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Corpus Christi Watershed · February 14, 2013

News Items / 14 February 2013

Some recent items of note . . .

Corpus Christi Watershed · February 11, 2013

The Pope Has Prayed About This Decision For A Long Time

We are now learning that our Holy Father had been contemplating and praying about his resignation for a very long time. In April of 2009, the Holy Father visited the tomb of an obscure Pope named St. Celestine V, remarkable for a certain reason . . .

Corpus Christi Watershed · February 4, 2013

Christmas at Christ the King (late!)

This blog seemed to good to pass up, even though it is no longer Christmastide . . .

Corpus Christi Watershed · January 21, 2013

Homiletic & Pastoral Review: Article by Fr. Friel

As I prayed these prayers from the new missal for the first time on January 3, 2012, I was struck nearly dumb . . .

Corpus Christi Watershed · January 15, 2013

John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music

The Newsletter for January 2013 and questionnaire.

Corpus Christi Watershed · November 13, 2012

Chant, Polyphony, and the New Evangelization.

VIDEO: Pope Benedict tells a choir group on pilgrimage in Rome that sacred music can be an effective means of the new evangelization.

Corpus Christi Watershed · July 13, 2012

New Missal & Hymnal for the Latin Mass

To help your congregation follow the Extraordinary Form, our book includes more than 100 full color photographs.

Corpus Christi Watershed · November 15, 2011

Achille P. Bragers Kyriale (HIGH VOICE)

The famous “Bragers Kyriale” contains organ accompaniments for all the Gregorian Ordinaries of the Mass.

Corpus Christi Watershed · October 12, 2011

Five New Translation Videos • “Glory To God”

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.

Corpus Christi Watershed · March 14, 2005

Choir of Sainte Marie • “THE GREAT WEEK”

You are also responsible for learning the PALESTRINA ALLELUIA: 26561 • “Alleluia for SATB” • PDF Score (Singer) EQUAL VOICES : YouTube SOPRANO : YouTube ALTO : YouTube TENOR : YouTube BASS : YouTube Music list: Palm Sunday Music list: Holy Thursday Music List: Good Friday Music List: Easter Sunday Reminder: the “feasts […]

Music List • (4th Sunday of Lent)

Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 4th Sunday of Lent (15 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has sublime propers. It is most often referred to as “Lætare Sunday” owing to its INTROIT. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • Communion (4th Snd. Lent)

The COMMUNION ANTIPHON for this coming Sunday, which is the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A), is particularly beautiful. There’s something irresistible about this tone; it’s neither happy nor sad. As always, I encourage readers to visit the flourishing feasts website, where the complete Propria Missae may be downloaded free of charge.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Good Friday Flowers

Good Friday has a series of prayers for various parties: the pope, catechumens, pagans, heretics, schismatics, and so forth. In the old liturgical books, there was no official ‘name’ for these prayers. (This wasn’t unusual as ‘headers’ and ‘titles’ for each section is a rather modern idea.) The Missal simply instructed the priest to go to the Epistle side and begin. In the SHERBORNE MISSAL, each prayer begins with a different—utterly spectacular—flower. This PDF file shows the first few prayers. Has anyone counted the ‘initial’ drop-cap flowers in the SHERBORNE MISSAL? Surely there are more than 1,000.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Stumped by “Episcopalian Hymnal” (1910)

Some consider Songs of Syon (1910) the greatest Episcopalian hymnal ever printed. As a Roman Catholic, I have no right to weigh in one way or the other. However, this particular page has me stumped. I just know I’ve heard that tune somewhere! If you can help, please email me. I’m talking about the text which begins: “This is the day the Lord hath made; In unbeclouded light array’d.” The book is by George Ratcliffe Woodward, and its complete title is: Songs of Syon: A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs. Back in 2016, Corpus Christi Watershed scanned and uploaded this insanely rare book. For years our website was the sole place one could download it as a PDF file.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Dies Irae” • A Monstrous Translation

It isn’t easy to determine what Alice King MacGilton hoped to accomplish with her very popular book—A Study of Latin Hymns (1918)—which continued to be reprinted in new editions for at least 34 years. This PDF file shows her attempt to translate the DIES IRAE “in the fewest words possible.” There’s a place for dynamic equivalency, but this is repugnant. In particular, look what she does to “Quærens me sedísti lassus.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Holy, Holy, Holy”

For vigil Masses on Saturday (a.k.a. “anticipated” Masses) we use this simpler setting of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” by Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989), a Belgian priest, organist, composer, and music educator who ultimately succeeded another ‘Jules’ (CANON JULES VAN NUFFEL) as director of the Lemmensinstituut in Belgium. Although I could be wrong, my understanding is that the LEMMENSINSTITUUT eventually merged with “Catholic University of Leuven” (originally founded in 1425). That’s the university Fulton J. Sheen attended.

—Jeff Ostrowski