HIS ESSAY COMPRISES three sections. Section #1 reveals an unsolicited letter our choir received from a father of eight children who attends our parish. Section #2 provides some ‘audio samples’ of our volunteer parish choir, so the reader can better understand what elicited such a letter. Finally, Section #3 discusses “Where we go from here” as Catholic choirmasters, as well as certain ‘agents’ of liturgical reform who—while pretending to follow Vatican II—openly contradicted its explicit mandates. For example, MONSIGNOR JAMES DUNLOP CRICHTON (d. 2001) considered himself one of the leading ‘agents’ of liturgical reform and published a slew of books about it: e.g. Lights in the Darkness: Fore-Runners of the Liturgical Movement (Columba Press, 1996). Nevertheless, Crichton frequently contradicts—through malice or ignorance—the council’s explicit mandates. For instance, on page 150 of the book just mentioned, Crichton declares: “Whether or not the plainchant can still be sung is a question.” We can safely assume Crichton would answer that question in the negative. Yet Vatican II explicitly said that plainchant “should be given principal place in liturgical services” under ordinary circumstances ( SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM §116).
Section 1 of 3:
A Letter Received • Below is the letter our choir received, sent by a father of eight children. The emphasis (bold and italic fonts) comes from the original letter. It wasn’t added by me.
Dear Members of Our Parish Sacred Music Choir,
In light of the masterful job you all did singing at Mass yesterday, I’d like to offer—on behalf of our entire parish community—an expression of deepest gratitude for your dedicated service in leading us in sacred music during our Masses. Thank you! Your voices and efforts elevate our worship, drawing us closer to the Lord and fostering true communion among the faithful. I had friends in from out of town recently who are from a parish that has a contracted, professional choir, and they came to Mass here with us on a Sunday you sang. They said our parish choir of volunteers at Saint Mary’s sounded far and away better (wow!) — they were blown away!
I know this isn’t news to you. But I also know that Sacred music is a treasure of inestimable value, far surpassing other arts, because “as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy” (SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM §112). As Vatican II teaches, sacred music’s preeminence lies in its power “to add delight to prayer, foster unity of minds, or confer greater solemnity upon the sacred rites”, all for “the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful” (SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM §112 & SPIRITUS ET SPONSA §4).
Your ministry carries out this vision! By presenting this treasure—especially through chants and polyphony—you enable our active participation, just as the council urges: “Choirs must be diligently promoted…the whole body of the faithful may be able to contribute that active participation which is rightly theirs” (SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM §114). Pope Benedict XVI echoes this, affirming that “liturgical song has a pre-eminent place” in the ars celebrandi, where song expresses “joy and…love”, integrating texts, music, and execution to correspond “to the meaning of the mystery being celebrated” (SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS §42).
In a world filled with a lot of noise, your sacred song lifts our hearts to heaven—I know it does mine!—reminding us of Gregorian chant’s pride of place and the need for music worthy of divine worship (SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM §116). Pope John Paul II reminds us that such compositions serve “the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful”, nourishing faith as “melodies flowing from the hearts of other believers” (Chirograph for the Centenary of the Motu Proprio ‘Inter Pastoralis Officii’ on Sacred Music §12).
Thank you for your work in prayerful preparation, your commitment to liturgical formation, and your joyful offering of talent. You are true stewards of this holy art, helping us all “sing and make melody to the Lord with all of the heart” (Eph 5:19). And thank you, Mr. Ostrowski, for all you do to lead this very gifted group of parishioners offering their hearts in song—you do an amazing job. May God continue to bless you each abundantly!
Encouragement • This letter was totally unsolicited; it came ‘out of the blue’. I was immensely pleased to read it, because this gentleman attends Mass each week at Saint Mary’s. That means we have “staying power,” because he’s not hearing our volunteer choir for the 1st time. In other words, choral music is not a fad at our parish.
Section 2 of 3:
Audio Examples • One of my professors at the Conservatory used to say: “An example is worth 1,000 words.” The problem is, no microphone can accurately reproduce the beauty of human voices singing in harmony. When I stand in front of our choir and hear—in real life—the harmonious chords echoing through the church, it’s tremendous. As Vladimir Horowitz said famously:
“A recording isn’t real.
It’s like a postcard which reminds you
of a beautiful sunset you witnessed.”
Nonetheless, I feel I owe our readers a few samples. What follows is an excerpt from the COMMUNION CHANT (Graduale Romanum, 1974). Specifically, we sing the Psalm verses in FAUXBOURDON. The score can be downloaded free of charge at the flourishing feasts website. In terms of the plainchant sung by the men, I realize we still have work to do; but we have an awesome start! The psalm assigned by the Church is PSALM 109—which has really beautiful ‘Christmas’ verses—such as:
“With you is princely power on the day of your birth;
amid the splendor of the heavens,
before the day-star, it was I who gave you birth.”
Here’s the direct URL link.
This year’s Christmas Midnight Mass at Saint Mary’s began with female voices singing the INTROIT in Gregorian Chant: “The Lord said to me: You are my Son; this day have I begotten you.” (As always, the musical score and organ accompaniment can be downloaded from the wonderful feasts website.) Here’s how that sounded:
During the Offertory, the choir sang—in Latin—a contemporary arrangement of “Angels We Have Heard on High” by Énemond Moreau. Remember, this is a ‘live’ recording; you’ll hear ‘clicking’ sounds of the priest incensing the altar. While I certainly don’t claim it’s perfect, I’m so proud of this volunteer choir that has only existed for 1.5 years. Their singing is particularly gorgeous beginning at the 2:01 marker:
The legendary Father Valentine Young (d. 2020) translated into Latin many English Christmas carols. A quick Google search will retrieve them. My dad’s favorite Christmas Carol is “SILENT NIGHT.” Once you know those two facts, it will be obvious why I chose the following choral selection. After Communion, there was total silence at the Midnight Mass, and our rendition was quite effective:
One of the really sad things that took place after Vatican II was the ‘downgrading’ of SACRED SCRIPTURE at Mass. This must be corrected in the future. (Perhaps Pope Leo XIV could lead the way on this.) For instance, before the council, SACRED SCRIPTURE was proclaimed by a man who had dedicated his life to God, who studied the Bible for years before being ordained, who carefully dressed in sacred vesture, and who said special prayers before proclaiming SACRED SCRIPTURE at Mass. After the council, we see lay people (not wearing sacred vestments) walking right into the Sanctuary to read SACRED SCRIPTURE during Mass—and this communicates something. We have also arrived at a place where very few Catholics have any familiarity with the Mass propers! But even in the 1970 Missal, the Propria Missae are prescribed for use at each Mass. More than 98% of the Propria Missae come directly from SACRED SCRIPTURE. These ancient prayers should never have been discarded by the ‘agents’ of liturgical reform in the years after Vatican II.
At our parish, we sing the Mass. We don’t sing at Mass. For example, according to the kalendar for the 1970, the Feast of the Holy Family takes place on the Sunday within the octave of Christmas. This year, our children’s choir sang for that feast. As I just explained, 98% of Gregorian Chant comes directly from SACRED SCRIPTURE. The INTROIT for that Sunday was no exception, and comes from Psalm 67 (“Exsúrgat Deus”). The INTROIT is called “Deus in loco sancto suo.” Here’s how that sounded as sung by our parish children’s choir:
Here’s the direct URL link.
On that same Sunday—the Feast of the Holy Family—the children’s choir joined with our parish choir in singing a clever LITURGICAL ROUND in honor of Saint Alexander Bryant (d. 1581) paired with the ancient Gregorian Chant KYRIE VI. You can download the musical score for free at #22131. What follows is a live recording from the Mass:
A very close companion of Father Jean de Brébeuf was FATHER JOSEPH CHAUMONOT (1611-1693), who was born in France but died in Quebec. If I had more space, I’d describe the absolutely crucial role Père Chaumonot played in the early missions of North America, alongside Saint Isaac Jogues and the others. Although he was a Jesuit priest, Chaumonot founded the CONGREGATION OF THE HOLY FAMILY, which figures extensively in early Canadian history. Indeed, the Feast of the Holy Family seems to have come directly from the work done by Father Chaumonot. During the OFFERTORY for this feast, our children’s choir sang Corde Natus Ex Parentis, which fits this feast like a glove. The following live recording sounds a little bit ‘halting’ or ‘hobbling’—i.e. not as ‘flowing’ as it ought to sound. I can only say that our kids’ choir has existed less than five months. As time goes on, they’ll get better and better.
The COMMUNION CHANT (Graduale Romanum, 1974) for the Feast of the Holy Family is “Tolle púerum,” from the Gospel of Saint Matthew: “Take the child and his mother, and return to the land of Israel; for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” As always, the musical score can be downloaded from the terrific feasts website. We sing the antiphon in plainsong, but we do the verses in FAUXBOURDON—a more ‘special’ form of Psalm Tone—and here’s a live recording of our volunteer parish choir:
Needless to say, our parish music program includes tons of ‘congregational’ hymns, acclamations, and antiphons. Sometimes the congregation sings extremely loudly, although the way the microphones are set up makes that difficult to discern. For instance, here is a recessional which our parishioners sang with immense gusto:
Another genre in which our Saint Mary’s congregation our parish joins (externally) in singing with monumental gusto is the Responsorial Psalm. Here’s a live recording from the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, 11 January 2026:
A great way to ‘subtly’ introduce a congregation to the THESAURUS MUSICAE SACRAE mandated by the Second Vatican Council is by means of choral extensions. Basically, that allows the congregation to participate (externally) without excluding the THESAURUS. Below is a live recording of our volunteer parish choir singing a polyphonic ‘choral extension’ by Énemond Moreau:
Free rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #21488 .
Palestrina Extension • We often use a choral extensions for the GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (“Alleluia”). In other words, after the congregation sings along with us, the choir alone ‘extends’ the Alleluia while the procession is arriving at the Ambo. Here’s a live recording from a few weeks ago of a Palestrina Alleluia Extension which can be downloaded free of charge at #26561:
* Mp3 Download • Palestrina ALLELUIA
—Live recording by a volunteer choir.
Section 3 of 3:
Hippolytus Movement • Is it possible—in any way whatsoever—to ‘defend’ or ‘justify’ or ‘legitimize’ the deliberate destruction of the THESAURUS MUSICAE SACRAE by post-conciliar reformers like Crichton and McManus? In fairness, part of the problem was the “Hippolytus Movement” adopted by those who modified the sacred liturgy after Vatican II. They passionately hated medieval saints like Thomas Aquinas, and insisted we should return to the ‘primitive’ era (specifically the 3rd century, when Hippolytus was alive). Their idea was fatally flawed in many ways. For instance, we know very little about the culture and daily church life in the 3rd century. As a result, their attempt ended up looking pretty ridiculous. By way of analogy, wearing a powdered wig doesn’t mean one has somehow ‘recreated’ the 18th century.
As part of the “Hippolytus Movement,” the post-conciliar reformers changed the Holy Mass to a situation where only one thing could happen at any given time. This new rule was rather silly, because it went against the testimony of all Catholic rites—not just the Roman Rite. As Father Fortescue wrote:
“The Eastern rites have developed this principle of simultaneous prayers much more than in the West. Large portions of their liturgies may be described as two services going on at once, one performed by the celebrant in a whisper at the altar, the other sung by the people, led by the deacon, outside the Ikonostasion (where there is one).”
What Fortescue calls ‘simultaneous recitation’ is a natural and human development. Pretending we can suddenly go back to square one would be like consigning Michael Phelps to the shallow end of the pool. But according to the “Hippolytus Movement,” the only ‘correct’ way to watch a 2-hour movie is having viewers first watch only the soundtrack (against a black screen), then only the video footage (in silence), then only the sound effects (against a black screen), then only the dialogue (against a black screen). Indeed, the assertion that ‘simultaneous recitation’ didn’t exist in the early Church is an assumption built upon several other assumptions.
As a result, in spite of the fact that Vatican II said the THESAURUS MUSICAE SACRAE must be “preserved and fostered with very great care,” doing this at Mass can come across as awkward because of certain post-conciliar changes. An exception would be the Responsorial Psalm, in which everyone just sits there listening to music. Another exception would be the Offertory, in which music is allowed to happen simultaneously as the priest prays.
We need to reach a place where nobody panics if a minute or two of choral music is happening. For instance, at my parish, parishioners loudly—and very slowly—pray a Rosary (that usually lasts about 45 minutes) before the Sunday Mass. If our people are used to that, surely we could get them used to hearing a few minutes from the THESAURUS MUSICAE SACRAE. To take another example, in the 1970 Missal it is common to have huge ‘gaps’—e.g. when the lay person slowly walks up to the lectern for the UNIVERSAL PRAYER (a.k.a. “General Intercessions”). Everyone just sits there in silence, watching the person slowly walk to the Sanctuary, find the book, open the pages, and so forth. The world doesn’t end when this happens! Therefore, I say again: If our people are used to that, surely we can accustom them to hearing a few minutes from the THESAURUS MUSICAE SACRAE.
Brand New Texts • The Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “The liturgy is the summit [culmen] toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the source [fons] from which all her power emanates.” Please notice what the council fathers did not say. They didn’t say: “We need a new liturgy, a different liturgy. Once we have that, then the liturgy will become the source and summit.” It’s true Vatican II requested certain revisions to the sacred liturgy, which is only natural. For instance, the council declared: “The rites are to be simplified, due care being taken to preserve their substance.” But in that same document, Vatican II reminded all: “There must be no innovations unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them.”
But certain reformers had other ideas. They wanted a new liturgy; i.e. new prayers. Father Frederick McManus ‘tipped his hand’ in this regard in a 1987 publication (Thirty Years of Liturgical Renewal) wherein he said the Church’s ancient prayers are “only a partial answer.” McManus then quoted from a 1969 document published by Hannibal Bugnini’s cadre:
“Texts translated from another language are clearly [!] not sufficient for the celebration of a fully renewed liturgy. The creation of new texts will be necessary.”
Paul Inwood—a preëminent cheerleader for ‘fanatical renewers’—publicly admitted the 1970s translation was meant to “conceal” [his word] the true meaning of the prayers:
“7th-century theology, spirituality, and culture are very far from where most of the Church is now. The 1973 translation concealed this fact from us. If we had known what the prayers really said, we would not have wanted to pray them any longer. Now we are faced with that question 40 years later, and it is not any easier.”
Bryan Cones (a kindred spirit of Mr. Inwood) writing for a progressive Catholic magazine also let the cat out of the bag:
“What these naked translations really reveal is how imperial and pagan [!] these prayers really are […] To me it seems not only that we shouldn’t be using these translations, we shouldn’t be using most of these prayers at all anymore. They simply reflect an approach to God—a distant, imperial God to whom we must beg for mercy—and an understanding of the church—sinful, unworthy, unredeemed—that I think we have left behind.”
Unsuccessful Attempt • According to Father McManus, a book published in 1972 (Sacramentary for Sundays and Other Occasions) provided “new texts” for trial use. I don’t claim to be an expert in this area, but my research indicates their efforts were unsuccessful. In other words, when it comes to replacing completely the traditional Mass texts with brand new ones, the ‘agents’ of liturgical reform failed to achieve a total victory. As far as I can tell, that ship has sailed … and this is a very good thing! On the other hand, one could make the argument that they did precisely that when it comes to the Propria Missae, since these are almost always replaced with “alii cantus congrui.” This was done in spite of the following 1969 statement by the Vatican:1
“What must be sung is the Mass, its Ordinary and Proper, and not ‘something else’—even if it seems appropriate—superimposed onto the Mass. To continue to replace the texts of the Mass […] means giving the people chaff instead of good wheat, watered-down wine instead of generous wine. Thus texts must be those of the Mass, not others, and singing means singing the Mass not just singing during Mass.”
But while it’s true the ‘agents’ of liturgical reform annihilated the Propria Missae, their reprehensible victory seems to have been short-lived, because the Propria Missae are slowly making a comeback!
Full, Conscious, Active, Participation • On this blog, we’ve often drawn attention to a falsification vis-à-vis participatio actuosa. Specifically, some pretend that participatio actuosa means “external physical activity.” But on 5 March 1967, the Vatican issued a document called MUSICAM SACRAM which says (§15) participation at Mass must be “primarily interior” (in primis interior sit oportet). The next sentence of that authoritative instruction [viz. Edoceantur quoque fideles ut, ea auscultantes, quae ministri aut schola cantant, mentem suam ad Deum extollere, per interiorem participationem, contendant.] is quite important:
“The faithful should also be taught
to unite themselves interiorly to
what the ministers or choir sing,
so that by listening to them they
may raise their minds to God.”
A few days ago, the ENTRANCE CHANT (5th Sunday in Ordinary Time) made it clear that not everyone participates at Mass exactly the same way. For instance, Adrian Fortescue earned three (3) doctorates at a young age. He would participate differently than someone who’s never studied theology, or who suffers from a learning disability, or who dropped out of school in the 2nd grade. Specifically, that ENTRANCE CHANT says:
Plorémus ante eum, qui fecit nos.
“Let us shed tears before the God who made us.”
Many Catholics weep during Mass, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! I realize people like McManus and Crichton disagree—because for them, Mass is solely about external, physical activity—but they’re incorrect. Catholics participate at Mass in a variety of different ways owing to various factors: their education; their training in theology; what’s happening in their personal life; what’s happening in their spiritual life; and so forth. This is so obvious to any sentient being, I almost feel embarrassed, having to put it into writing!
Final Remarks • It would be foolish to deny that the ‘agents’ of liturgical reform who came after Vatican II enjoyed colossal success in thwarting the council’s explicit declarations vis-à-vis liturgical choirs. Those who read our blog regularly know the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “The treasury of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with very great care.” This statement leaves absolutely no wiggle room, no room for nuance, and no room for ‘interpretation’. It couldn’t be any clearer. Even if all the other statements didn’t exist (e.g. the way Vatican II explicitly mandated plainsong and polyphony), that statement is enough. According to that statement, there must be choirs. These choirs are not to learn ‘baby’ music—they are to “preserve and foster with very great care the THESAURUS MUSICAE SACRAE.” What more is there to be said?
It’s not easy to explain why ‘agents’ of liturgical reform felt comfortable being so dishonest. For instance, in 1996, MONSIGNOR JAMES DUNLOP CRICHTON (d. 2001) declared that it comes to choirs which sing for Mass, “their role is to support the people and help them to sing well what might otherwise be difficult to sing without their support.” Likewise, in 1990, Crichton had written: “The choir is the servant of the people and not an independent element that may go its own way.” His statements are dishonest and shameful, because they fragrantly contradict the explicit words of Vatican II. To add insult to injury, Crichton expresses dismay that nobody wanted to sing in choirs anymore. Imagine that!
On the other hand, this is not the first time in history that sacred music was in need of reform. Consider the following statement by Father Ludwig Bonvin (d. 1939) writing in the Ecclesiastical Review in 1915:
“If we direct our attention to the kind of hymns used by the school children at Low Mass and on other occasions, we find reason for grave concern… Many choirs of children still use hymnals that are wretched from a musical as well as an ecclesiastical standpoint, hymnals that offer not only tasteless and insipid texts and musical bunglings, but even adaptations of well-known English, German, and French secular songs. Even such decidedly secular tunes as Tyrolese and Swiss Yodels, or such unbecoming music as abbreviated arias from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Rossini’s operas are not wanting; all this, too, in a form so corrupt, mutilated and bungled, that in the concert hall or in the family circle we should turn away from it in disgust.”
Although the vocation of a choirmaster is not easy, it’s infinitely rewarding. I love teaching the ancient melodies to our parish choir. I especially love hearing our children’s choir memorize the psalms each week! There’s an old saying: “One can judge the strength and health of a monastery by examining the youngest novice.” In other words, one must look at the weakest link—not the strongest link—before passing judgment on a particular monastery. I would like to end the article by sharing a live recording from a recent Mass at our ‘weakest’ (it was a peculiar week because—owing to a snowstorm—fifteen of our members were unable to attend rehearsal):
Psalm 42:
For you, O God, are all my strength;
why have you cast me off?
Why must I go about in mourning,
while my enemy oppresses me?
Send forth your light and your truth;
let these be my guide.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
1 The source of that is: Pope Saint Paul VI’s Consilium ad Exsequendam Constitutionem de Sacra Liturgia (“Council for the Implementation of the Sacred Liturgy Constitution”); NOTITIAE 5 [1969] p. 406, and the emphasis is found in the original.
