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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

Sacra Liturgia 2015 — Update III

Fr. David Friel · June 3, 2015

HE FIRST lecture given on Wednesday came from Archbishop Cordileone, who spoke on “Liturgical Leadership in a Secular Society: A Bishop’s Perspective.” As the Ordinary of San Francisco, the archbishop’s reflections have particular significance.

One of the core points made by Archbishop Cordileone concerned the manner in which one should read Sacrosanctum Concilium. This document, he said, must not be read in isolation. It should, rather, be read in the light of the liturgical movement that preceded it and the liturgical documents that followed it. In this way, we are able truly to embrace the “hermeneutic of continuity” advocated by Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI.

Another very interesting facet of the archbishop’s presentation was a brief reflection on the significance of veiling in Catholic tradition. “In Christian liturgy,” he observed, “the sacred is veiled.” We see this even in the activities of ordinary human life, wherein we veil birthday gifts, our bodies, etc. In addition to this natural sort of veiling, Catholics also veil things such as chalices and tabernacles. Traditionally, women have often veiled their heads during worship, in token of their special role as bearers of life. Archbishop Cordileone noted that, in former times, a screen would sometimes be hung between two pillars of the baldacchino to form a sort of “tent” around the holy of holies. He challenged us to recover an appreciation for the mysterious significance of veiling.

I was intrigued by a historical observation that Archbishop Cordileone shared with conference attendees. He acknowledged that the modern world largely did away with faith—a reality that is fairly easy to observe. He then suggested that our post-modern world, in which we now live, is doing away with reason. This is something that I think warrants further thought and discussion.

Another interesting presentation was given by Mr. Matthew Menendez, whose talk was entitled “Youth and the Liturgy.” A young man himself, Matt is the founder of Juventutem Boston and a graduate of Harvard University.

He explained how several priests had a significant role in his faith formation as a child. In particular, he recalls having been invited to special tasks, as part of a select group of servers whom the priests trained—rather, formed—in the liturgy. Matt encouraged us priests to learn from this model and to implement it in our pastoral ministry. By offering such special liturgical formation, we engage young people deeply and challenge them to become missionaries who share their formation with others. This model, Menendez noted, is the one Jesus chose for His public ministry.

Some attention was given during this lecture to the phenomenon of “youth Masses” attracting congregations largely composed of baby boomers. Menendez recommended that we not accept unquestioningly the “youth culture imposed by the elderly.” These are wise words. They reminded me of those two remarkable chapters from Jeffrey Tucker’s book, Sing Like A Catholic, “A Letter to Praise and Worship Musicians” and “The New Youth Mass.”

This lecture also spoke to the experience of the American Catholic millennial. In particular, Matt highlighted a contradiction that many millennials feel—a detrimental contradiction that needs to be addressed. On the one hand, we millennials look around and see how much the liturgy has changed since the Second Vatican Council; on the other hand, we are told that Church teaching on many controversial social issues cannot be changed. While I am personally able to reconcile this, many of my fellow millennials have (perhaps a bit subconsciously) left the Church on account of precisely this apparent contradiction. Indeed, the unchanging nature of church doctrine might be easier to accept if our liturgy had been subjected to less radical change in the post-conciliar period.

One day of Sacra Liturgia USA 2015 remains. I look forward to sharing a few more thoughts about the experience with you tomorrow.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Authentic Liturgical Renewal Reform, Reform of the Reform, Sacra Liturgia Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 26 October 2025, which is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 top-notch feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Little Encouragement?
    In the Gospel, our Savior tells about 10 lepers who were healed. Only one went back to give thanks. Precious few express gratitude, yet many have endless energy to complain. For that reason, I deeply appreciate receiving messages like the following, which arrived a few days ago (about the parish where I direct in Michigan): “Last Sunday, a couple I knew from Grand Rapids was at Mass at 10:00 a.m. I got a chance to talk to them after Mass. I wanted to let you know what they said about the choir. They were absolutely floored by our sound!!!!! They both said they could continuously listen to our choir and the beauty of it. They asked me: “Do you always sound like that?” And they were also very surprised at how packed the church was. They said it was nice for them to be in such a full church. I just thought you would be interested to know their thoughts about our choir.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“If the right is given to African tribes to include their pagan traditions in the liturgy, I think the same should also be given to the rite of a thousand year-old Christian Church, based on a much older Roman tradition.”

— Professor László Dobszay

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  • “Our Father” • Musical Setting?

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