A Fond Farewell
Changes in my personal life have made it necessary for me to curtail my blogging activity, and so this blog will be my last—at least for a time.
The Importance of Singing Carols
Let us make a point of singing good carols as much as we can throughout the whole Christmas season, rather than imitating a world that stops celebrating on December 26th.
Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis
A new book for those who are struggling to understand what has happened to the noble liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church and how we might find our way out of this crisis.
Advent Meditation
As we turn the corner to Advent, we might draw some inspiration from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Why Are the Readings Not Sung at Mass?
The ancient and beautiful practice of chanting readings at Mass has largely disappeared in the Ordinary Form. What happened?
Difference between the Two Priesthoods
What exactly is the difference between the universal priesthood of the baptized and the ministerial priesthood of the ordained?
How Liberalism Undermines Itself
Freedom for all sounds nice in theory, but how does it work in practice?
Music Never Lies
Every piece of music, great or small, contains an indefinable message of the soul, penetrating, communicative, formative.
The Use and Abuse of the “Via Media”
Everyone likes to think themselves at the golden mean between two extremes. The problem is, this often becomes a substitute for real thinking, and prevents us from striving for the best.
In Defense of the Organ Postlude
Is the organ postlude after Mass a loud distraction that stands in the way of making one’s thanksgiving? Or is it a wholly fitting conclusion to an act of public divine worship?
Death and Rebirth of Monastic Life
The death of the monastic life after the Second Vatican Council was the most devastating blow the Church received, and renewal will come from its rebirth.
Lumen Gentium on Summorum Pontificum
‘Lumen Gentium’ was given to us fifty years ago, but its provisions still apply—and they are relevant to the availability of the Extraordinary Form.
Confusions about Inculturation
A false notion of inculturation has allowed for a vast profanation and paganization of Catholic life and worship.
Have We Lost Our Sensitivity to Music?
Educated people in the 19th century feared the influence of opera on moral character. We seem to have lost any sense of music’s power to corrupt us.
Breaking News: The Communion Hymn is an Optional Add-On
Reading the General Instruction of the Roman Missal can bring many surprises. One of them has to do with the ubiquitous communion hymn.
Mass Among the Poor
Does it seem strange that religious orders dedicated to serving the poor would also be rediscovering the traditional Latin Mass?
The Awesomeness of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
A Benedictine monk helps us appreciate the tremendous miracle of the Mass, which is the central point of all earthly reality.
Why the Mass is the Key to the New Evangelization
We hear a lot these days about the New Evangelization, but not so much about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. And yet the Mass is at the very heart of our mission.
Important Resources for Liturgical Reform (7 of 7)
“Who could have anticipated such a Renaissance of music-making in the desert of postmodernity? Yet this was but the first wave, and now we are enjoying a second…”
St. Thomas on the “Asperges” (Sprinkling Rite)
St. Thomas did not comment specifically on the custom of sprinkling the people with holy water prior to the principal Sunday Mass; but he did explain exactly why it’s a good idea to do such a thing.
Away with the World—Let Heaven Enter
Music, for a Christian, should serve the same purpose as everything else in life: weaning us from excessive attachment to this world and lifting our souls heavenward.
“What Shall I Render to the Lord…”
It is impossible for us, by ourselves, to make a just return to the Lord for all He has given to us. But “with the Lord, nothing is impossible.”
Basic Steps To Improve Music At Your Parish — Part 2
I have been asked to recommend some ways in which any parish in the United States could improve the music used at Mass. Some parishes may already have taken the following two steps, in which case my advice will be nugatory for them, but if your parish has not yet done so, now’s the time to begin.
Pope Francis on Sound Doctrine, Memory, and Adoration
“One of the most common canards now broadcast is that Pope Francis cares but little for the sacred liturgy…”
Music Rules Over Us
Music is like a food that either makes us healthy or sick; indeed, it shapes our souls in its image.