Roche’s Rescript • “Canonically Binding? Yes or No?”
What bishops need to know!
Jesus said to them: “I have come into this world so that a sentence may fall upon it, that those who are blind should see, and those who see should become blind. If you were blind, you would not be guilty. It is because you protest, ‘We can see clearly,’ that you cannot be rid of your guilt.”
A theorist, organist, and conductor, Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He completed studies in Education and Musicology at the graduate level. Having worked as a church musician in Los Angeles for ten years, in 2024 he accepted a position as choirmaster for Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Michigan, where he resides with his wife and children. —Read full biography (with photographs).
“One person I spoke to frequently—although I never met him…” (?)
The word “Alleluia” changes to: “Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory.”
To help my volunteer choir members learn, I have attempted to record all the vocal parts for Justorum Animae, composed for SOPRANO, ALTO, and BASS. It’s from a brilliant collection by Kevin Allen called Matri Divinae Gratiae. You can hear my attempt by visiting this website and scrolling down to “Justorum Animæ.” My singers really […]
Ponder this statement by the prefect for the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (a.k.a. “CDW”).
This treatise (324 pages) is a “must read” for anyone who cares about liturgical music in the Catholic Church.
If you’ve been considering attending the Sacred Music Symposium, I suggest you send in your application as soon as possible. The committee that meets to evaluate each candidate has been going through them—and they are scheduled to convene again this week. (They do their best to get through as many as they can as quickly […]
I’m currently in the process of creating a website where all the organ accompaniment booklets for Vespers are posted for download. At the moment, you can download the 25-page booklet I used yesterday, to accompany vespers for Sexagesima Sunday.
Saint John Mary Vianney (d. 1859) is one of my favorite saints. Our readers will want to download this gorgeous stained glass window which depicts Father Vianney, the holy Curé d’Ars.
People often complain: “Catholic priests won’t pay a living wage for choir directors, yet gladly pay millions to purchase a pipe organ.”
Arthur Cardinal Roche has not had an easy time of it lately.
During the season of Septuagesima, we will be using this hymn by Cardinal Newman, which employs both Latin and English. (Readers probably know that Cardinal Newman was one of the world’s experts when it comes to Lingua Latina.) The final verse contains a beautiful soprano descant. You can hear this brief excerpt taken during our […]
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