(5 Dec. 2025) • Pope Leo XIV Speaks on Liturgical Music
“In the liturgy, in particular, singing is never a ‘soundtrack’, a simple backdrop, but is intended to lift the soul…” —Pope Leo XIV
Articles
PDF Downloads • 5 Simple Palestrina Pieces
A collection of Palestrina works that are not only stunningly beautiful but also surprisingly accessible.
Dr. Alfred Calabrese • “My Invitation To You”
EWTN will broadcast the Mass later on that same evening.
PDF Download • Agnus Dei Polyphonic “Choral Extension” (Simple Round by Ravenscroft)
It’s hard to banish that round once it enters your ears!
“Sacred Music Pilgrimage to Italy” with Grace Feltoe
Including a tour of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music with Father Robert Mehlhart, OP.
Kid’s Repertoire • “Jeffrey’s 3 Recommendations”
Growing up, I remember hearing this adage…
A Quote Worth Reading
From a mother of 11 children whose brother-in-law is a Catholic priest.
PDF Download • ‘Choral Extension’ for the Sanctus (especially useful in the Ordinary Form)
It’d be easier to accept if they admitted they were explicitly contradicting Vatican II … but instead, they lied egregiously.
Kid’s Repertoire • 3 Recommendations (Mark Haas)
“My children’s choir absolutely loves this piece.”
Veni Emmanuel: An Argument for the Anglican Rhythm
The bells ring, the opening hymn rises from the organ, and you hear that haunting melody every Catholic recognizes: O come, O come, Emmanuel.
PDF Download • “Hymn for Christ the King”
“Catholic parishes are slow to change their habits. They still sing what the oldest members learned at school.” —Evelyn Waugh
PDF Download • “Pope Pius XII Psalter” — English, Latin, and Commentary (532 pages)
I know of no greater commentary on the psalms. Its author—an erudite Dominican priest—founded the famous “Homiletic and Pastoral Review.”
Re: The People’s Mass Book (1974)
“A Man Can Kill With a Gun, a Bomb, or a Lance…”
They did a terrible thing
When the windows were opened, men like Father Franquesa found cracks to do terrible things to sacred music.
What surprised me about regularly singing the Gloria in Latin
“A chorus of groans erupted: ‘Mr. Haaaaaasssss, whyyyy?'”