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Jeff Ostrowski · April 7, 2025

“Articles for Bulletin” • Saint Mary’s in Muskegon

This series is for Saint Mary’s in Muskegon.

Jeff Ostrowski · May 6, 2024

Protected: Don’t Share • “Cantoral del Padre Antonio Daniel”

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Patrick Williams · March 12, 2023

Chant Glossary

Glossary of Chant Terms

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 28, 2022

Scandalous “Catholic” Hymn

Cynthia Ostrowski · February 16, 2021

(photographs) • The Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal

Jeff Ostrowski · April 8, 2020

(2022, Revised) • Saint Vitus Choir Page

6 May 2022 Morales Alleluia = #78969 THIS IS YOUR FIRST PRIORITY 78969 • Alleluia for OF & EF (Morales Magnificat) Page 697 from The Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal …rehearsal videos are at #697 and also #868 THIS IS YOUR SECOND PRIORITY “Christ the Lord is risen today” TUNE: “Paschal Lamb” • 77 77 […]

Jeff Ostrowski · February 12, 2020

Protected: « Sundays after Pentecost »

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Jeff Ostrowski · February 5, 2020

Protected: 3rd edition • Saint Edmund Campion Missal

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Jeff Ostrowski · October 2, 2019

Veronica Brandt • “Lalande Drop-Cap Letters”

Editing Code in the Classic Editor There are two tabs to the right of the content box: Visual and Text. Choose Text to edit the code. Choose Visual for a rough idea of how it will look. Editing Code in the Block Editor Each paragraph block has a menu bar which pops up when that […]

Guest Author · October 18, 2011

The title you choose must not be extremely long

This should be a (relatively short) sentence designed to make people want to read your blog. It can have some “shock value” … but don’t go crazy!

Corpus Christi Watershed · March 14, 2005

Choir of Sainte Marie • “THE GREAT WEEK”

You are also responsible for learning the PALESTRINA ALLELUIA: 26561 • “Alleluia for SATB” • PDF Score (Singer) EQUAL VOICES : YouTube SOPRANO : YouTube ALTO : YouTube TENOR : YouTube BASS : YouTube Music list: Palm Sunday Music list: Holy Thursday Music List: Good Friday Music List: Easter Sunday Reminder: the “feasts […]

“Simplified” Keyboard Accompaniment (PDF)

I’d much rather hear an organist play a simplified version correctly than listen to wrong notes. I invite you to download this simplified organ accompaniment for hymn #729 in the Father Brébeuf Hymnal. The hymn is “O Jesus Christ, Remember.” I’m toying with the idea of creating a whole bunch of these, to help amateur organists. The last one I uploaded was downloaded more than 1,900 times in a matter of hours—so there seems to be interest in such a project. For the record, this famous text by Oratorian priest, Father Edward Caswall (d. 1878) is often married to AURELIA, as it is in the Brébeuf Hymnal.

—Jeff Ostrowski

‘Bogey’ of the Half-Educated: Paraphrase

Father Adrian Porter, using the cracher dans la soupe example, did a praiseworthy job explaining the difference between ‘dynamic’ and ‘formal’ translation. This is something Monsignor Ronald Knox explained time and again—yet even now certain parties feign ignorance. I suppose there will always be people who pretend the only ‘valid’ translation of Mitigásti omnem iram tuam; avertísti ab ira indignatiónis tuæ… would be “You mitigated all ire of you; you have averted from your indignation’s ire.” Those who would defend such a translation suffer from an unfortunate malady. One of my professors called it “cognate on the brain.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Father Cuthbert Lattey • “The Hebrew MSS”

Father Cuthbert Lattey (d. 1954) wrote: “In a large number of cases the ancient Christian versions and some other ancient sources seem to have been based upon a better Hebrew text than that adopted by the rabbis for official use and alone suffered to survive. Sometimes, too, the cognate languages suggest a suitable meaning for which there is little or no support in the comparatively small amount of ancient Hebrew that has survived. The evidence of the metre is also at times so clear as of itself to furnish a strong argument; often it is confirmed by some other considerations. […] The Jewish copyists and their directors, however, seem to have lost the tradition of the metre at an early date, and the meticulous care of the rabbis in preserving their own official and traditional text (the ‘massoretic’ text) came too late, when the mischief had already been done.” • Msgr. Knox adds: “It seems the safest principle to follow the Latin—after all, St. Jerome will sometimes have had a better text than the Massoretes—except on the rare occasions when there is no sense to be extracted from the Vulgate at all.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of November (2025)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Gospel Options for 2 November (“All Souls”)

We’ve been told some bishops are suppressing the TLM because of “unity.” But is unity truly found in the MISSALE RECENS? For instance, on All Souls (2 November), any of these Gospel readings may be chosen, for any reason (or for no reason at all). The same is true of the Propria Missæ and other readings—there are countless options in the ORDINARY FORM. In other words, no matter which OF parish you attend on 2 November, you’ll almost certainly hear different propers and readings, to say nothing of different ‘styles’ of music. Where is the “unity” in all this? Indeed, the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community.”

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“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