Issue: May 2024
Letter from the District Superior
Fr. John Fullerton District Superior, USA Dear Reader, Four days before the New Mass came into force, in November 1969, Pope Paul VI gave an address trying to justify the change of...
Gregorian Chant: Reflections & Considerations of a Vocal Pilgrim
Reflections and Considerations of a Vocal Pilgrim Andrew Childs The Church requires participation in the Liturgy, either by assisting at Mass, a focused but passive participation,...
A Path into the Realm of Silence
The Church has long understood the role music plays in man's contemplation of God, and popes have frequently given instruction on the use of music in the Church. The division of labor between the various parts of the Mass provides a distinction and harmony between their respective importance, dignity, and purpose. Also, there should be a harmonious contrast of music and silence, mostly achieved by restricting the use of the organ during penitential seasons. Gregorian Chant is both sublime and simple at the same time. It admits a great practicality, allowing either simple singing or more complex integration with organ or polyphonic accompaniment. The danger of passivity presents itself in the modern era. As music is an art, one must actively make and actively contemplate it.
The Rich Symbolism of Gregorian Chant
By Julian Kwasniewski By Julian Kwasniewski Like a great and ancient tree, whose roots appear above ground but whose ultimate source is unseen, the origins of Gregorian chant are...
Sacred Music at Mass
By David Conder Saint Augustine recounts an experience he had during the singing of the Mass: “How much did I weep during hymns and verses, greatly moved at the sweet singing of thy...
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Lohengrin
Ecclesiastical efforts to promote chant and polyphony in wedding music in 19th- and 20th-century America By Sharon Kabel The musical crimes of modern Catholic weddings have been...
The Mother of God In Polish Catholic Hymns
By Angeline Tan “Bogurodzica” On a wintry weekend in January 2023, thousands of men belonging to the Marian group Wojownicy Maryi (“Warriors of Mary”), gathered...
Music at Low Mass
By Michael J. Miller If you would like to introduce singing at Mass on a regular basis, remember that Rome was not built in a day. A parish accustomed to a silent low Mass cannot produce a...
Gregorian Chant at the University of Paris
Jerome of Moravia’s Tractatus de Musica By Joseph Ahmad The interpretation of Gregorian chant has been fraught with controversy ever since the first attempts to...
Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History
The reviewer shows that rewriting of the past in order to advance an agenda in the present is nothing new. He then highlights Rodney Stark's historical analyses—debunking myths like Columbus proving the Earth is round and Catholic anti-Semitism. Stark's scrutiny extends to misconceptions about the Crusades and the Church's stance against authoritarian regimes. Ultimately, the author underscores the great value of Stark's book for an accurate historical reporting, cautioning against the dangers of pseudohistory and emphasizing truth as essential for rebuilding the future of Catholic civilization.
Problematic Post-Conciliar Liturgical Music
by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre Excerpt from Open Letter to Confused Catholics by Archbishop Lefebvre, Angelus Press, 1987, Chapter II: “They Are Changing Our Religion,”...
On the Mystical Meaning of the Alleluia and the Tract
The Alleluia means “Praise the Lord.” It ends with a melisma, which expresses the great joy, love, praise and awe of believers and also signifies everlasting joy. The Sequence follows the melisma, and usually has new or unfamiliar words, because the joy of heaven is secret and unknown to mortals. The Tract has a mournful and lugubrious sound—the tears of the saints in both the active and contemplative life. The Tract at times sounds a happy note, and other times a sad note. The Church uses an Alleluia to signify eternal joy, and a Tract to suggest mourning, because she lives in mourning here below, and is still held back in the valley of tears.
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
New Emphases and Omissions for “Modern Man” By Matthew Hazell The feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is of comparatively recent institution in the liturgy. Its origins...
Music Subjected to a Materialistic Influence
By Fr. Thibault de Maillard, translated by Mary Molline At three o’clock in the morning, a seminarian in Écône was explaining his surprise during the Midnight Mass that...
My Path to Tradition
By George and Demi Garza 1. Tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up, and what was your level of exposure to Catholicism as a child and as a young adult? George: I grew...
Questions & Answers
Is it wrong to listen to modern music?
The Last Word
Fr. Yves le Roux District Superior of Canada “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” Dear Reader, Resting his head on the Master’s heart...
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