTION. For the record, I posted a different harmonization a few months ago which was downloaded more than 2,000 times.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF • “Lectionary Comparison Chart”
    Various shell corporations (in an effort to make money selling Sacred Scripture) have tinkered with the LECTIONARY texts in a way that’s shameful. It’s no wonder Catholics in the pews know so few Bible passages by heart. Without authorization, these shell corporations pervert the official texts. Consider the Responsorial Psalm for the 1st Sunday of Advent (Year A). If you download this PDF comparison chart you’ll notice each country randomly omits certain sections. Such tinkering has gone on for 60+ years—and it’s reprehensible.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Monsignor Klaus Gamber Speaks!
    An interesting quotation from the eminent liturgist, Monsignor Klaus Gamber (d. 1989): “According to canon law, a person’s affiliation with a particular liturgical rite is determined by that person’s rite of baptism. Given that the liturgical reforms of Pope Paul VI created a de facto new rite, one could assert that those among the faithful who were baptized according to the traditional Roman rite have the right to continue following that rite; just as priests who were ordained according to the traditional Ordo have the right to exercise the very rite that they were ordained to celebrate.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    “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 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

Random Quote

Yet, with all its advantages, the new Missal was published as if it were a work put together by professors, not a phase in a continual growth process. Such a thing never happened before. It is absolutely contrary to the laws of liturgical growth, and it has resulted in the nonsensical notion that Trent and Pius V had “produced” a Missal four hundred years ago.

— Josef Cardinal Ratzinger (1986)

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