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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

“Battles” in the Church (Part 2 of 2)

Andrew Leung · June 18, 2015

CTL Battles in the Church 2 AST WEEK, I wrote a post about my observations and opinions on the Three “Battles” in the Church. Those three “battles” are tensions that already exist in the Catholic Church. They can be solved by dialogues and discussions. This week, I would like to write about two more “battles” that shouldn’t be fought. Just like the other three “battles”, these two tensions already exist. However, unlike the three “battles”, further debates on these two will divide the Church. That is why they shouldn’t be fought.

(1) Vetus Ordo Vs. Novus Ordo — I don’t know about you. But I have heard many times that people compare the two different Forms of the Mass in the Roman Rite. And when people compare the two, often they talk bad about one of the Forms. I do think that the two Forms can affect each other positively. The Ordinary Form is still pretty new and a lot of times it is not celebrated the way it should be. But as I said here, the Novus Ordo can be done well if it is celebrated according to the rubrics and the vision of the Council Fathers. If we continue to compare the two Forms negatively, saying one is better than the other, it will lead to division of the Church. On the other hand, positive comparison with an open mind can help us understand the Liturgy, the theology behind it and the history of the Mass.

(2) Traditional Vs. Charismatic — This tension happened due to misunderstanding of the terms. I have heard so many times that people compare the two and label others as “traditional” or “charismatic”. And when they do, it seems like one cannot fit into both categories. To be a Catholic is to be both. We are traditional, because we belong to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and we believe in Sacred Tradition; We are charismatic, because we all received the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. These two terms do not contradict with each other. We need to be faithful to the Liturgy and to have a good relationship with the Holy Spirit.

In conclusion, the first three “battles” from last week need to be solved through dialogues; the other two are unnecessary and we need to stop fighting them. Humility and prayers are the keys to solve these tensions.

“Battles” in the Church (Part 1 of 2)

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Corn” From Heaven?
    The Westminster Version of the Sacred Scriptures was produced by Roman Catholics in England and bears an IMPRIMATUR dated 15 March 1958 by the Archbishop of Westminster. Its IMPRIMI POTEST was given by the director of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Sometimes the words chosen by translators can sound funny to American ears. For instance, one of our Responsorial Psalms has as its refrain: “The Lord gave them bread from heaven.” But the British version has “The Lord gave them corn from heaven.” Feel free to examine this with your own eyes. (It comes from Psalm 77.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “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

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

“There’s a world of difference between a thoughtful, wise Catholic and a bitter contrarian. In spite of what is claimed on certain blogs, being addicted to cable news and twitter does not make one an intellectual.”

— Jeff Ostrowski

Recent Posts

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  • Installment #2 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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