This story surprised me.
His crime? Attempting to return the Cathedral to its proper place as the leading church in the Archdiocese, both musically and liturgically, after it had fallen on tragically hard times prior to his coming to Philadelphia when Justin Cardinal Rigali was its archbishop. Romeri may not have been able to challenge the supreme standard established by Westminster Roman Catholic Cathedral in London, England, but he struggled manfully and successfully to raise that standard well beyond that which he had inherited.
Don't tell me Archbishop Chaput likes sappy protestant music?
4 comments:
Have you considered the possibility that this was a personal dispute that Chaput won because of his position? From what little I've read about the man, he does not impress me as emotionally mature.
Yes, I have, that's why it's in the firm if a question. I was hoping to flush out his own history with music. Any input?
Abp Chaput is a Capuchin, fwiw , not a Dominican or Benedictine. And my understanding from musical circles is that he prefers less "high" music at Mass. John Romeri was brought in from St Louis by Cdl Rigali, who preferred a "higher" register of liturgical music. Romeri's resignation occurred very close on the heels of Cdl Rigali's 80th birthday (when he ceased to be a cardlinal-elector). Any correlation between orthodoxy and preferences in liturgical music is realtively weak.
A talented musician in Denver also resigned at one time. Archbishop is considered a conservative and for the most part that is correct but he is also a modern novus ordo pastor. He seems to sort of tolerate the traditional Latin Mass but in a limited manner. I would guess he is not overly fond of traditional sacred hymns.
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