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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.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Active Participation in the Traditional Latin Mass

Andrew Leung · November 5, 2015

CTL Active Participation HOPE EVERYONE had a blessed All Saints Day and All Souls Day. I went on a little vacation with my friends last weekend and spent some time around the great lakes of Michigan. I spent my All Saints Day in Detroit and I went to a Missa Cantata at St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church. On All Souls Day, I sang and served at multiple Masses, celebrated in both Forms. Surprisingly, all the celebrants including the bishop and the vicar general wore black vestments! Anyway, the highlight of the day was the Missa Cantata at Immaculate Conception Church in Dennison, Ohio. Fr. Ty Tomson celebrated the Requiem Mass with the catafalque.

According to my friend, the Tridentine Mass has been celebrated at St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church, a historic church in downtown Detroit, since 2004. The Mass I went to was very simple but well-attended. I was amazed by the active participation of the parishioners, whether they are in the sanctuary, the pews or the choir loft. There were quite a few young men serving in the sanctuary. They served very well and the Liturgy went very smoothly. The organ music and the chants were just sublime! It seems like most people in the church have been going to the Latin Mass and knew it pretty well. Most of them can follow along with the St. Edmund Campion Missal & Hymnal. The parishioners were also able to participate externally by performing the different gestures (including the head bows during the Gloria, which was amazing!) and joining with the schola in singing the Ordinaries and the hymns. I think we can all learn from this wonderful parish. The Traditional Latin Mass really united these people from different ethnic groups together.

On All Souls Day, a Missa Cantata was offered at Immaculate Conception Church in Dennison, Ohio. The Extraordinary Form Mass was introduced to the church recently and parishioners are still adapting to it. I was invited to sing with the choir at this Mass and it was a big contrast compare to the Mass I attended on All Saints Day. The servers were still learning how to serve the Mass and they were doing their very best. The choir has been working hard on chanting. A lot of people are trying to follow along with the help of the handouts and they tried to follow the postures of the altar boys. Some people just simply sat there in deep prayer. They are still in the beginning stage in terms of the familiarity of the Traditional Mass. However, everyone was trying their best to pray and to participate, both internally and externally. Even though they are new to this Form of the Mass, there were still a lot of people sitting in the congregation. I was impressed by the way they prayed and the strong faith they have.

These two churches are very different. But they are both great examples of what Vatican II called for, that faithful are led to “full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgical celebration.” (SC 14)

AST WEEK, I wrote a post about the booklet, An American Requiem. I hope our reader found it useful. Bridget Scott and Fr. Charles Byrd informed me that they now have an updated version of the booklet. There are some errors in the previous edition and they have been corrected. It can be downloaded here:

    * *  PDF • AN AMERICAN REQUIEM

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”
    My pastor asked me to write brief articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The most recent article speaks about the recent announcement by Pope Leo XIV, which does have an impact on church musicians. Scheduled for publication on 2025 08 10th, it’s called: “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Chants” • 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
    All the chants for 3 August 2025—which is the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)—have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (from the book of Wisdom) is stunning. That feast website has been called “the best kept secret of Church music.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

He stood firm against nepotism, rebuking his predecessor Pope Pius IV to his face when he wanted to make a 13-year-old member of his family a cardinal and subsidize a nephew from the papal treasury.

— Re: Pope Saint Pius V (d. 1572)

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