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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

Is This Any Way to Pray at Mass?

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · April 27, 2017

FEW WEEKS AGO, I freaked out my daughter when I told her that I had once known someone who was born just fourteen years after the end of the Civil War. To someone in their early twenties, the Civil War might as well be the Middle Ages. Yet it was true, and that person was my great-grandmother, my father’s grandmother. I knew her for quite a while; she died at age 93, when I was eleven, so I have some vivid memories. She spoke almost no English, only Italian, and toward the end sat all day in one chair, a blanket placed over the legs that had almost completely given out. The rosary intertwined amongst her bony fingers was a constant, and every once in while you could hear her mumbling, “Ave Maria, gratia plena…”

We visited her, and my grandmother and the rest of my father’s family, who all lived in the same city in upstate New York where he grew up, mostly on Sunday afternoons, that city being only about an hour’s drive from where we lived. But sometimes we went up on a Saturday, stayed overnight and went to church where my father had been an altar boy and where my parents were married. It was a predominantly Italian immigrant town. What I remember most about that church was how beautiful it was, and the number of women there who looked like my great-grandmother. Most of them spoke no English, and their heads were veiled or they wore hats. They knelt, if I recall correctly, throughout almost the whole Mass, reciting their rosaries. And they were dressed in the finest clothes they owned.

Now some would say that these women weren’t participating in the Mass, that they were missing the meaning. They should have been doing more things, like singing, watching the Priest do his thing (this was the 60’s after all), and shaking hands with the people near them. But here is what they were doing: they were engaged in intense prayer and they possessed an innate understanding about where they were and what they were receiving. These old immigrant women grasped at a spiritual level the inherent meaning of the sacrifice of the Mass. They had entered the sacred and left the secular world behind. This is why they wore their best clothes, because they were going to the most important place they could go. When they got home, back came the aprons and simple dresses and sensible shoes, and the loud talking in Italian. But in church, it was quiet prayer.

The capacity to understand the words of the Mass literally does not equate to a correct understanding of its meaning. 1 I get upset when I hear some people, especially priests, talk disparagingly about those “old people before Vatican II who used to pray the rosary at Mass.” I knew those old people. They were good, holy people, and I’ll bet you they knew more about the real meaning of the Mass than you or I do. Why did they kneel so much? Maybe it was because, like my great-grandmother, their legs didn’t work so well after years of raising large families and being on their feet sixteen hours a day, cooking and cleaning. Or maybe because they wanted to be closer to the Lord and Our Lady. I wonder what the world would be like if more people today decided to do some real praying at Mass instead of waiting to be entertained?



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   By the way, these immigrant people who spoke no English understood exactly what was going on when the Mass was in Latin. It was when the Mass was suddenly said in English that they had a problem.

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 Dr. Alfred Calabrese

Dr. Alfred Calabrese is Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Rita Catholic Church in Dallas, TX. He and his wife have two children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 22nd in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 31 August 2025, which is the 22nd 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 spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

Amid all these old liturgical books, I find that I am happy and at ease; I feel at home.

— Dom André Mocquereau (1884)

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