Views from the Choir Loft

Father Friel • Article Archive

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served for five years as Parochial Vicar at St. Anselm Parish in Northeast Philly. He is currently a doctoral candidate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.—Read full biography.

Fr. David Friel · May 18, 2012

The Ascension of Our Lord

Is This Really ‘Good News’?

Fr. David Friel · May 17, 2012

Holy Communion

Of Igor & Ordination

Fr. David Friel · May 16, 2012

Queen of May

Model of Motherhood

Fr. David Friel · May 14, 2012

Thoughts on Praise II

Praise of God Is Our Salvation

Fr. David Friel · April 25, 2012

Thoughts on Praise I

The Assembly of the Saints

Fr. David Friel · April 24, 2012

The Resurrected Christ

We Are Witnesses of These Things

Fr. David Friel · April 18, 2012

Spare Us, O Lord!

The Meaning of Mercy

Fr. David Friel · April 9, 2012

A Father Who Keeps His Promises

The Easter Miracle

Fr. David Friel · April 2, 2012

Hebdomas Sancta

Choose Your Own Character

Fr. David Friel · March 21, 2012

St. Joseph Triduum — Installment No. 3

Part 3 of 3: Joseph of Nazareth

Fr. David Friel · March 19, 2012

St. Joseph Triduum — Installment No. 2

Part 2 of 3: Joseph of Arimathea

Fr. David Friel · March 15, 2012

St. Joseph Triduum — Installment No. 1

Part 1 of 3: Joseph of Egypt

Fr. David Friel · March 9, 2012

The Artist

A Monumental Mission

Fr. David Friel · March 4, 2012

Women’s Liberation

One Mother’s Story

Fr. David Friel · March 1, 2012

Response to the Flood

Love the Church

Fr. David Friel · February 20, 2012

Roman Missal 3.0 — Installment No. 5

Part 5 of 5: The Musical Missal

Fr. David Friel · February 16, 2012

Roman Missal 3.0 — Installment No. 4

Part 4 of 5: Fidelity Reveals Theology

Fr. David Friel · February 10, 2012

Roman Missal 3.0 — Installment No. 3

Part 3 of 5: The Orientation of the Canon

Fr. David Friel · February 6, 2012

Roman Missal 3.0 — Installment no. 2

Part 2 of 5: The Beauty of Repetition

Fr. David Friel · February 3, 2012

Roman Missal 3.0 — Installment no. 1

Part 1 of 5: The Church as “She”

Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski