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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

PDF Download: Rare Hymnal By Boston’s Archbishop

Jeff Ostrowski · January 12, 2015

461 William Henry O'Connell - Cardinal Archbishop of Boston ID YOU KNOW the Archbishop of Boston published a hymnal in 1915? It’s true: William Henry Cardinal O’Connell wrote the words and composed the melodies. (During his high school career, O’Connell excelled at music, particularly the piano and organ.)

      * *  PDF: Holy Cross Hymnal (1915)

Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is the page explaining how VERNACULAR HYMNS were sung during the low Mass in 1915:

      * *  PDF: Vernacular Hymns at Low Mass

Can you imagine singing all those vernacular hymns while Mass is happening? And how can there be a hymn for the blessing, which—at Low Mass & High Mass—takes a grand total of 25 seconds?!!

Here’s a reproduction of that PDF:

A good method of using these Hymns for devotion at Mass is the following:

Before Mass

Hymn to the Holy Trinity

— or —

Hymn to the Holy Spirit

Beginning of Mass

Hymn of Holy Mass

After Consecration

The Blessed Sacrament

At Communion

Holy Communion

At the Blessing

Hymn for the Blessing

Between the beginning of Mass and the Consecration may be sung:

Hymns to the Blessed Virgin Mary

— or —

St. Joseph

— or —

The Sacred Heart

— or —

The Guardian Angel

— or —

or any of the other Hymns as appropriate to the day.

A WHILE AGO, we posted a recording of Cardinal Cushing of Boston praying the Canon during JFK’s 1963 funeral Mass. Since that time, it appears the entire funeral has been posted online. Without question, the liturgy is deplorable. As you can see, there’s a soloist singing operatic songs most of the time, even during the reading of the Gospel. What cacophony!

When I asked a priest ordained in the 1950s to tell me the most horrible liturgy he’d experienced in the days prior to Vatican II, he immediately responded: JFK’s funeral said by Cardinal Cushing. It’s really too bad that it’s now on YouTube for all to see, because many will point to that example and exclaim, “See? That’s how every single pre-conciliar Mass was!”


P.S.

Many interesting things could be said about William Henry Cardinal O’Connell. Here’s an example:

O’Connell was late to two papal conclaves in a row—in 1914 and 1922—due to having to cross the Atlantic Ocean by boat. He made a protest to Pope Pius XI, who in response lengthened the time between the death of a pope and the start of a conclave. O’Connell was able to participate in the subsequent 1939 conclave, although by that time traveling by plane was possible.

Update:

Several years after we posted our version, archive.org has followed our lead.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Cardinal O Connell Hymnal, Holy Cross Hymnal 1915, Low Mass Vernacular Hymns, William Henry Cardinal OConnell Last Updated: May 2, 2023

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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” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 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 feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —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

“Only against this background, of the effective denial of the authority of Trent, can one understand the bitterness of the struggle against allowing the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 Missal after the liturgical reform. The possibility of so celebrating constitutes the strongest, and thus (for them) the most intolerable contradiction of the opinion of those who believe that the faith in the Eucharist, as formulated by Trent, has lost its validity.”

— Cardinal Ratzinger, 2001

Recent Posts

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  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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