Online Resources: Critical Editions of the Pontificale Romanum

A friend has brought to my attention the work of the website Caeremoniale Romanum, which is based in Poland, and also has a wonderful archive of films of old liturgies on its YouTube channel. They have recently made available scans of some important works for the study of the Roman liturgy, scans of critical editions of the Pontificale from two different periods, which may be accessed at this page: https://caeremonialeromanum.com/en/pontificalia-romana-andrieu-dykmans-vogel/. The first is in three volumes, and the second in four.

The ordination of a bishop, depicted in a Roman Pontifical of the later 15th or 16th century.  

The first of these is the theoretical reconstruction of the so-called Pontificale Romano-Germanicum, from the 10th century, a work begun by Cyrille Vogel and completed by Reinhard Elze, and based in no small part on the earlier research of Michel Andrieu. This work as reconstructed would represent the watershed transformation of the primitive Roman Pontifical, done at the abbey of St Alban in Mainz, Germany, around the year 960, which then became the basis for all future versions of the Pontificale, up until the definitive edition issued by Pope Clement VIII at the end of the 16th century. However, it must be noted that the validity of the reconstruction has been seriously questioned by Prof. Henry Parkes in his book The Making of Liturgy in the Ottonian Church (Cambridge, 2014); this is a topic largely outside my wheelhouse, but one of the wise men whom I consult on this sort of thing informs me that Parkes’ basic conclusion, that the PRG never really existed at all, has won broad acceptance.

The second work, published by Andrieu himself in 1938, is the new edition of the Pontificale produced for the use of the Popes in Rome in the 12th century, when they were reestablishing their place in the city and the Church after the long period of decadence of the 10th century and the first half of the 11th.

The Society for Catholic Liturgy’s Annual Conference in Washington, DC, Sept. 24-26

The 2025 Annual Conference of the Society for Catholic Liturgy will seek to examine the contribution of Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI to the Church’s understanding and celebration of the sacred liturgy. This coincides both with the 25th anniversary of Ratzinger’s work, The Spirit of the Liturgy, and the Society’s own 30th anniversary (1995-2025).

The conference will be held at The Catholic University of America, Washington DC, from September 24-26 and will welcome over 100 scholars from across the United States and further afield. Keynotes will be presented by Professor Helmut Hoping (University of Freiburg) and Professor Christopher Ruddy (The Catholic University of America). Professor Hopping will address the cosmic dimension of the liturgy in Ratzinger’s writing, and Professor Ruddy will speak about the priority of God as the key understanding Ratzinger’s liturgical thought.

In addition, over 40 papers will be delivered during the conference. In keeping with the Society’s interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary scope, these will include topics such as sacred music, architecture, canon law, the liturgical celebration, liturgical history, and the reception of Ratzinger’s work.

As part of the conference, a Solemn Mass will be celebrated according to Divine Worship: The Missal, the liturgical provision approved by Pope Francis for the personal ordinariates erected for former Anglicans by Pope Benedict. This will be accompanied by the internationally acclaimed choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, under the direction of Dr. Peter Latona; the music will include Lennox Berkeley’s exquisite Missa Brevis, composed for the Choir of Westminster Cathedral in 1960. On the final day of the conference, a Mass will be offered for the repose of the soul of Pope Benedict XVI, with music from the Requiem of Maurice Duruflé, sung by the Chamber Choir of The Catholic University of America under the direction of Dr. Peter Kadeli.

Further details of the conference, including registration, can be found on the Society’s website. The conference is open to the Society’s members and guests, and we warmly welcome any and all who wish to join us.