Liturgical Travels Through France: A New Publication from Canticum Salomonis

We are very pleased to share with our readers this announcement of a new publication by our good friends at Canticum Salomonis, the first-ever English translation of Jean-Baptiste des Marettes’ Liturgical Travels Through France.

Gospels chanted atop rood lofts, the Blessed Sacrament reserved in hanging pyxes, processions with dragons and banners, Lenten expulsion and reconciliation of penitents, manipled choirboys, communion under two species – even, perhaps, nuns serving as acolytes! These are but some of the bygone French liturgical practices and rituals that await discovery by the reader of Liturgical Travels Through France (1718).

His guide is the learned Jean-Baptiste Le Brun des Marettes, a cleric at the turn of the eighteenth century whose abiding interest in pagan and ecclesiastical antiquity spurred him to travel his fatherland to document its diverse liturgical traditions. His account recreates a ritual world where vast cathedrals and abbeys sustained an integral and triumphal celebration of the holy mysteries accompanied by the enthusiasm of the multitudes – a world soon to be obliterated by the vicissitudes of revolution.

Translated for the first time into English by Gerhard Eger and Zachary Thomas, and published by Os Justi Press, Liturgical Travels Through France speaks directly to the concerns of our own unsettled moment as well. Early modern France enjoyed a rich and regionally varied liturgical life, shaped by centuries of faithful observance, artistic cultivation, and civic devotion, elements conspicuously absent from the flattened ceremonial landscape of today. Far from being a mere antiquarian curiosity, Le Brun des Marettes’ work offers a salutary challenge to modern preconceptions about the unicity of the Roman rite, reminding us that organic liturgical development once yielded a dazzling diversity within unity.

The book’s contemporary relevance is brought into focus by Abbé Claude Barthe, whose foreword situates the work within the context of the neo-Gallican movement as well as twentieth-century debates between rupture and continuity. An appendix by Shawn Tribe explores the art-historical aspects of Le Brun des Marettes’ account, while the French scholar François Hou offers a fascinating study of the cathedral chapters that sustained the French Church’s mighty edifice of worship.

Liturgical Travels Through France is more than a picturesque record of vanished rites (illustrated here not only in prose but in 55 plates); it is a vital source for understanding the nature and history of liturgical reform. Written at a time when the French church stood at a crossroads – torn between renewed zeal for tradition and pressures for rationalization and adaptation – it documents a moment of extraordinary tension and creativity.

The early eighteenth century, particularly in France, witnessed a flourishing of ressourcement in the fields of Scripture, patristics, and liturgy, carried out under the long shadow of the Council of Trent. As national pride swelled under Louis XIV, diocesan churches, once eager to conform to Roman norms, began asserting the legitimacy of their local customs. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes further complicated the pastoral landscape, as churchmen were forced to reconcile the needs of both lifelong Catholics and recently converted Protestants.

The sanctuary of Notre-Dame de Paris as it looked before its rood screen was taken down in the 18th century.

It was in this climate that the so-called “neo-Gallican” rites emerged: diocesan liturgical books often marked by classical sensibilities, didactic preoccupations, and a mixture of reverent innovation and archaeological curiosity. While some of these reforms culminated in the excesses of the Synod of Pistoia (1786), whose decrees were rightly rejected by both pope and faithful, many others reflected a sincere effort to recover the spirit of the Fathers, and to reform abuses without compromising the integrity of worship.

Le Brun des Marettes’ work belongs to this milieu. His accounts do not merely chronicle local curiosities; they bear witness to a Church still deeply rooted in sacramental practice, even while grappling with the challenges of modernity.

The significance of this moment has not escaped historians of twentieth-century liturgical reform. Many have sought in the eighteenth century the remote prelude to the innovations of the Liturgical Movement, and ultimately, the creation of the rite of Paul VI. Hence, this edition of the Liturgical Travels provides a cautionary counterpoint to easy narratives of rupture or progress. It reminds us that the impulse to reform, if divorced from the lived tradition and ecclesial piety that nourishes it, risks destroying the very thing it claims to renew.

In our own day, Le Brun des Marettes’ work stands as a witness to the fruitful tension between tradition and reform. Both traditionalists and progressives may be tempted to use the past he describes to justify liturgical experiments of one kind or another. The greater value of his work lies in its ability to broaden our understanding of what the Latin liturgical tradition has been – and what it might yet become. For readers today, it offer not a blueprint, but a horizon: a vision of sacred order instantiated in a particular place and time, which can inspire our own efforts to restore the sacred.

The book is available in hardback, paperback, and ebook directly from Os Justi Press. It may likewise be purchased on Amazon US or any other Amazon outlet (UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan).

“Key to the Missal: Finding Your Way in the Traditional Mass” - Reprinted by Arouca Press

We are pleased to share this item from Arouca Press about their new reprint of a classic resource for learning about the traditional Latin Mass, Key to the Missal, by Cornelius A. Bouman and Mary Perkins Ryan, originally published in 1960.

Few books do so much in so little as this one. In sixteen short chapters the authors manage not only to present a key to the Traditional Missal, but also a key to the entire Church Year, as well as a key to the Sacred Liturgy. In addition to the chapters on the seasons of the Church Year, the book gives in two initial chapters of authentic information on the history of the Missal and its use, concluding with three chapters on the feasts of Our Lord, of the Mother of God, and of the Saints. May this book give the reader a greater appreciation for such a treasure as the Traditional Roman Missal!

“Key to the Missal is a concise but richly informative commentary on the Roman Missal, the liturgical book containing the liturgy of the Mass of the Roman Rite for every day in the year. In plain and simple language, its coauthors—Cornelius Adrianus Bouman (1911-88), a Dutch liturgical historian and Byzantine Rite deacon, and Mary Perkins Ryan (1912-93), an American religious educator—open to readers the riches of the Mass, and they do so within the broader framework of the Church’s calendar. After two introductory chapters on the history and use of the Missal, the rest of this little volume takes us through the Liturgical Year, highlighting key insights drawn from the texts of the Mass. With the Missal as our optic on the Church’s cycle of seasons and feasts, we can be certain that we are thinking as the Church thinks about the mysteries of salvation: lex orandi, lex credendi...” — from the Foreword of the new edition, by Fr Thomas Kocik

“Long out of print, Cornelius A. Bouman and Mary Perkins Ryan’s 1960 Key to the Missal has been resurrected from the ash heap of oblivion to provide a new generation of traditional worshippers guidance in how to get the most out of the traditional Latin Mass. Key to the Missal artfully combines scholarly erudition with practical advice, much of which I had not heard before but which, once presented, makes perfect sense. This is a delightful and digestible book.” — Dr. Michael P. Foley, author of Lost in Translation: Meditating on the Orations of the Traditional Roman Rite and Dining with the Saints

“People who attend the traditional Latin Mass often wonder how they can better understand and relate to the liturgy. Key to the Missal answers this very practical question by offering an accessible, insightful guide to making the best use of one's daily missal. It offers points of meditation for each season of the liturgical year and for various classes of feasts, drawing the reader's attention to themes, texts, and connections. It's like a hand-missal masterclass. The strength of its content permits one to forgive, as naive, certain vintage 1960 footnotes.“” — Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, author of The Once and Future Roman Rite

A New Translation of Fr Pierre Lebrun’s Treatise on the Mass, from Ubi Caritas Press

UbiCaritas Press is pleased to announce the upcoming publication of The Mass: A Literal, Historical, and Dogmatic Explanation of Its Prayers and Ceremonies, vol. 1, by the Rev. Pierre Lebrun, C.O.I.. , translated by Harry B. Oesman, (6.14 x 9.21, 600 pages, San Diego: Ubi Caritas Press, 2024.)

The four-volume L’explication littérale, historique, et dogmatique des prières et des cérémonies de la Messe was completed in 1726, after various emendations. It was received with great acclamation, and has since been translated into Dutch, German, Italian, and Latin. This is the first complete English translation.

Against the currents of naturalism and rationalism then reigning on the heels of the 16th century rebellion against age-old Church teachings, Fr. Lebrun sets out to explain the true and right worship of the God in the Mass, the unbloody sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord, and the fount of all graces. He explains the teaching of the Church on every prayer said, the meanings of the gestures made, from the time the Priests prepares to vest, all the way through the acts of thanksgiving. In his preface, he says: “We cannot even begin to understand the true significance of the words said in Mass, but by their explanation one by one, and that whatever is said ought to be based on the Fathers, on the most ancient of the writers of the Church, and on Tradition.” He intersperses here and there information on the historical development of the ceremonies of the Holy Mass.

Fr. Lebrun’s work was very much a labor of love. For decades, he sought material from all corners of Christendom, travelling around Europe to find documentary evidence of customs, rites, and ceremonies. His research notes now occupy yards of shelf-space at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, in Paris. (BnF Latin Mss. 16796–16818).

L’explication de la Mess is the classic exposition on the Mass. In the 300 years since its publication, reference and other books on the Holy Sacrifice, and the liturgy in general, have imported whole sections of it, often without attribution. Writing 150 years after Fr. Lebrun’s death, Dom Prosper Guéranger said: “We quote his wonderful work several times. He is one of the last liturgists that France has produced who is truly worthy of the name. His erudition is equal to his orthodoxy.” (Institutions liturgiques, 2Ed., Paris, 1880, 2:485). More recently, the work was deemed the preeminent contribution to the method of articulating the mysteries of the Mass and its practical forms in history. (Xavier Bisaro, Le passé présent, Paris, 2012).

THE AUTHOR

The Rev. Pierre Lebrun, was born in Brignoles in 1661. At 17, he entered the minor seminary of the Congregation of the Oratory of Jesus and Mary Immaculate (the French Oratory) in Aix-en-Provence. He went on to their house of studies in Toulouse, and in 1688, earned his theology degree at the university there. Ordained priest, he was sent to the Order’s new seminary of Saint-Magloire in Paris in 1690. He spent his life on his great work on the Mass, applying himself despite his weak constitution. He also dedicated himself to the formation of priests, and was responsible for teaching them Church history. He died at the seminary in 1729, aged 68.

PUBLICATION DATE, OTHER VOLUMES

UbiCaritas Press is publishing Fr. Lebrun’s work in French and English. The publication date will be determined in January 2024, at which time all volumes of the revised and newly annotated French edition will be available to the public all at once. The first volume of the English translation is now available for reviewers.

REVIEWS AND INQUIRIES

For inquiries, please send an email to ucpress@cox.net. If you wish to write a review, please send us your name, street address, email, and telephone number, as well as your affiliation. The publisher will send a reviewer’s copy.

The Mass: A Literal, Historical, and Dogmatic Explanation of Its Prayers and Ceremonies, vol. 1, by the Rev. Pierre Lebrun, CO, translated by Harry B. Oesman, 6.14 x 9.21, 600 pages. San Diego: UbiCaritas Press, 2024.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Translator’s Note

Author’s Preface

Certain Terms Used

The Names and Parts of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Division of This Work

PRELIMINARY TREATISE. ON THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS AND THE PREPARATIONS PRESCRIBED FOR ITS OFFERING.

Art. I. The necessity for sacrifice in every age, the cessation of those of the Old Law and the excellence of the unique Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross and on our altars, which comprehends all else and which will never cease.

The frontispiece of the original French version.

Art. II. How the faithful ought to prepare themselves to assist at Mass fruitfully.

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New Missals For the Traditional Latin Mass

It’s really encouraging to see how many new resources are being produced these days to help people pray the traditional liturgy, and we are very glad to share this news of another. A company called Via Providence has recently issues two new hand Missals for the faithful, the Marian Missal for the Mass of the Ages, and the fuller Marian Sunday Missal for the Mass of the Ages. (Ordering information at the links.) The former (64 pages) has the Ordo Missae with the propers of the feast of the Immaculate Heart, celebrated on August 22, and used as a votive Mass on First Saturdays. The title font used throughout is Benedict, a new, hand drawn font by artist Daniel Mitsui. The new typesetting and original drawings make it easy to follow the actions on the altar and will aid the faithful as they pray the Mass. The beautiful, traditional artwork throughout echoes the depth and richness of the rite. The inclusion of common devotions before and after Communion by St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Ambrose, and others, help the faithful prepare to receive our Lord then carry Him into the world. The latter (148 pages) also includes all of the propers in English for Sundays and Holy Days throughout the year. The two-color printing aids the faithful in navigating between the propers and the Mass.

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First Issue of Sophia Press’ Benedictus (August 2021) Now Available

A surprise greeted me in my mailbox last week on July 7 (an auspicious date, to be sure): the first-ever full issue of Benedictus, the new daily Latin Mass companion published by Sophia Institute Press. This issue covers the whole month of August. Readers may recall that this initiative was announced at NLM on February 10.

My hopes were already high, given the short sample that was mailed out during Lent and the detailed advertising, but I have to say that the first issue exceeds all my expectations. It is an absolutely gorgeous publication. I will share now some photos along with brief comments. (If any of the images are blurry, that’s the fault of my bucket-o’-bolts camera; make due allowances.)

For the sake of scale (it’s a compact book that would fit in a purse or a jacket pocket, but not a pants pocket; a bit larger than Magnificat):

The two-tone artwork (black and gold) with gray shading is more elegant by far than anything I’ve seen in a missallette like this; the layout is handsome, the font easy on the eye; the meditations and features are exquisitely chosen from traditional sources, which will be one of the great benefits Benedictus bestows on its users.

First, for the layout of the Order of Mass, which is repeated with full Propers and Ordinary for each Sunday and Holy Day (so, no page turns in those cases):

 

 

 

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Sophia Press Announces Benedictus, a New Monthly Guide to the Traditional Latin Mass

Sophia Institute Press has announced a major new initiative that should be of exceptional interest to Catholics in the USA: Benedictus: The Traditional Catholic Companion. Think Magnificat, except keyed to the Tridentine Mass, making use of the Roman Breviary, and quoting from classic authors.

The dedicated website (www.praybenedictus.com) tells us what subscribers will find in each monthly booklet:

DAILY MASS COMPANION

Pray the Traditional Latin Mass, with the 1962 Missale Romanum presented in a clear and simple format. Continuous Latin and English text with reduced rubrics are included for Sundays (no page-jumping required), and complete Mass propers are offered in English for weekdays and feasts of each month.

MORNING AND EVENING DEVOTIONS

Enter the broader stream of Catholic liturgy with daily excerpts included from both Lauds and Vespers of the 1960 Breviarum Romanum, the official morning and evening hours of prayer used by traditional clergy and religious throughout the world. Excellent for family devotions, which, as a result, will synchronize better with the prayers and atmosphere of the traditional Latin Mass.

DAILY MEDITATIONS

Learn at the feet of Catholic spiritual masters each day, with devout meditations curated exclusively from saints and scholars who prayed and loved the traditional Mass, from the early Church to the early 1900s. Guaranteed to be free of soft modernism or fluffy pablum.

INFORMATIVE COMMENTARY

Dive deeper into our heritage of Faith through insightful mini-essays on the feasts and saints of the traditional calendar, as well as brief catecheses and ideas for extending a liturgical life into the home. Unlock the riches of Tradition like never before.

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