Views from the Choir Loft

“Tell Me Lies; Tell Me Sweet Little Lies.” • Re: Post-Conciliar Lectionary Problems

Jeff Ostrowski · July 18, 2025

ROWING UP, I remember a song with these lyrics: “Tell me lies; tell me sweet little lies.” According to Google, the song was written by a band called FLEETWOOD MAC, founded in 1967. I didn’t realize Apple computers were so popular in the 1960s, but I guess that shows what I know! And I must admit that it’s far better to name a band after a Mac than a PC. In any event, those words came to my mind thinking about the post-conciliar LECTIONARY, which has a sad and sordid history. Apropos of this, our organization has reached the final stages of an agreement with several authors who have written a chronicle about the simony problem that arose in the United States after the Second Vatican Council.¹

Little Lies • For the moment, let’s consider just one example. The 1970 LECTIONARY makes the following claim:

Notice they didn’t say “altered” or “modified” or “bowdlerized.”

But look what they printed in 1970, hoping nobody would notice:

Here is what they falsely claimed to be reprinting:

A Sneaky Trick • Do you see how they shamelessly modified the original? Do you see how they completely destroyed the rhyme scheme in a puerile effort to make the language less sacral and more casual? The whole point of a SEQUENCE is to sing it. That’s literally how it developed in the first place. Its poetic rhythm is its raison d’être—but they cared not. And don’t even get me started on how their vandalism destroyed the ‘register’ of the poem.

We’ve had 55 years of this nonsense. Enough!

We must have the courage to fix such things.

1 You’ll be hearing tons more about this soon, so please stay tuned. If we don’t confront these problems—honestly and soberly—they’ll never get solved.

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

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).

“Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the feasts website.

—Jeff Ostrowski

This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon

This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly

Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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