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.”
The true youth revolution in the Church will come by way of the mysticism of chant and the power of polyphony, not by way of second-rate imitations of secular music. To pull it off, however, requires real musical knowledge, talent, and a commitment to education.
In the circles I typically frequent, NPM is seen as something of a lost cause. I’ll admit that as recently as a few years ago, I thought so, too.
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”
“Where it can be done away with without too much difficulty on the part of the faithful, it should be abrogated.” — Pope Pius XI on “orchestral Masses” (private letter)
Who should start the “Glory to God” at Mass? Who should intone the Gloria? Ordinary Form.
(Winooski, Vermont) — “An 87-year-old choirmaster who has not missed a Sunday Mass for more than 64 years will receive an honor from His Holiness Pope Pius XII.”
The second half of an article about the most important book you’ve never seen.
What We Owe to the Past
An interior talk about why woman cover their heads at Mass.
Gone forever? “A portable Latin missal which contains everything said or read at Mass.”
One of the most powerful spiritual experiences I ever had was the Requiem Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the 2012 Sacred Music Colloquium in Salt Lake City. Many of the liturgies at the Colloquia have shaken me to the core; I have been overwhelmed with an unspeakable sense of awe, mystery, and joy.
Photograph of “Father Schmitt” of Boys Town taken during the 1950s.
The fundamental precondition for active participation is interior silence. Praying in silence is a particularly noble form of human activity—more active than merely speaking or singing.
“In the reforms as they were introduced after the Council, a fundamental misunderstanding took place. Namely, this was that the reforms were undertaken with the idea there had been a rupture …” —Raymond Cardinal Leo Burke
In which we music directors get to not act like the hypocrites.
