Views from the Choir Loft

USCCB Secretariat of Divine Worship

Fr. David Friel · March 24, 2019

New Musical Settings for the Blessing of the Holy Oils

The USCCB has provided freely downloadable versions of the musical settings of these newly translated texts.

Fr. David Friel · July 15, 2018

Society for Catholic Liturgy Conference 2018

To be held 27–29 September 2018, the conference will focus on the legacy of Msgr. Romano Guardini.

Fr. David Friel · December 31, 2017

USCCB Assesses Impact of “Magnum Principium”

Seven Observations on Liturgical Translation and the Recent Motu Proprio

Fr. David Friel · December 17, 2017

Gray Book for Baptism of Children Approved

How will the “confirmatio” and “regonitio” processes unfold in light of “Magnum principium”?

Fr. David Friel · July 30, 2017

Pastoral Care of Persons with Disabilites

Catholics with disabilities have a right to participate in the sacraments as fully as other members of the local ecclesial community.

Fr. David Friel · March 13, 2016

The Rite of Marriage, Second Edition

The release date has been set. What will be new in the new Rite of Marriage?

Fr. David Friel · November 23, 2014

What Will ICEL Do Next?

Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth gives details on what ICEL is doing now that the Roman Missal project has been completed.

Fr. David Friel · May 4, 2014

Parish May Crownings

A strong devotional life in the parish church will naturally support and strengthen its liturgical vitality.

Fr. David Friel · February 9, 2014

Celebrating Parish Weddings

New Rubrics for Use of the Gloria

Fr. David Friel · January 5, 2014

Ministry vs. Edification

Do the People “Minister” to their Priests?

Fr. David Friel · December 22, 2013

The Book of Non-Blessings

Of Advent Wreathes & Christmas Crèches

Corpus Christi Watershed · December 15, 2013

Florida Priest Named Head Of USCCB Divine Worship Secretariat

Please note: It’s Fr. Michael J. Flynn … not Michael J. Fox! 🙂

Richard J. Clark · June 7, 2013

The “Heart and Soul” of STTL: The Three Judgments: One Evaluation

If there is any one section of “Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship” to become very familiar with, it is this one, and for rather intriguing reasons.

‘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

“Music List” • 9 Nov. (Dedic. Lateran)

Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 9 November 2025, which is the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the sensational feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.

—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