Returning from Rio
Blessed by Silence
Articles
What’s so good about growing up?
“I have the best job in the world, I get to see people grow.” from a nurse looking after young families.
Chant Belongs to the People
When I spoke to Fr. Pierre Paul about the wholesale abandonment of Gregorian Chant, he said something I’ll never forget – not just the words, but how he said it, with resolute irrefutability: “It belongs to the people.”
Rediscovering Sacred Music with the Youth of Today
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.
From the NPM Convention in Washington, DC
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.
Catholic Line Art, Black and White • Installment #27
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”
Pope Pius XII speaks about the Liturgy (1956)
“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)
How Does One Use The Ordo Cantus Missæ?
The second half of an article about the most important book you’ve never seen.
Ordo Cantus Missae — English Translations
Who should start the “Glory to God” at Mass? Who should intone the Gloria? Ordinary Form.
Sixty-Four Years In A Row? Wow!
(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.”
Temporal Parochialism
What We Owe to the Past
Comprehensive Conversation on Veils
An interior talk about why woman cover their heads at Mass.
“Missale Romanum Cum Lectionibus Ad Usum Fidelium”
Gone forever? “A portable Latin missal which contains everything said or read at Mass.”
Requiem pour une américaine à Paris
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 Msgr. Francis P. Schmitt
Photograph of “Father Schmitt” of Boys Town taken during the 1950s.