Mr John Paul Sonnen

Jeff Ostrowski · January 8, 2015

“The best I have ever seen. Anywhere. In the world. Period.” —Mr. John Sonnen

“The vitality of the Classical Rite is as fresh as ever.”

Honesty and Integrity

Someone who made a generous donation wrote as follows: While I sometimes strongly disagree with the content or tone of the blog article authors, I, as a parish music director, have used CCWatershed’s resources countless times and have always found the site to be an excellent source of high-quality Sacred Music, which is very hard to find. I am making a donation on behalf of my parish for all the resources you have provided. Thank you for your tireless work and passion to keep this going!

That person has honesty and integrity; and we deeply appreciate his support.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Sonata during the Gradual?

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote seventeen Church Sonatas between 1772 and 1780. These are short pieces intended to be played between the Epistle and the Gospel (during Mass). Shortly after Mozart left Salzburg, the Archbishop mandated that an appropriate choral motet or congregational hymn be sung at that point in the liturgy, with the result that the “Epistle Sonata” fell into disuse.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Note from a reader (25 June 2020)

“Just visited your website for the first time 5 minutes ago. Was that struck by the beauty of the chant and the immense gift of such a beautiful collection that can be downloaded with ease…at no charge! In awe of the gift of this extensive content and the amount of labor that has gone into all of it. Please receive our support and encouragement! God bless and keep you all. Praise be to Jesus Christ, now and forever! Thank you truly.” —Signed, The P____ Family

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Liberalism in religion is the doctrine that there is no positive truth in religion, but that one creed is as good as another… It teaches that all are to be tolerated, for all are matters of opinion. Revealed religion is not a truth, but a sentiment and a taste; not an objective fact, not miraculous; and it is the right of each individual to make it say just what strikes his fancy. […] Men may go to Protestant Churches and to Catholic, may get good from both and belong to neither.”

— Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman (May of 1879)