I GOT TO MEET TWO PROMINENT CELEBS TONIGHT

Tonight was the talk on Liturgical Music given by Helen Hull Hitchcock of the Adoremus Society. Great talk! She, of course, cited such documents as Pope St. Pius X's Motu Proprio, Musicam Sacram, and even the Pope John Paul II (shall we say: Pope John Paul the Great) Chirograph on Sacred Music, which was written on the centennial of the Motu Proprio of St. Pius X.

Also mentioned was the Powerpoint presentation of the BCL, and their mention of having to develop a common repertoire. Something that was asked for in May 2001 to be developed in five years. Well, here we are in March 2006, only two months to go. How much progress has been made? Well, word is going around that the "big three" publishers have been working on that list themselves. Of course they're going to push their copyrighted materials. God forbid we press on for the stuff that's in the public domain. And there is a rich treasury of that in the Catholic Church that could use a good unleashing, or re-unleashing. But, we have to help finance (I'll try to re-quote Mrs. Hitchcock as best as I can) "that big publisher out in the west coast". I knew already who that was (as the other two legs of the "big three" are both in the midwest). Fr. Kocik could hear me chuckling, as could Elaine from my choir.

Ah yes - did I say Fr. Kocik? Yes, I did! I finally got to meet Fr. Thomas Kocik in person. Yes, the same Fr. Kocik who wrote "The Reform of the Reform?" He, too, likes to see liturgy done right. He is also part of the team of contributors in the blog The New Liturgical Movement.

The evening ended with a conversation in the narthex between Mrs. Hitchcock, Fr. Kocik, Fr. Finelli, and myself - bragging that we do not allow any of the "banal ditties" at Holy Ghost, and will continue not to allow them.

But it did conclude with the fact that folks are realizing that what was SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN with Vatican II, DIDN'T. So, now it's the slow process of correcting things. And even Pope Benedict is realizing that the process is not an easy one.

Another issue was what Pope John Paul II supposedly allowed. Some World Youth Day festivities under JP2 were planned and contracts signed before the Holy Father or the Vatican could even get a say in what was going on. Yeah sure - Pope John Paul II allowing rock bands at WYD Masses but writing a fine document like the Chirograph. JP2 didn't have much say. Such was the case in Canada a couple of years ago.

A great talk by Helen Hull Hitchcock. Next week, our own Laurie Biszko will talk on "Active Participation", and on March 24 and 31 will be Fr. Finelli's two-part talk "What is the Mass?"

Peace,
BMP