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Corpus Christi Watershed

“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Articles

Jeff Ostrowski · July 23, 2013

Were You An Altar Boy In The 1960s?

Do you recall trying to memorize the “Confiteor” and the dreaded “Suscipiat” to serve at Mass?

Jeff Ostrowski · July 23, 2013

“I Love Ewe”

“The altar versus populum is not a new idea brought in by the reforms of Paul VI. The Mass could always be celebrated with the priest facing the people, as indeed it was in Rome and in many other places for centuries. True, it was not the usual way, but it did exist.” — Monsignor Richard J. Schuler

Cynthia Ostrowski · July 22, 2013

Catholic Line Art, Black and White • Installment #26

I will be releasing hundreds of these B/W religious line art drawings for free and instant download. These beautiful Catholic “woodcuts” were done with magnificent skill. “Download Free Traditional Catholic Clipart”

Corpus Christi Watershed · July 22, 2013

A Personal Remembrance . . .

“Could I have imagined at that time that I was sitting and conversing with the future Pope? Not in a million years!” — Fr. Christopher G. Phillips

Fr. David Friel · July 21, 2013

High School Students

Finding God

Veronica Brandt · July 20, 2013

Here I owned Thy Presence

Owning up to the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Do hymns help?

Jeff Ostrowski · July 19, 2013

Should The Priest Face The People At Mass?

“In the encyclical Mediator Dei, Pius XII regarded as ‘archeologists those who presumed to speak of the altar as a simple table.” — Newsletter of the Vatican Congregation of Divine Worship.

Jeff Ostrowski · July 19, 2013

Never Do This. Just Say “No.”

Ruth Slenczynska wasn’t right about everything … but she was right about this.

Richard J. Clark · July 19, 2013

“Missa de Jerry Seinfeld” and Praying as a Family

What I will remember most is that I knelt side by side with my daughter during the consecration. I will remember reciting the Creed in my fidgety three-year-old son’s ear as I held him.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · July 18, 2013

Silence (Part 2 of 3)

If the conditions for recollection are never present in our lives, if we do not fight to create and guard such conditions, we will lose our awareness of divine mystery, as refreshing as springtime rains, and wander in a desert of superficiality.

Jeff Ostrowski · July 17, 2013

The Founding Of Corpus Christi Watershed

Imagine my astonishment to see the date assigned to us by the State of Texas back in 2006!

Jeff Ostrowski · July 17, 2013

The Organ Book of Adrian Fortescue

Charles Cole has saved me a trip!

Andrew R. Motyka · July 17, 2013

Making Your Bed

Show and tell. Mostly show.

St. Edmund Campion Missal and Hymnal · July 17, 2013

Interview about Campion Missal, 2nd Edition

“Our hope is that the Campion Missal, in spite of its flaws, will allow Catholics to assist at Mass with greater devotion.” —Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski · July 16, 2013

Something We Humans Detest: Hypocrisy!

“Members of this American liturgical/musical establishment continually boast about their flexibility and sensitivity, but they are in fact the most rigid and insensitive of the Church’s members, especially if one has the temerity to challenge them, their policies, their processes, or their programs.” — Paul Le Voir (1993)

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —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

“I never cared a tinker’s cuss what the Congregation may have decided about the order in which the acolyte should put out the candles after Vespers.”

— Dr. Adrian Fortescue (24 Nov. 1919)

Recent Posts

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  • August 2025 • “Colorado Sacred Music Conference”
  • New “Latin/English Missal” for the Novus Ordo
  • Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
  • Bishop François Charrière Vs. Hannibal Bugnini

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