SOMETIMES FEEL THAT housewives are especially close to the Heart of God. I say this because our vocation has an immediacy that keeps us focused. We don’t have the luxury of obsessing over each new ‘crisis’ invented by cable news because our duties are urgent: a child who’s hurt or ill; a child who must be fed; a child who must be put to sleep; a child who needs lunch prepared; and so on. If something truly important happens, we’ll eventually hear about it. And there’s an important analogy here related to the sacred liturgy. If you read to the end of my article, it will become clear why I bring this up.
First, I want to share something really exciting. My daughter and I had the chance to record a beautiful ALLELUIA by Palestrina. I recorded the Alto Voice for the rehearsal video. My daughter sang the Soprano Voice. In the Extraordinary Form, it can be used with the ‘Alleluia Verse’ assigned to each Sunday, a technique we learned at the Sacred Music Symposium. In the Ordinary Form, it can be used as a ‘choral extension’ for the GOSPEL ACCLAMATION.
* PDF Download • “Alleluia” for the Ordinary Form
—Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina directed the Capella Julia.
Origins of Liturgical Modifications • When the liturgical changes were introduced in the 1970s, many Catholics—like a housewife focused on her duties—basically said: “I’m going to trust that all these changes were carefully considered by knowledgeable experts with good intentions.” In a certain sense their attitude was praiseworthy. But over the years (especially thanks to the internet) we’ve come to understand that many liturgical changes were undertaken in a haphazard way. Many are indefensible. Even Dr. Scott Hahn has come around to this position. I don’t feel it’s polemical to describe post-conciliar changes this way, since I’m unaware of any scholars willing to defend them. The revelations by key players in the reform (Prof. Louis Bouyer, Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro, Dom Adalbert Franquesa Garrós, Cardinal Ferdinando Antonelli, etc.) seem incontrovertible. My husband has done a lot of reading in this arena, and I have noticed these topics being covered by my colleagues on this blog.
Another Bombshell • Last week, a major bombshell dropped having to do with the two largest publishers of Catholic liturgical music in the United States.1 It came by means of an article by Michael Hichborn (a member of the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family) published on 18 March 2025:
In spite of what’s shared in that article, I’ve been astounded to see some Catholic musicians try to defend OCP and GIA. Some even say—publicly!—they don’t care if the ones in charge of creating the hymnals are Jehovah’s Witness, Jewish, Protestant, Buddhist, or Mormon. But any Catholic who takes the Faith seriously knows it matters whether those in charge of creating hymnals are practicing Catholics. The reason should be obvious: hymns contain lyrics in addition to musical notes. And lyrics express either truths or falsehoods about our Lord and Redeemer. False statements about Jesus Christ, who is TRUTH itself, are blasphemous.
The article by Michael Hichborn contains details which are quite sordid. This isn’t something decent people want to discuss. But if we refuse to discuss such matters, how will the situation be fixed?
A Better Way • On this blog, I have shared stories about our recent pilgrimage to Rome. We had the privilege of spending time with several musicians in charge of special choirs at the Vatican. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was known to be a very religious man, and he died in the arms of Saint Philip Neri. Even though the video above is imperfect—since it’s just a rehearsal video—one can still hear how beautiful and pure Palestrina’s music is. In the face of such masterpieces, why would anyone want to sing music with texts created by non-Christian companies?
The image below was taken a few months ago, when we met Pope Francis in Rome. I’m in a black dress, holding the camera:
1 The influence of these two notorious publishing companies (GIA PUBLICATIONS and OCP) extends to a much larger area than the United States. Their influence reaches most English-speaking countries, especially developing countries. I have in mind nations such as: India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and so forth.
