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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

Confirmed! • Bp. Woost Elected Chairman of “Committee on Divine Divine Worship”

Jeff Ostrowski · November 12, 2024

OU CAN INSTANTLY watch the brief video (which took place earlier today) showing Bishop Michael G. Woost being elected CHAIRMAN of the USCCB “Committee on Divine Divine Worship.” He beat Archbishop Alexander K. Sample, and will replace Bishop Steven J. Lopes. In the month of November, the bishops of the United States often hold important meetings. According to an 11 November 2024 article in The Pillar, there has been some movement regarding the “new” (!) lectionary project announced in 2013.

New Lectionary • For some time, the claim has been made that the “Abbey Psalms & Canticles” will eventually appear in the USA Lectionary, which (at some point) is supposed to be revised. Many are skeptical, because the exact same claim was made by the USCCB regarding the Revised-Revised Grail—but that was a lie.1

Copyright Status • Considerable discussion online has ensued regarding whether the “Abbey Psalms & Canticles” is a candidate for proprietary copyright status:

*  PDF Download • Re: Copyright Status of “Abbey Psalms & Canticles”
—This article contains a PDF comparison chart.

Garbled Words • For sixty years, Catholics have demanded to know what is gained by the ceaseless tinkering with liturgical translations. Mary Elizabeth Sperry (associate director of the USCCB’s Office for the Biblical Apostolate) attempted to justify the constant modifications as follows:

“The primary way that most Catholics are going to experience Scripture is in the Word proclaimed to the Eucharistic assembly,” Sperry said. “If they can’t understand what they hear, they are missing one of the presence [sic] of Christ in the liturgy.”

Such a statement strikes me as extremely problematic. For one thing, there are many passages in Sacred Scripture which not even the Catholic Church “understands”—cf. the Book of Revelation. Indeed, Saint Peter said of Saint Paul’s Epistles: “There are passages in them difficult to understand, and these, like the rest of scripture, are twisted into a wrong sense by ignorant and restless minds, to their own undoing.” Furthermore, OUR REDEEMER (Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity) is present—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—in the SANCTISSIMUM. What more could we sinful humans reasonably demand? It would be weird for a Catholic to say: “Yeah, I know Jesus is present in the Eucharist—and that’s great and everything—but I want more.” I’m skeptical that the reason for this constant tinkering is owing to a “lack of presence” on the part of our Savior.

New Lectionary • When will this “new” Lectionary appear? Catholics have been asking that since 2013. The “best” guess seems to be 2029. Mary Elizabeth Sperry told The Pillar “it’s not clear how long that process will take.”

1 Pew books such as WORSHIP IV HYMNAL (G.I.A. Publications) which tried to “get a leg up on the competition” ended up printing a translation in hundreds of thousands of books that has never appeared—and will never appear—in any USA Lectionary. Some believe the reason the Revised-Revised Grail was abandoned had to do with its particular copyright scheme. The USCCB allowed the copyright of the Revised-Revised Grail to be administered by a private, non-Christian company. Anybody who used the texts of the Mass, proclaimed them on YouTube, reproduced them in a prayer book, or broadcast them on the radio could only do so if that company gave permission. When this scheme was revealed publicly by people like Jeffrey Tucker (a high-ranking officer of the Church Music Association of America), it caused enormous scandal—for good reason. Texts which are mandated for use in the sacred liturgy and heavily indulgenced should not be sold.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Abbey Psalms and Canticles, New Lectionary Edition USA Last Updated: November 12, 2024

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “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
    “Corn” From Heaven?
    The Westminster Version of the Sacred Scriptures was produced by Roman Catholics in England and bears a 15 March 1958 IMPRIMATUR from the Archbishop of Westminster. Its IMPRIMI POTEST was given by the director of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Sometimes words chosen by translators sound funny to American ears. For instance, one of our Responsorial Psalms has as its refrain: “The Lord gave them bread from heaven.” But the British version has “The Lord gave them corn from heaven.” Feel free to examine this with your own eyes. (It comes from Psalm 77.)
    —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

“The free space which the new order of Mass gives to creativity it must be admitted, is often excessively enlarged. The difference between the liturgy with the new liturgical books, as it is actually practiced and celebrated in various places is often much greater than the difference between the old and new liturgies when celebrated according to the rubrics of the liturgical books.”

— Cardinal Ratzinger (1998)

Recent Posts

  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”
  • “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”
  • “Chants” • 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
  • “Corn” From Heaven?
  • Gospel Acclamation Verses … Nowhere Assigned?

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