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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

How I Learned What Liturgy Really Is

Jeff Ostrowski · May 11, 2014

522 Liturgy EARS AGO, as a boy, I was part of an FSSP parish. In those days, their American seminary hadn’t been built, so priests from all over — France, Switzerland, Boston, New Zealand — passed through our parish, which was located in the center of the United States. I served Mass for these priests and created a little notebook filled with their Latin pronunciation “mistakes.”   1

One day, four priests were staying there, and someone suggested they pray their office together. All agreed. Bear in mind, these men came from four different countries: Germany, Australia, France, and Texas.

They entered the Church, pulled out their books, and prayed the Divine Office. The priest from Germany had a nicer voice, and seemed to be given the more demanding sections. I hadn’t even realized the priest from Texas could sing, but he did just fine. 2 It was truly inspiring.

This, my friends, is the meaning of liturgy.

There was no sense of “performance.” There was no unhealthy feeling of “entertainment.” There was no attempt by these priests to “outdo” one another, or impress anyone by belting out a solo. They didn’t applaud at the conclusion of each psalm or hymn. 3

LITURGY, therefore, can be defined as “people who love Jesus Christ coming together and praying the ancient texts assigned by the Church.”

I DON’T REMEMBER ANY OF THEM suggesting that popular tunes be substituted for the ancient chants, or that “upbeat” instruments be used (to make the liturgy more interesting, relevant, or engaging). Nor do I recall any of the priests recommending that the ancient prayers be “adapted” for the sake of “proper inculturation,” in spite of the fact that each came from a different country.

Again, they simply walked into Church, opened their books, and sang the prayers assigned by the Church. And it was beautiful. And they each received grace. And I did, too.

EVEN THOUGH I WAS ONLY A YOUNGSTER, I was greatly moved. The Gregorian prayers were such a perfect vehicle of unity. At least, to me they were. Perhaps I’m not as sophisticated as professional liturgists, who eliminated Gregorian chant in the 1960s. Perhaps if I were smarter, I’d realize that Gregorian chant is a “weapon” (as an SttL drafter referred to it several times in 2010).

After the Council, significant liturgical disintegration set in, often because of changes too quickly introduced. For years, it was not possible to simply “walk into Church and pray the assigned prayers” because the proper books were not available.

Now — at last ! — after five decades, we are witnessing an unbelievable flood of resources which allow us to reclaim our Roman Rite. I’m particularly excited about the Jogues Illuminated Missal, which will begin shipping this week. This book allows every man, woman, and child in our pews to come to know & love the liturgy in an exciting new way!



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Years later, I’d come to understand these weren’t true “mistakes,” but merely a reflection of each priest’s nationality.

2   Some sections were done recto tono.

3   Congregations in South Texas normally applaud for the singers during Mass. Today being Mother’s Day, the Communion Meditation at a local parish was Mary, Did You Know? (sung during Holy Communion) and everyone applauded at its conclusion.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Reform of the Reform Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

Had the Church never spoken on this matter, it would still be repugnant to our Catholic people’s sense of what is fit and proper in the holiest of places, that a priest should have to struggle through the prayers of the Holy Mass, because of such tunes as “Alice, where art thou?” the “Vacant Chair,” and others of more vulgar title, which, through the carelessness or bad judgment of organists, sometimes find their way into our choirs.

— Preface to a Roman Catholic Hymnal (1896)

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