The Mass: The Presence of the Sacrifice of the Cross

The title is still presently listed in the "forthcoming books", but it is in fact now in print: The Mass: The Presence of the Sacrifice of the Cross from St. Augustine's Press.

The Mass: The Presence of the Sacrifice of the Cross
by Charles Cardinal Journet

Translation by Victor Szczurek, O. Praem.,
Preface by Bishop Salvatore Cordileone
304 pages, 6” x 9”, clothbound, $37.50
ISBN: 1-58731-494-0
introduction, notes, appendixes, indexes
world rights in English
publication date: June 2006

Charles Journet, the great Swiss theologian and cardinal of the Church, first wrote this work on the Mass over forty years ago; yet his ever-ancient-ever-new insights into the sacrificial nature of the Mass are most needed today, when this aspect of the sacrament is so often misunderstood or neglected.

The Mass is the “unbloody presence of the one unique bloody sacrifice of the Cross.” This is the fundamental principle upon which Journet develops his theology of the Mass. Guided by the teachings of the Fathers, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the Magisterium of the Church, and supported by his own rich spiritual life, Journet plumbs the depths of this unfathomable Mystery and presents It to the reader with a clarity rarely equaled.

Journet also presents a historical survey of explanations of the Mass – both orthodox and heterodox – and against this backdrop he brings out in bold relief the identity of the sacrifice of Calvary with that of the altar. Such an identity, Journet notes, is perfectly expressed in the Church’s own liturgical prayer: “As often as the memorial of this Victim is celebrated, the work of our redemption is wrought.”

This classic in sacramental theology is now made available to English readers for the first time ever. Journet’s original format – with its many subsections – has been retained for easy reading. Also included is a wealth of footnotes for the scholar. This English edition includes a Preface by Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego.

The translator, Fr. Victor Szczurek, is a Norbertine priest from St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, California. He is presently on the faculty of St. Michael’s Abbey Seminary and is the Dean of Students of St. Michael’s Preparatory School. He recently also published an English translation of Journet’s Theology of the Church.