N THE BIBLE, our Savior is referred to as “The Word” (LOGOS). In the field of church music, it’s a sad reality that we encounter many false words. Certain companies claim to promote ‘traditional’ church music—but it’s a lie. Many are willing to sell inauthentic products; consider how many SPAM emails greet us when we open our inbox each day. The old Latin adage caveat emptor seems filled with wisdom. For my part, over these past 15 years I’ve attacked goofy, heretical, and undignified hymn lyrics. I’ve denounced overly predictable hymn texts, and I’ve condemned off-Broadway melodies suitable for Disney movies, but not the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I’ve promoted books like the Brébeuf Hymnal, since it was built upon Roman Catholic hymnody going back 1,500 years: Ad Cenam Agni; Summi Largitor Praemii; Adoro Te Devote; O Esca Viatorum; Te Deum Laudamus; Auctor Beate Saeculi; Audi Benigne Conditor; Ave Maris Stella; Christe Redemptor Omnium; Consors Paterni Luminis; Corde Natus Ex Parentis; Placare Christe Servulis, Creator Alme Siderum; Ave Vivens Hostia; Mundus Effusis Redemptus; O Gloriosa Femina; O Salutaris Hostia; Surrexit Christus Hodie; Tantum Ergo; Veni Redemptor Gentium; Veni Veni Emmanuel; Vexilla Regis Prodeunt; and so forth.
People’s Mass Book (1974) • It turns out the PEOPLE’S MASS BOOK (World Library Publications, 1974) is available on the internet archive. Its pages suggest this book had a detrimental effect on the Church’s sacred music. There are 10,000+ ancient Latin hymns contained in the massive tome assembled by Father Guido Maria Dreves—yet, instead of any of those, the editors of the 1974 PEOPLE’S MASS BOOK used the following lyrics:1
* PDF Download • People’s Mass Book (1974)
—“Well, It’s A New Day” hymn published by World Library Publications.
Looking For The Good • When it came time to assemble the Brébeuf Hymnal, what were the editors supposed to do? Creating a ‘new’ tradition was considered unacceptable—and rightly so. They had made the decision to reject firmly any and all junk. In the end, they combed through countless hymnals and took only what was best. For instance, an earlier version of the People’s Mass Book included a beautiful melody (PDF) called TOULON. The following is a live recording of TOULON by my Los Angeles choir (which consisted 100% of volunteer singers):
Even Further Back • At the bottom of each page in the Brébeuf Hymnal, a footnote provides all the instances in which each melody was used by historical Catholic hymnals—something no other hymnal does. Because of this, no one could ever accuse the Brébeuf editors of “inventing” a brand new tradition. Here’s an instance of TOULON as printed in a Roman Catholic hymnal from 1859:
Discouragement • I sometimes feel my writings have fallen upon deaf ears. I say this because (fairly frequently) I see colleagues taking the “lazy route” when it comes to hymnody. All I can do is continue to try to promote what I know to be good and true and right.
On the other hand, sometimes I receive messages that convince me I’m making a difference. For example, I recently had a choir member leave, and she wrote to me as follows: “What a blessing it has been to be in your choir! It has been a highlight of my life. But for many personal reasons, it is time to make the move back. I do not like ‘goodbyes’ and will greatly miss the absolutely beautiful music I was privileged to join in singing with Saint Mary’s choir this past year. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity, Jeff. Much love and prayers to you, your family and the amazing choir members.” And just a few weeks ago, one of our parishioners who is mother to 11 children (!!!) wrote to me as follows regarding the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal, the book found in our pews:
“I think the Brébeuf hymnal should
be in every parish because it is an
absolute treasure of Catholic artistry,
theology, and history. It both unites
us with centuries of Catholic tradition
and bridges that tradition to the present
by making the songs accessible and easy
to learn. Every week I feel like l’ve
been shown a new treasure, a song from
our rich Catholic heritage that I may
have never heard, but instantly love.
The theology of the songs is
inspirational and instructional.
Compared to the Protestant-inspired
hymn books I’ve experienced in the
past at multiple parishes, I feel
like this would go a long way in
helping categorize and form
parishioners in the true depth of
Catholic theology and spirituality.”
(1 of 3) Our Vocation • According to Father Valentine Young, it became ‘fashionable’ during the 1960s for priests to pretend they couldn’t speak Latin. Even RICHARD CARDINAL CUSHING (d. 1970) publicly claimed he couldn’t understand Latin, but if you examine his history—particularly the honors he received as a young man for scholarship of Latin and Greek—you’ll see this was untrue. One priest, writing in the 1960s, had the audacity to declare that “the only reason Latin was the Church’s official language was because it’s fun to listen to someone speaking it.” Of course, such a statement is indefensible. On the other hand, Latin truly is a beautiful language. I will certainly never forget the gorgeous Latin phrases I heard as a child, such as “Humiliáte cápita vestra Deo.” Speaking of the Per Dóminum nostrum concluding clause, Dr. Adrian Fortescue wrote famously:
“Who first wrote this no one knows. Whoever he was, he has immortalized himself by words that for centuries have closed our prayers with the splendid rhythm of their accent and the roll of their vowels.”
(2 of 3) Our Vocation • One of the conscientious choirmaster’s duties is to ‘plant’ Sacred Scripture into the minds of those we teach. Each Sunday, our females sing the INTROIT, and it echoes in their mind all week long. Here is our parish choir singing the INTROIT on 9 November 2025:
Here’s the direct URL link.
(3 of 3) Our Vocation • Our men’s Schola Cantorum is coming along nicely. Our current focus is on learning to ‘blend’—and we continue to make progress since our founding in the summer of 2024. They sing the COMMUNION ANTIPHON each week, and the females add fauxbourdon on the verses. The following snippet, recorded live last Sunday, demonstrates what I’m talking about:
* Mp3 Download • COMMUNION with Fauxbourdon
—Live recording by a volunteer parish choir on 9 November 2025.
These men are a joy to teach—and it thrills me that texts from the PSALTER echo in their minds throughout the week.
1 “Well, it’s a new day, think new thoughts, for there’s a new way, change your hearts, there’s a new law in the land. A man can kill with a knife of steel, with a gun, a bomb or a lance, a man can kill with a glance.”
