Special Offer on Books from Sacra Liturgia

Bloomsbury Publishing has a special offer available on some useful and interesting books from Sacra Liturgia, including the most recently published proceedings of the Sacra Liturgia Conference, and the updated Ceremonies of the Roman Rite. To get 35% off of these volumes, enter the code LITURGY35 at the checkout on www.bloomsbury.com. This offer is valid globally, and includes print and eBooks; it expires on September 30th. The volumes are:

–  The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described, by Adrian Fortescue and J.B. O’Connell, updated by Dom Alcuin Reid

–  The T&T Clark Companion to Liturgy

–  Liturgy in the Twenty-First Century (Proceedings of the Sacra Liturgia Conference held in New York City in 2015)

–  Authentic Liturgical Renewal in Contemporary Perspective (Proceedings of the Sacra Liturgia Conference held in London in 2016)

Problems with the Reformed Lectionary: A Summary

The published proceedings of the 2015 Sacra Liturgia USA conference contain many very interesting and fine papers, and I would thoroughly recommend them to those who have not yet read them. [1] Among the papers presented is one entitled “The Reform of the Lectionary”, by NLM’s own Dr Peter Kwasniewski. As someone who is particularly interested in the lectionary, I thought I would present a summary of Dr Kwasniewski’s arguments in his excellent contribution to Sacra Liturgia USA.

The prevailing orthodoxy is that, while other aspects of the post-conciliar liturgical reform might legitimately be questioned, the new lectionary is an obvious success. However, in recent years there have been more people asking whether or not this common view is justified—especially since it can be argued that, rather than following historical precedents in the Roman tradition and retaining and enhancing the readings already in place, Coetus XI of the Consilium went far beyond the principles of Sacrosanctum Concilium 23 by designing a lectionary ex novo.

In his presentation of some of the problems of the reformed Mass lectionary, Kwasniewski starts with the very purpose of proclaiming Scripture in the Mass. Readings during Mass are not primarily “Bible lessons.” First and foremost, readings ought to support the primary liturgical action by helping the faithful to prepare spiritually for the offering up of the Holy Sacrifice and the reception of Holy Communion. The readings are meant to be iconic, pointing the way beyond themselves to the act of worship in which the Incarnate Word is made present among us as the unblemished Lamb offered to the Most Holy Trinity in adoration, propitiation, and impetration, and offered to the faithful as their supernatural food. This perspective highlights the strengths of the old lectionary and the weaknesses of the new.

Firstly, by lengthening the readings and emphasizing the homily, the new lectionary takes focus away from the Sacrifice, which is the heart of the matter. This happens easily in the Ordinary Form because almost everything is spoken aloud. Without silence or chant to separate them, actions become emphasised by length more than anything else. As the length of the Liturgy of the Word is often longer than the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the biblical lessons acquire phenomenologically more weight than the renewal of the unbloody sacrifice of Calvary, which is the central purpose of the Mass.

Secondly, an annual cycle is a more fitting unit of time because it is naturally complete. All Western and Eastern rites have always had one-year cycles for reading Scripture, and every culture links human activities to the cosmological cycles of the sun and the moon. Moreover, the repetition of one year allows the faithful to become more familiar with the readings, and to enter ever more deeply into them as the years roll on. The multi-year system in the Ordinary Form, on the other hand, provides the faithful with so much more to forget, with far fewer opportunities to be inspired by a familiar passage.

Thirdly, there is a principle in the revised lectionary that continuous readings should be preferred to the sanctoral cycle. [2] This, in Kwasniewski’s view, is a poor principle. The ultimate goal of our public worship is the sanctification of the faithful, not a material knowledge of Scripture, which is more proper to catechesis and study. Thus it is fitting that we use the Scriptures to celebrate the saints, who have been sanctified as models for us to venerate and imitate. Without their lives, in which the Word is (so to speak) made flesh, Scripture itself is a dead letter. So it seems more in keeping with the spirit of the liturgy to give primacy to the sanctoral cycle, and to have readings directly connected with the saints, than it is to follow a fabricated system of continuous readings that seems to ignore the fitting cultus of the saints in the Mass.

Fourthly, the integration of Scripture into the Mass is much more evident in the old lectionary. For example, on a saint’s feast day, the prayers throughout the Mass invoke and honour the saint, the readings and antiphons extol the saint’s virtues, and the Sacrifice unites us with the saints as the Church Militant meets with the Church Triumphant in the Eucharist. Throughout the usus antiquior, the language of Scripture, its vocabulary and rhetoric, permeate the liturgy in almost every prayer of the priest. This is far less obvious in the modern liturgy, where the lectionary has been greatly increased but the other fixed prayers have been greatly decreased. The new lectionary is a large body of readings that floats detached, as it were, from the rest of the liturgy, which damages the coherence of the whole.

Fifthly, despite its much greater magnitude, the new lectionary does not, in fact, merely add Scripture to the liturgy; it omits many passages that had been proclaimed faithfully for over 1,500 years of Catholic worship, especially those one could consider “difficult”. The classic example is St Paul’s exhortation to examine our worthiness to approach the Eucharist lest we condemn ourselves by partaking unworthily (1 Cor. 11:27-29), a passage abundantly present in the usus antiquior, but that never appears once in the new cycle of readings. [3] The revisers of the lectionary admitted openly that they were editing out passages they deemed “difficult” for modern man. [4] Thus, the new lectionary does a disservice to the Christian people by depriving them of certain challenging texts that the Church’s tradition had always shared. As one modern writer concludes: the new lectionary presents more of Scripture’s words—and less of its message. This reveals a systematic fault in the reformers’ mindset that is certainly not operative in the old lectionary.

Finally, Kwasniewski points out that the way Scripture is treated in the liturgy should give us a clue about how important it is. In the usus antiquior, the kisses, bows, chants, incensations, etc., that occur with the reading of Scripture ennoble it much more than the simple reading that usually occurs in the Ordinary Form, whose plainness of ceremonial matches the Cartesian emphasis on quantity of text over quality of liturgical placement and meaning. It is not too surprising that, in such circumstances, the homily often overshadows or competes with the word of Scripture, since there is almost no difference between how Scripture is proclaimed and how the homily is proclaimed.

In sum, the new lectionary is not a success, for it has many flaws that did not exist in the old lectionary, which grew up organically with the Roman rite and was honoured by the Church’s unwavering fidelity for well over a millennium. The new lectionary was compiled with unseemly haste, without adherence to preceding tradition and the explicit principles of Sacrosanctum Concilium. The reformers’ modern mindset is reflected in their decision to increase vastly the amount of text but simultaneously to omit important and difficult passages that had always been a part of the Roman Church’s cycle of readings. The old lectionary of the usus antiquior does not suffer from these flaws. In theory, there is no reason it could not be enhanced by the addition of appropriate readings chosen for ferial days or for the feasts of specific saints that until now have used only the readings in the Commons. Nevertheless, any augmentation would have to honour the existing one-year cycle of readings, the veneration of the saints on their feasts, and the primacy of latreutic over catechetical aims. This being said, it is not at all clear that now would be a good time in history to begin attempting changes, when so much damage has been done by experimentation and so many Catholics are still shell-shocked by the violence of the post-conciliar reforms.

By way of conclusion, Kwasniewski asks about the practical steps we can take in order to fulfil the desires of Sacrosanctum Concilium to reveal the unity of word and ritual, and to open up the treasures of Scripture. He suggests that priests in more traditional communities should not limit themselves to preaching dogmatic homilies but should work into their homilies some helpful commentary on the Scripture readings and antiphons of the Mass, while also promoting lectio divina and Bible studies outside of the liturgy. In the Ordinary Form sphere, we should approach the liturgy with a hermeneutic of continuity by chanting the propers, prayers, and readings, and choosing the more traditional options. If a difficult passage is omitted from the lectionary, it could be quoted in the homily as part of the sound teaching that the preacher is to provide for his flock. We should increase our use of male lectors and properly vest them. We should emphasize that the Mass is a sacrifice by adopting the ad orientem posture, praying the Roman Canon, and employing traditional sacred music. Parishes everywhere should have opportunities to pray outside of the Mass (e.g., in Vespers or Compline) and to be educated in Scripture.

This is, of course, only a summary of Dr Kwasniewski’s contribution to the Sacra Liturgia USA proceedings, and I would thoroughly recommend reading the entire paper. Although I would certainly agree that we need ritual stability rather than yet more reform right now, detailed and faithful criticism of the post-conciliar reforms (and the period immediately before Vatican II itself) is necessary if future generations are to avoid the mistakes and excesses made in the name of the Council. To this end, the work of Dr Kwasniewski, and many others who love the liturgy of the Church, is vital reading.


NOTES

[1] Alcuin Reid (ed.), Liturgy in the Twenty-First Century: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives (Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2016) (USA, UK).

[2] Cf. General Introduction to the Lectionary, 83; General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 357-358.

[3] Kwasnieswki provides more examples of this phenomenon in “Not Just More Scripture, but Different Scripture”, the foreword to my book Index Lectionum: A Comparative Table of Readings for the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Roman Rite (USA, UK).

[4] Cf. General Introduction to the Lectionary, 76.

Book Review: Liturgy in the Twenty-First Century: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives

Liturgy in the Twenty-First Century: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives. Ed. Alcuin Reid. London/New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2016. xxvi + 367 pp. Paperback, $24.95. [Publisher's site] [Amazon].

This review will be shorter than the richness of this collection deserves, but I hope it will encourage NLM readers to add this compendious, challenging, and eminently readable volume to their personal libraries -- a step greatly facilitated by the book's affordable price in paperback. (A hardcover is available for those who prefer the Rolls Royce.)

Liturgy in the Twenty-First Century brings together all the papers delivered at the second of the Sacra Liturgia conferences, namely the one held in New York City in June 2015. Those who remember that event will recall the excitement generated by the message sent to the conference by Cardinal Sarah, who strongly endorsed the program of Pope Benedict XVI and stated that this was still the mind of the Church. If more recent events have cast a cloud over that happy prognosis, the content of this book nevertheless helps us to see why Cardinal Sarah was (and is) essentially correct and why the promotion of sacred liturgy in its traditional fullness is the permanent, ineradicable, and immutable task of the Church on earth, regardless of contrary voices.

Along these lines, a number of well-known contributors offer penetrating analyses of the current situation. Fr. Thomas Kocik's "The Reform of the Reform" (pp. 19-50) furnishes not only a theoretical map of the ROTR but also a thorough account of the ways in which one could reform the reform. Dr. Lauren Pristas's "The Post-Vatican II Revision of Collects: Solemnities and Feasts" (pp. 51-90) continues her long line of studies on the massive rewriting of the prayers of the Pauline missal, emanating from dubious theological commitments. Fr. Christopher Smith's "Liturgical Formation and Catholic Identity" (pp. 260-86) presents what may be the best short account of what went wrong with liturgy in the sixties and seventies, the various psychological and sociology factors at play, different ways of responding to the crisis and their relative merits and demerits, and the need for a gradual restoration of liturgical tradition, including the old rites, if we are ever to overcome the incoherence of our contemporary situation. My favorite lecture is Michael Foley's "The Reform of the Calendar and the Reduction of Liturgical Recapitulation" (pp. 321-41), which I would consider the single best critique of the severe, not to say brutal, redesign of the liturgical calendar by the Consilium.

A particular strength of this volume that I have not seen plentifully in other recent literature is its sensitivity to and seriousness about the aesthetic dimension of liturgy and the necessary artistic "clothing" of worship. Several of the papers delve into this area with great subtlety and vigor. In "The Ease of Beauty: Liturgy, Evangelization, and Catechesis" (pp. 91-104), Margaret Hughes pleads that we must let beauty be so that it may woo and win over our minds and hearts to the Lord, with a certain "ease" that is not the passivity of relaxation but the intensification of rational activity in confrontation with the manifestation of the divine. (I am making it sound academic, but the paper is easy to read and persuasive!) In "Addressing the Triumph of Bad Taste: Church Patronage of Art, Architecture, and Music" (pp. 105-24), Jennifer Donelson argues that good intentions without theological grounding and some training in the arts is destined to produce results nearly as disastrous as bad intentions and theological heresies, and that the wave of iconoclasm seen in the Church since the Council can be blamed not only on false ideas and dubious motives, but also on a grave lack of sound judgment as to what is artistically tasteful, appropriate, and in conformity with the spirit of the liturgy. Gregory Glenn makes the bold claim that "Liturgical Music is Non-Negotiable" (pp. 125-39), and explains the benefits of investing in it, using his long experience at the Choir School of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City. The most magisterial paper in this category is Raymond Cardinal Burke's "Beauty in the Sacred Liturgy and the Beauty of a Holy Life" (pp. 1-18), where he demonstrates that concern with liturgical beauty is not only not antithetical to the pursuit of holiness, as a misguided spiritualism or utilitarianism might maintain, but is in fact an indispensable support to it, and a sign of the interior health of a Christian community with well-ordered priorities and the ability to make sacrifices for the honor of God.

Other papers in the book are valuable for their insights into particular "spheres" of liturgical life and their peculiar challenges, needs, and successes -- whether it be the seminary (Fr. Kurt Belsole, pp. 189-217), youth ministry (Matthew Menendez, pp. 156-173), the monastery (Abbot Philip Anderson, pp. 342-359), the spiritual life of the priest (Fr. Richard Cipolla, pp. 218-233), or the leadership of the bishop (Archbishop Cordileone, pp. 140-155). Finally, Dom Alcuin Reid looks into interesting historical details about the waves of revision to the Holy Week rites in order to raise questions for further research (pp. 234-259), and Fr. Allan White delves into theories about preaching and proclamation (pp. 174-188).

In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I was one of the presenters at the conference; my lecture is included herein as "The Reform of the Lectionary" (pp. 287-320). In this work I offer a multifaceted critique of the revised lectionary and the entire set of presuppositions behind its compilation and execution, as well as a defense of the traditional lectionary. In general, it is a healthy sign that this and so many other topics taken up in the book can be openly discussed and debated, at least among people of younger generations who do not feel personally invested in the liturgical reform and offended by the suggestion that it may have serious, indeed malefic, flaws.

The book is rounded out by messages of Cardinal Dolan, Cardinal Sarah, and Bishop Rey, and the homily preached by Fr. Jordan Kelly, OP, at the Solemn Votive Mass of the Holy Angels that took place during the conference.

For those who are keen on the practice and study of the sacred liturgy, recognizing in it the font and apex of the Church's life and mission, Liturgy in the Twenty-First Century offers a feast of discourse not to be passed over. Its pages scrutinize the meandering paths of pseudo-reform while scattering abroad hopeful seeds of genuine renewal. I am triply grateful -- first, to have played a small part in the event myself; second, to have heard so many fine papers presented in New York in 2015; and third, to be holding this book in my hands, a permanent record that will enable the authors' work to benefit many more people over the years.

Is the Youth of Today Necessarily “Modern Man”?

One of many choirs at this year's Colloquium

Recently my son and I participated in the Sacred Music Colloquium XXV of the Church Music Association of America, held at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. As with the Sacra Liturgia 2015 Conference, a large portion of the participants were young adults who love beautiful music that is obviously sacred in its stylistic qualities, cultural associations, and avowed liturgical purpose.

People from my generation (born in the 1970s) and younger know, without need for much explanation, that Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, and post-Renaissance choral works of grand and intimate scale are the music of the Catholic liturgy.[1] Such music says “Catholic” the moment you hear it, which is why Hollywood always reaches for it when depicting anything Catholic. This vast repertoire, “a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 112) was written expressly for ecclesiastical ceremonies. At its best, it is not trying to compete with or emulate popular styles of music; it is not serving two masters; it is not a multi-purpose Swiss Army knife. It is church music, sacred music, pure and simple, and that is why it is so singularly effective and lovable. We admire what is pure and simple, because it fits its function to a T. It works. What isn’t broken doesn’t need to be fixed.

In connection with the Colloquium, I would like to develop an idea I’ve been thinking about ever since I read the following paragraph in the FIUV Position Paper n. 25, “The Extraordinary Form and Sub-Saharan Africa.”

This conflict between the traditional principles of African spirituality and Western cultural influence creates an unfamiliar context for many liturgical progressives, who have often explicitly seen their proposals as attempts to come to terms with the triumph of post-Enlightenment culture, a triumph which, in their view, can no longer be contested. However we might assess this project in the context of the developed world, the proposal to make concessions to Rationalism, for example, by excluding silence and complex ceremonial from the liturgy, or to make concessions to Romanticism, by promoting informality and spontaneity, take on very different appearance in the African context. There is a real danger of such tendencies assisting the neo-colonial attack on indigenous African spirituality.

This observation certainly seems like a persuasive argument in regard to Africa (or, for that matter, any non-Western society that has its own native religious traditions). But what intrigues me is the general claim that Rationalism and Romanticism — the two great counterforces of modernity, each an extreme reacting against the other — are the two slave-drivers behind the liturgical reform.[2]

Rationalism cracks the whip and shouts: “No silence! Everything must be SAID and UNDERSTOOD! No complexity! Stop all that intricate symbolic stuff! Stop all that lugubrious chanting! Modern man has no patience, no time, no ability, no need for it! It promotes an aristocracy of clerics! Let the light of objective reason shine!” But then Romanticism sneaks in, elbows an unsuspecting Rationalism aside, and, with a voice all the more poisonous for seeming friendly: “Relax! Go with the flow! You are too formal, uptight, rigid, and cerebral! Let go of the rubrics, find your inner child, feel it in your bones, be yourself! Everything’s about YOU, your feelings, your neediness — this is your moment!” Each struggles for supremacy; in a weird sort of way, they are codependent and collaborative. They stop at nothing to eviscerate the tradition that precedes them, until all that is left is a disembodied reason of empty structures and a derationalized self-indulgent sentimentalism.

Be that as it may, what we see at work in the liturgical reform is a peculiarly self-centered assumption that the preoccupations of modern Western man — rationalism and romanticism being characteristic -isms of an imbalanced worldview and an inadequate philosophy — are the preoccupations of all of humanity, including Africa and Asia and the poor of other countries, not to mention all generations. As a result, the new liturgy is going to be imposed on every nation, every people, every culture, and every generation, regardless of whether or not they meet the hyper-modern Eurocentric criteria on the basis of which it was designed. The absurdity of such an assumption is obvious, but it becomes even more obvious when one considers generational shifts.

It seems to me that just as there is a problem with assuming that African Catholics need the new Mass when the old Mass was and is, in fact, more suited to their culture, there is an analogous problem with assuming that today’s young Catholics, especially those who have been raised in a more traditional manner and homeschooled, automatically carry the same modernist or postmodernist burdens that the rest of Western society bears. Of course, we’re all moderns in a whole host of subtle and obvious ways, but since a good deal of the modern mentality is a flight from reality and a sort of self-invited neurosis, it seems distinctly possible — and my decades of experience as a student and then as an undergraduate and graduate-level teacher have confirmed this over and over — that young people today might actually be free of a lot of the existential baggage of their elders. The problems of the sixties and seventies are just not the same as our problems. And young faithful Catholics have not necessarily problematized their existence, or the concept of tradition, or the concept of authority, or the concept of the sacred and the mystical.

We are still struggling with the fallout of rationalism and romanticism, but we are not as naïvely optimistic about the power of human reason and of sincere feelings to lead us into an Edenic new world of human brotherhood. That strikes us as pretty vomitous, and we are looking for something a lot more serious, something real and realistic, which, paradoxically, we know will have to be something very different and, I would dare to say, transcendent. Otherwise it is fake; it is looking at a mirror and falling in love with our own image. We are looking for the original, the One from whom we come and to whom we are going.

At Sacra Liturgia 2015 and Colloquium XXV, one sees ample evidence that we are turning a corner. The rebels of yesteryear look embarrassingly old-fashioned, and the youth who still want to practice their Faith need more, desire more, and deserve more than the Church’s hierarchy has been willing (or even able?) to give them until now. And these young men and women are figuring out how to find their way back to the Tradition, in spite of all obstacles, detours, traps, and poor signage. This movement—this hunger for Catholic Tradition—cannot be stopped. But it can be somewhat delayed by obstructionists or actively promoted by shepherds who care for the eternal destiny of their sheep. I am reminded in this connection of a butler's speech from a P. G. Wodehouse novel:

It is my experience that opposition in matters of the ’eart is useless, feedin’, as it so to speak does, the flame. Young people, your lordship, if I may be pardoned for employing the expression in the present case, are naturally romantic and if you keep ’em away from a thing they sit and pity themselves and want it all the more. And in the end you may be sure they get it. There’s no way of stoppin’ them.[3]

Indeed: the traditional movement is not going away. Meanwhile, our shepherds stand to gain glory or shame, depending on how they react to this impetus of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray for them daily.


NOTES

[1] The CD Benedicta of the Monks of Norcia made it right to the top of the classical billboard, showing once again that the prayerful yearning for peace and transcendence expressed by Gregorian chant is not a passing fad but a constant need of our society. It would be helpful if prelates and pastors would pay attention to actual cultural trends like this one, instead of paying attention to what seemed to be trends several decades ago.

[2] The position paper states this explicitly elsewhere: “the Novus Ordo reflects the passage through European thinking of Rationalism and Romanticism.”

[3] P. G. Wodehouse, A Damsel in Distress, Collector's Wodehouse ed., p. 238.

Sacra Liturgia USA Wrap-Up - A Guest Commentary

Fr. David Friel, a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and blogger at Views from the Choir Loft has shared his thoughts in a wrap-up below from the June Sacra Liturgia USA 2015 conference, as well as a link to lengthier summary articles he wrote about the conference presentations.

The SLUSA Facebook page also highlights a number of other substantive articles on the conference, especially those from the blogs of the Cardinal Newman Society and James Monti at The Wanderer. 

Also, most readers have probably already seen the official photos from SLUSA, courtesy of Stuart and Jill Chessman, but if not, check them out at the SLUSA flickr page. 

Announcements about Sacra Liturgia 2016 in London and other future events, as well as news of the publication of the proceedings from SLUSA 2015 will be available at the main Sacra Liturgia website, available here: www.sacraliturgia.org. Please note that no audio or video recordings of the presentations and liturgies are available; publication will be in print format only.  

Encountering the Lord on the Upper East Side 

When plans for a Sacra Liturgia conference in New York City were first announced, I was very excited to attend. The 2013 conference in Rome was too far for many Americans to travel, and the prospect of continuing on our shores the work begun two years ago was enticing.

As I sat in the Kaye Playhouse waiting for the opening keynote address to be given, a young man sitting next to me remarked about the noticeable diversity of the conference attendees. In addition to the many priest participants, there were a large number of lay men and women. Participants included professors, musicians, mothers, bishops, seminarians, artists, and non-Catholics. There were people from all across the country present, along with a fair number of international attendees. Ages ranged widely, also, but a youthful vibrancy characterized the proceedings.

From the very outset, it was clear to me that the focus of this conference would be not simply liturgy, but liturgy and evangelization. This was the central theme of the opening remarks delivered by Bishop Frank Caggiano of the Diocese of Bridgeport. He spoke about the New Evangelization and the sacred liturgy as one of its integral tools. Another theme that surfaced throughout the week was beauty. Cardinal Burke, in particular, spoke about our natural human longing for beauty as one of the Transcendentals.

Both themes—evangelization and beauty—were marvelously linked during a presentation by Dr. Margaret Hughes, entitled, “The Ease of Beauty: Liturgy, Evangelization, and Catechesis.” Hughes’ background is in philosophy, and she drew upon her passion for Josef Pieper to make the point that the perception of beauty naturally enables one to participate in the liturgy with ease.

Among the greatest blessings of spending these days in New York City was the fellowship. Sacra Liturgia was an occasion to share conversations (and meals!) with friends I have made through the seminary, the CMAA Colloquium, and the Internet. I also had the happy occasion to meet many new people and to be inspired by their hospitality, good humor, and genuine love for God. The week was an extended experience of the “culture of encounter” about which Pope Francis often speaks.

One of the most significant revelations during the conference came in the form of a letter from Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the CDW. His Eminence explained that, upon his appointment as Prefect, the Holy Father asked him to implement the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council and “to continue the good work in the liturgy begun by Pope Benedict XVI.” The liturgical vision of Pope Francis, therefore, is to be understood in continuity with the liturgical vision of Pope Benedict, not as a rupture with it.

Sacra Liturgia USA 2015 was dense with intellectual content. A number of the lectures made serious contributions to the present liturgical movement, advancing the reform of the reform proposed by Pope Benedict XVI and now encouraged by Pope Francis. I have previously shared many details of the lectures in several posts at Views from the Choir Loft, available HERE. The academic meat of the lectures combined with the rich liturgical celebrations to form an experience that appealed to the whole person, body, mind, and soul.

This was not a closed-door meeting of entirely like-minded people. A couple of the lectures, in fact, took unexpected positions, and several of the presentations prompted vigorous debate in their respective question & answer periods. The diversity of thought strengthened the quality and pertinence of the proceedings.

For me, as a parish priest—not a liturgical scholar or chancery official or seminary professor—the Sacra Liturgia movement has nothing to do with idealism; my participation in these sessions was inspired neither by nostalgia nor by liturgical militancy. My earnest hope, rather, is that the fruit of this conference would be the revitalization of Catholic worship at the grassroots level, such that God might be more perfectly glorified and His people might be more deeply sanctified.

I am grateful to have experienced true beauty, true peace, and true Christian joy in—of all places—Manhattan.

NYC Procession was 'Religious Experience'

The term, "religious experience" is an oft-used expression in some quarters of our society, usually reserved for some performance or event that is moving to a person or group. It might be an "experience," but the chances of it having anything to do with religion are remote.  The term, however, could be aptly and justly applied to that which happened in New York City at the closing Mass of the Sacra Liturgia conference recently.

Bringing together many great speakers on the liturgy during the four-day event, the conference opened with Pontifical Vespers in the presence of Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke on Monday, and had Masses close each day, both in the Extraordinary and Ordinary Forms. All were prayerful experiences and can be categorized as triumphs, giving the Triune God the worship He deserves with the ceremonies, music and vestments that are the best the Catholic Church could offer. But these were not performances, nor events. They were the liturgical worship of the Church in the light and guidance of Tradition.

Nowhere was that more evident than Extraordinary Form Pontifical Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi, celebrated by Chicago's Auxiliary Bishop, the Most Rev. Joseph Perry in the host church of the conference, St. Catherine of Siena. The Mass was everything one could expect from the ancient rites, but it was what followed that put this particular occasion in a very special category.

The procession moves up 66th Street.
Photo courtesy of St. Hugh of Cluny Society

The procession through the streets of New York from St. Catherine's to a station at St. John Nepomucene to the ultimate destination of the great Church of St. Vincent Ferrer was something few will forget.

The short walk from St. Catherine's to St. John's -- only two blocks -- set the tone for the rest of the procession. As it came up the street, accompanied by a detail of the NYPD, hardened New Yorkers seemed to be softened by what they saw. Non-Catholics questioned the line of people, and upon hearing had a respect that was palpable. Catholic bystanders, reminded of Corpus Christi, knew immediately what was happening, some remembering processions in their youth. 

But it was the respect that sticks out in the minds of all who participated. Pedestrians stopped, motorists slowed. All showed deference to the procession and the expression of religious belief they saw.

Perhaps, the best description of what happened comes from the Rev. Richard Cipolla, pastor of St. Mary's Church (Norwalk, CT), and one of the organizers of the four-day event. In his sermon, given for the Sunday Feast of Corpus Christi, he related his impressions:

"There are some here at this Mass who were part of the procession: choir, altar servers, musicians, priests, members of the Knights of Malta, lay men and women. There were over 125 priests and seminarians in cassock and surplice, and at least that number of laity, and Bishop Perry from Chicago carrying Our Lord in the monstrance. Everyone who was part of this procession agrees that it is something that each of us will never forget. The New York police blocked off the streets of our route: 1st Avenue, then 2nd Avenue, then 3rd Avenue, then the long stretch of 66th Street as we made our way to St. Vincent Ferrer. The New Yorkers along the way stopped in their tracks, some took photographs, but all were respectful."

My job was to be ahead of the procession and make sure both churches were prepared for its arrival. It was  waiting at St. Vincent Ferrer that things took on a different character.  Fr. Cipolla further described in his sermon:

"As the procession crossed Third Avenue on 66th Street to approach St. Vincent's, the large choir in the procession began Fr. Faber's Eucharistic hymn, "Jesus My Lord, My God, My All." Everyone in the procession joined in: "Sweet Sacrament, we thee adore, O make us love thee more and more." And the sound bounced and reverberated from the stone apartment buildings flanking the street, filling the air with this soundful song of praise, as the voices of nearly 300 Catholics of faith filled the air. We processed into the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, the high altar ablaze with candles, and Bishop Perry from the magnificent altar gave Benediction to the Blessed Sacrament to the crowd assembled there."

Bishop Perry giving Benediction
Photo courtesy of St. Hugh of Cluny Society

Personally, it was a moment that had me awe-struck. But, I wasn't the only one. One of the New York policemen was standing next to me, reviewing the procession, the crowd, the echoing hymn and the reaction of the New Yorkers happening on the sight and was genuinely moved.

"Do you realize the peace you've brought to this area?" he asked me. He may or may not have been Catholic, but he knew something was happening, and it was good.

A friend of mine who was part of the choir had his own reaction. He is not one to suffer fools gladly, nor make overly effusive observations. This was different. Commenting on it the next day he wrote in an email: "The procession was magical. We clearly need more of these...it almost felt like this 'New Evangelization' that  everyone speaks about."

Indeed, it was magical in the sense that hundreds of Catholics took part in an expression of our beliefs, and especially our belief in the Real Presence. That Presence had much to do, I think, with the reaction we saw from passers-by. It was an act of witness with no apologies to the modern world that sees these things as relics of a past it would sooner forget.

My friend was right. We need more of these. It was a "religious experience" of the first order.

Corpus Christi 2015 - Third Photopost, from Sacra Liturgia in New York

Once again, we are grateful to Mr Arrys Ortanez for sharing some of his great photographs with us, this time from the celebration of Corpus Christi as part of the recent Sacra Liturgia conference in New York City. The Mass was celebrated by H.E. Joseph Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, with Bishop John O’Hara attending in choir and delivering the sermon. The Blessed Sacrament procession then went from the Church of St Catherine, where the Mass was celebrated, through the streets of New York to the Dominican church of St Vincent Ferrer, concluding with Benediction.

We can only post a small selection of the photos here; do go and check out the rest of them (over 100), which Mr Ortanez has made publicly accessible, as they give a better idea not only of the ceremony itself, but also the large number of clergy and faithful in attendance.

Continue Reading this Article. . .

Dionysius Alive and Well: On Hierarchical Incensation

At the Solemn Vespers held on the opening day of the Sacra Liturgia conference, June 1, 2015, I witnessed a memorable sign of the true nature of the Church and of the cosmos: the elaborate incensation during the Magnificat.

I have seen incense used at Vespers before, but never so elaborately, or, one might say, to such a Baroque extent (with “Baroque” as an altogether laudatory appellation). After all, incensing, like every sign used in worship, must be done properly, according to the order of persons involved — and we had in our midst a major prelate at the throne, His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke; several bishops and an abbot; ranks of clergy; platoons of religious, seminarians, and laity. It was a microcosm of the Church universal.

The incensations commenced during the Canticle of Our Lady, beginning with Our Lord at the high altar; then moving to Cardinal Burke at the throne; and then, cascading downwards, in their various echelons, the celebrant, clergy in choir, the other ministers, the religious, the laity. The censer must change hands at certain times so that ministers may both give and receive according to their specified place. It was slow, solemn, and beautiful — a real representation of ecclesiastical hierarchy and a perfect ceremonial reflection of cosmic hierarchy. As Dionysius the Areopagite teaches us: “God radiates upon inferior natures through superior natures: and to say all in one word, it is by the ministry of the highest powers that He comes forth from the depths of His adorable obscurity.”

As the days of the week went on, each liturgy of the conference featured the same lengthy, graceful, comprehensive incensation of every rank, every person, from the Head of the Mystical Body to its lowliest member. The fire burned in the thurible and the clouds of smoke rose up as a sensible sign of an ardent offering of wordless praise, of our desire to raise our prayers to God in humble homage, and of Christ’s perfect mediation on our behalf, since He offered Himself as a holocaust for our sins and a pleasing fragrance before the Most Blessed Trinity. As a contemporary commentator on Dionysius says:

Christ offers the very source and norm of ecstatic being within the order of hierarchy. Finite, hierarchical being now shows itself as a being through which we stand within ourselves as outside of ourselves—offered up, or given over, in sacrifice. . . . To die with Christ (and thus to be saved) is to become an offering through fire, a burnt sacrifice. The desire that burns within all hierarchical beings is the fire of holocaust, in which those beings are offered ecstatically to their source. Such an offering ignites the true movement of death, realized first in Christ and offered through Christ for imitation. Christ saves the finite being whose very identity consists in self-transcendence.[1]

Taking one’s time with an action like this gives it its full weight. There are no excuses or apologies for the lengthy ceremony. No one is in a rush; no one’s private agenda is permitted to dictate that we must get done as quickly as possible. If individuals need to come and go, they are free to do so; but the liturgy proceeds on its own time, in its own domain, with a blessed freedom and a sort of holy indifference to the world. Spurning the utilitarianism of our time, we should not want to “get things over with” as quickly as possible, so that we can get back to our oh-so-important secular lives; and the liturgies in New York City taught us that preeminently valuable lesson.

The world is tearing itself apart in a demonic frenzy of self-indulgence, envy, and violence, and we cannot stop it from lying and killing, for its father is the father of lies, and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). But we can do the one thing for which we were made: praise, adore, glorify, magnify the Lord, for His own name’s sake, and for our salvation. This is why our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world: to save sinners, of whom I am the first (1 Tim 1:15). This is why He ascended into heaven: that, in spite of the world, the flesh, and the devil, we who are His faithful disciples would follow Him heavenward in our thoughts, desires, actions — above all, in the theandric action of the liturgy, which joins man to God, earth to heaven, sinner to salvation.

I saw this throughout the conference liturgies: each was of a mighty stature that seemed to be a slice of the eternal motions of the heavens, or like a living thing breathing on the scale of the redwood forests or the ocean reefs. We were catching a glimpse of something far greater, far more ancient and at the same time well ahead of us and beyond us, into which we were permitted to enter for a time, as a gracious favor. The liturgy was what it had to be and we submitted our minds and hearts to its rhythms, its logic, its mysteries. God was present and we served Him. That is all — and that is enough to make everything else real and worthwhile.

Near the conclusion of an absolutely sublime Votive Mass in Honor of the Holy Angels (in the usus antiquior), I was struck by the paradox of the Postcommunion prayer: “We who are filled with the heavenly blessing humbly beseech Thee, O Lord, that the mysteries we celebrate with this poor worship [fragili officio] of ours may be profitable to us by the help of Thy holy angels and archangels.” This — all that we had just done, all the glorious music, the noble prayers handed down to us by countless saints, the very offering up of the Holy Sacrifice in a church filled with worshipers in rapt and adoring silence — was our poor worship? And yet, it was a poor service compared to the bright, sleepless, ecstatic worship of the angels in the heavenly Jerusalem, compared to the perfect intercession of the wounds of Jesus Christ in His divine humanity at the right hand of the Father. But it took the very splendor of this liturgy to throw into bold relief the distance between us and the ineffable vision of peace for which we long.

Shakespeare’s Duke Orsino famously says: “If music be the food of love, play on. / Give me excess of it” (Twelfth Night, I, 1.1-3). For Abbot John of Ford, “praise is the food of love,” and there can never be too much of it:

Without any doubt, praise awakens love and preserves it. Hence it is that the citizens of Jerusalem feed the flame of eternal love by eternal praises. They cease not to cry aloud so as to be steadfast in love. Their cry has no rest, because love knows no intermission. So praise is the food of love.  And you, too, if deep within you there is a little spark of sacred love, do all you can to apply to this spark the oil of your praise, so that your tiny fire may live and grow.[2]

NOTES

[1] Thomas A. Carlson, Indiscretion: Finitude and the Naming of God (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999), 173-74.

[2] Commentary on the Song of Songs, Sermo III, Corpus Christianorum, Continuatio Maediavalis, Vol. XVII, 48; courtesy of Sancrucensis.

Photos courtesy of Stuart and Jill Chessman/Sacra Liturgia.

Who’s Afraid of Pomp and Splendor?

Obviously, not the zealous Catholics who participated in the Sacra Liturgia 2015 conference and its liturgies. According to some left-leaning news reports, the conference was an esoteric gathering of a tiny elite. Interesting. I was there for the whole time and I saw hundreds of people, mostly young and middle-aged, including families with small children who came for the Corpus Christi procession through the streets of Manhattan — the vast majority born after the annus horribilis of 1970. When one looks at photos of more liberal gatherings, one tends to see a disproportionate representation of graybeards and aging hippies, longing nostalgically (one might say) for the good old days.

In truth, the Sacra Liturgia conference was a glimpse of the future of the Church. Even as the statistics tell us that bored, uncatechized, unchallenged, and utterly secular faithful are leaving the Church in droves, we see renewal coming from a joyful and serene embrace of the Church’s patrimony of liturgy, doctrine, morality, beauty, and holiness. Experience, a good teacher yet seldom heeded, tells us that most of the reforms following in the wake of Vatican II have been a resounding failure; experience is also telling us that the way forward is the recovery of Tradition.

Let us return to our question. Who, after all, can be afraid of or offended by pomp and splendor? Well, some of the bishops at the Second Vatican Council were certainly nervous about it, at times indignant. In the first volume of his Vatican Council Notebooks,[1] Henri De Lubac notes a number of speeches of council fathers who seemed to be calling for a “church of the poor” in a manner strikingly reminiscent of recent papal statements:

Bishop Argaya, Spanish, expressed a wish “de solemnibus . . . formis simplificandis” [concerning the solemn forms to be simplified]. The norms should be: pietas, simplicitas, et dignitas. Let everything be brought back to the spirit of the Gospel, especially in the Pontifical. We should eliminate everything that in dress and ceremonies resembles “alicui pompae humanae et mundanae” [some human and worldly pomp]. (p. 177)

Bishop Pham Ngoc Chi of Quinhen, Vietnam. No. 47: the ceremonies are too long and too complicated. (244)

Too long and too complicated? Not for this consummate MC!

A bishop from Vietnam. … Let us eliminate the maniple and the amice, useless. (277) [Note 2]

A bishop from Chile, in the name of numerous bishops of South America: on the necessity of poverty. Renounce all “vanitas”; vestments should be simpler. We must be Ecclesia docens, non verbo tantum, sed re [the teaching Church, not in word alone but also in deed]. (278)

An Italian bishop. … We can accept greater simplicity in the vestments. (278)

Bishop Paul Gouyon of Bayonne. Evangelical poverty. Simplify the vestments, even the liturgical ones, etc. (278)

Archbishop Joseph Urtasun of Avignon: on no. 89. (1) Missa pontificalis simplicior reddatur; minuantur honores externi. [Let the pontifical Mass be made simpler; let the external gestures of honor be reduced.] (281-82)

Archbishop Henrique Trindade of Botucatu, Brazil. … “humana vanitas” [human vanity]: yes, alas! … Remember that true beauty lies in simplicity; it is compatible with austerity and poverty. Remember also the demands of our times. … The temporal princes have disappeared, but, proh dolor! the Church preserves princely baubles. The legitimate tradition is the antiquissima et genuina liturgia [the most ancient and genuine liturgy]; that is, the life of Christ, consummata in cruce. For a serious reform, nunc est tempus opportunum [now is the opportune moment]. … All of us are acquainted with the social situation, the aversio a luxu et ostentatione [the aversion towards luxury and ostentation]. Reducantur res ad antiquam formam [Let things be brought back to the ancient form]. (283-84)

Traditional liturgies abound in signs of honor

Here we can see how ideas prevalent among the Modernists resurfaced at the Council. For Pope St. Pius X had written in Pascendi Dominici Gregis:

Regarding worship, they [the modernists] say, the number of external devotions is to be reduced, and steps must be taken to prevent their further increase … They ask that the clergy should return to their primitive humility and poverty …

From a more positive angle, Pope Pius X had praised the Church's cultivation of fine art in his encyclical on St. Gregory the Great, Iucunda Sane:

The arts modeled on the supreme exemplar of all beauty which is God Himself, from whom is derived all the beauty to be found in nature, are more securely withdrawn from vulgar concepts and more efficaciously rise towards the ideal, which is the life of all art. And how fruitful of good has been the principle of employing them in the service of divine worship and of offering to the Lord everything that is deemed to be worthy of him, by reason of its richness, its goodness, its elegance of form. This principle has created sacred art, which became and still continues to be the foundation of all profane art. We have recently touched upon this in a special motu proprio [viz., Tra Le Sollecitudini] when speaking of the restoration of the Roman Chant according to the ancient tradition and of sacred music. And the same rules are applicable to the other arts, each in its own sphere, so that what has been said of the Chant may also be said of painting, sculpture, architecture; and towards all these most noble creations of genius the Church has been lavish of inspiration and encouragement. The whole human race, fed on this sublime ideal, raises magnificent temples, and here in the House of God, as in its own house, lifts up its heart to heavenly things in the midst of the treasures of all beautiful art, with the majesty of liturgical ceremony, and to the accompaniment of the sweetest of song.

Introibo ad altare Dei, ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam

Not all of the council fathers were as short-sighted as their confreres quoted above; indeed, many would have concurred with the sentiments of Pope Pius X. In addition to the large number of prelates who expressed grave concerns over the negative pastoral effects of rapidly changing liturgical texts, ceremonies, and customs and who, appreciating the need for better catechesis and formation, saw nothing really broken in the liturgy that needed “fixing,” there were at least three — in de Lubac’s telling — who directly addressed the “simplifying” trend of thought:

Bishop Luis Hernandez Almarcha of Léon (Spain). No. 99: do not allow ancient works of art to be destroyed. Revere and preserve ecclesiastical traditions. Guard our treasures. Found institutes of sacred art and practical schools. (282)

The Abbot of the Olivetans. De sacra supellectile [on sacred furnishings]. In our regions, no scandal; on the contrary, populus christianus videt cum magna laetitia [the Christian people regard with great joy] everything that contributes to the splendor of the ceremonies. Jesus, who was poor in his private life, received ointment on his feet. Cf. Saint Thomas, Prima Secundae, q. 102, art. 5, ad 10. And the holy Curé of Ars. The Church has always loved beautiful churches, etc. We must preserve our sacred patrimony, see to it that sacred objects do not become secular possessions. (282-83)

The Abbot of the Canons Regular of the Lateran. … Propter splendorem cultus divini [On account of the splendor of divine worship], do not suppress the usus pontificalium [the use of pontifical insignia]. He claimed to speak in the name of several canons regular and even of the Benedictine and Cistercian abbots. (283)

Another archbishop warned of “the new iconoclasts” (p. 282) who wanted to strip the churches of their sacred images.

The Procession entering St. John Nepomucene

Thanks be to God, sacred images most broadly understood — all the sensible signs that draw our minds and hearts to the transcendent beauty of God, conveying to us something of His divine attributes and powerfully expressing our own acts of faith, hope, and charity — these images were alive and well in the “treasures of all beautiful art” with which we were surrounded in the first week of June in New York City, in the churches of St. Catherine of Siena, St. John Nepomucene, and St. Vincent Ferrer. Laus Deo!

NOTES

[1] Henri de Lubac, Vatican Council Notebooks, vol. 1, trans. Andrew Stefanelli and Anne Englund Nash (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2015). Note that de Lubac writes in a blend of Latin (when quoting the council fathers) and French. The French was, of course, translated into English, but the Latin was left intact; English has been supplied in brackets. In the Ignatius Press edition, the Latin is not italicized.

[2] This, in itself, speaks volumes: all of the vestments are, in a certain sense, useless. They are not worn because they are useful; jeans and a T-shirt might suffice if utility were the only criterion. See my article "Maniples, Amices, Cassocks--Lost and Found."

All photos from the Sacra Liturgia Conference in New York City, June 1-4, 2015. Courtesy of Stuart and Jill Chessman/Sacra Liturgia. The complete photo set may be accessed here.

Pope Francis to Card. Sarah : “Continue the Good Work in the Liturgy Begun by Pope Benedict XVI”

The facebook page of the Sacra Liturgia Conference, now underway in New York City, is live-blogging the conference, and has posted a message sent to it by His Eminence Robert Card. Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. You can read it in full by clicking to enlarge the three photographs below; but we must call particular attention to what the Cardinal says about his own mission as head of the CDW, as expressed in the words of the Holy Father.

“When the Holy Father, Pope Francis, asked me to accept the ministry of Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, I asked: ‘Your Holiness, how do you want me to exercise this ministry? What do you want me to do as Prefect of this Congregation?’ The Holy Father's reply was clear. ‘I want you to continue to implement the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council,’ he said, ‘and I want you to continue the good work in the liturgy begun by Pope Benedict XVI.’ (our emphasis)”

He then goes on to emphasize two areas which he sees as of special importance for the work of the conference.

“The first is by being utterly clear what Catholic liturgy is: it is the worship of Almighty God, the place where mankind encounters God alive and at work in His Church today. ... The liturgy is not some social occasion where we come first, where what is important is that we express our identity. ... The Church’s liturgy is given to us in tradition - it is not for us to make up the rites we celebrate, or to change them to suit ourselves or our own ideas beyond the legitimate options permitted by the liturgical books. ... ”

The second area ... is in the promotion of sound liturgical formation. The Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy went so far as went so far as to say that ‘it would be futile to entertain any hopes of realizing’ the liturgical renewal it desired ‘unless the pastors themselves ... become thoroughly imbued with the spirit and power of the liturgy, and undertake to give instruction about it.’

For our own part, we can only thank Card. Sarah these words of wisdom, and hope that he indeed able to attend in person next year’s Sacra Liturgia in London, as he states at the end of the message.

Catholic World Report Interview with Dom Alcuin Reid on Sacra Liturgia 2015

Catholic World Report has posted an interview with Dom Alcuin Reid about the Sacra Liturgia Conference to be held from June 1-4 in New York City. Here are a few excerpts; you can read the complete interview at their website, in which Dom Alcuin also gives the list of speakers and liturgical events. (Also previously announced here on NLM.)

CWR: What do you hope to achieve through this conference?

Dom Alcuin: I think the reason people wanted a Sacra Liturgia conference in the USA was because they saw that what we did in Rome was to further peoples’ formation in what the Sacred Liturgy is, in how to celebrate and pray it, and in appreciating its utterly fundamental role in living the Christian life of witness and mission in the world of the twenty-first century. We did this at various levels—practically by the full and beautiful celebration of the older and the newer rites, academically through the presentations of many expert scholars and pastors which have done a lot already to move liturgical scholarship forward, and informally through the contacts and networks built up throughout the conference.

If our New York conference can continue that work of liturgical formation and sound scholarship and put people in contact with one another we shall be very pleased.

CWR: What place does this conference have in what has become known as the “new liturgical movement”?

Dom Alcuin: Certainly Sacra Liturgia wishes to be seen as something standing at the centre of the new liturgical movement. That is a phrase that comes from Pope Benedict XVI’s book The Spirit of the Liturgy, written as Cardinal Ratzinger before his election to the papacy.

We look to support all that is good and true in the liturgical life of the Church: we promote an authentic interpretation of the Second Vatican Council’s mandate for liturgical reform and an assessment of the implementation of its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy that is faithful to the Council. We are open to an ongoing consideration of the value of a possible reform of the reform. Most certainly we work for the integral celebration of the usus recentior (the modern liturgy) with an optimal ars celebrandi—that way of celebrating the liturgy fully, beautifully and in harmony with its received tradition—as well as an openness to the value and riches of the usus antiquior (the older rites) in the Church today.

All of these are elements of the new liturgical movement. If we can move forward on these fronts Catholics will be able to draw ever more deeply from the source and summit of Christian life—which is what the Sacred Liturgy is—and our mission in the world will be stronger, more effective.

Opening Sessions at Sacra Liturgia - Dolan, Burke, Caggiano, Reid, Cipolla, Donelson

www.sacraliturgiausa.org 

Sacra Liturgia USA 2015 will open in New York on Monday, June 1st, at 4:00pm at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College.

We are honored that His Eminence the Archbishop of New York, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, will be present and will offer an address of welcome to the participants. His Excellency, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop of Bridgeport and a native of Brooklyn, will speak on the role of the renewal of the Sacred Liturgy in the life of the Church today. Dom Alcuin Reid, who coordinates the Sacra Liturgia initiatives on behalf of Bishop Dominique Rey, Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, France, will convey a message from Bishop Rey (who is himself unable to be in New York due to a meeting of the French bishops). The conference’s USA organizers Father Richard Cipolla and Dr. Jennifer Donelson will then speak on the rationale for Sacra Liturgia USA and on conference logistics.

His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, who will be in attendance for the opening remarks, will then give his keynote address “Beauty in the Sacred Liturgy and the Beauty of a Holy Life,” after which he will be present in choir at the first liturgical celebration of Sacra Liturgia USA 2015, solemn
vespers, to be celebrated at the Church of St. Catherine of Siena (East 68th St.) at 7.30pm.

The conference is open to all who are interested in the Sacred Liturgy. Full and part time registration details are available at http://sacraliturgiausa.org/conference/. The registration deadline is May 1.

Liturgies at Sacra Liturgia USA 2015 - Program Announced

The organizers of Sacra Liturgia USA 2015 (www.sacraliturgiausa.org - Registration deadline May 1) are pleased to announce the program of liturgical celebrations for the conference to be held in New York City from 1-4 June 2015. 

On Monday, June 1st, Solemn Vespers (Breviarium Romanum 1961) will be celebrated at 7.30 pm, in the presence of a Greater Prelate, His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke .

A solemn Mass (Missale Romanum 1962) will be celebrated on Tuesday, June 2nd at 5.15 pm.  Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will preside at a solemn concelebrated Mass (Missale Romanum 2002) at 5.15 pm on Wednesday, June 3rd, at which Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, CT, will preach.

Thursday evening, June 4th, at 5.15 pm, Bishop Joseph Perry, Auxiliary Bishop in Chicago, will celebrate a pontifical Mass at the faldstool for the feast of Corpus Christi (Missale Romanum 1962). An outdoor procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction will follow. We are delighted that, at the suggestion of the Archbishop of New York, His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Bishop John J. O’Hara, Auxiliary Bishop in New York, will be present for this Mass and procession and will preach.

All liturgical celebrations will take place at the Church of St Catherine of Siena, 411 East 68th Street. The liturgies are open to the public and all are welcome to participate in them, but seating will be reserved for registered participants (full time and day registration can be made here: www.sacraliturgiausa.org). Because we cannot predict the numbers of non-registered attendees, we cannot guarantee that we will have sufficient booklets for those who have not registered.

Sacra Liturgia is profoundly grateful to Cardinal Dolan for welcoming our celebrants to New York and for facilitating the participation of Bishop O’Hara, as well as to Father Jordan Kelly, OP, Pastor of St Catherine’s, and his team, for their liturgical hospitality.

Sacra Liturgia Summer School 2015 - Speakers and Presentations Announced

The website of Sacra Liturgia has posted the list of speakers (including our own Fr Kocik) and topics for the Summer School which will be this coming July, from the 4th to the 19th. Further information, including the other activites of the Summer School registration information, is available on a previous post of ours, and on the Sacra Liturgia website. All of the talks will begin at 10:15 a.m. unless otherwise noted; this information is subject to change, and will be updated if necessary.

Monday, 6 July—Dom Alcuin Reid: Praying the Sacred Liturgy.

Wednesday, 8 July—Dr Jonas Vilimas: Re-discovering the Sense and Essence of the Liturgy: The Proper Chants of Roman Mass as the Measure of the Organic Development of the Liturgy—Part 1. Out of Psalmody: the beginnings and the early development.

Thursday, 9 July—Dr Jonas Vilimas: Re-discovering the Sense and Essence of the Liturgy—Part 2. Tradidi quod et accepi (I handed on what I received): The Proper Chants of Roman Mass throughout the ages.

Friday, 10 July 9:15 a.m. —Dr Jonas Vilimas: Re-discovering the Sense and Essence of the Liturgy—Part 3. The rupture and the solution: the impact of post-Conciliar reform and the present situation.

Saturday, 11 July 7:00 p.m. — Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Some aspects of the renewal of the Church and its Liturgy.

Monday, 13 July—Dom Alcuin Reid: Pastoral Liturgy Revisited

Tuesday, 14 July—Fr Thomas Kocik: “Late have I loved thee”—Discovering the Roman rite as ritual.

Wednesday, 15 July—Dom Alcuin Reid: In Pursuit of Participation—Liturgy and Liturgists in Early Modern and Post Enlightenment Catholicism.

Thursday, 16 July—Dom Alcuin Reid: The Twentieth Century Liturgical Movement.

Sacra Liturgia Summer School, July 4-19, 2015

This coming July, Sacra Liturgia will once again hold a two week (three Sunday) English-language liturgical summer school, following on from the international conference Sacra Liturgia 2013 and the successful 2014 summer school, organised by the Monastère Saint-Benoît of the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, France, in association with the Ad Fontes Institute of Lithuania.

The summer school is designed for families, individuals and groups of clergy and laity who wish to holiday in Provence in the South of France whilst having the opportunity to participate in liturgical celebrations according to the usus antiquior. This will include Solemn Pontifical Vespers celebrated by Bishop Dominique Rey, the Bishop of of Fréjus-Toulon, and Solemn Pontifical Mass and Vespers celebrated by Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Maria Santissima in Astana, Kazakhstan. Pilgrimages and visits to historic sites, including the Royal Basilica and relics of St Mary Magdalen at St Maximin-La-Sainte-Baume, the chapel and relics of St Roseline of Villeneuve (†1329), and the ancient Cistercian Abbey of Le Thoronet form part of the programme, as do celebrations of Vespers with organ in the parish churches of the nearby villages of Grimaud and Saint-Tropez.

The summer school includes practical and academic liturgical formation and discussion. Presenters include Bishop Athanasius Schneider and Dom Alcuin Reid; the names of other presenters and their topics will be announced in due course. Training in Gregorian chant and in the ceremonies of the usus antiquior will be available for participants (including beginners).

For information about transport and accommodations, a list of the practical training sessions and required texts, and the complete schedule of classes and events, please visit the Sacra Liturgia website:
http://www.sacraliturgia.org/2015/01/sacra-liturgia-summer-school-4-19-july.html. For the registration form, please click here.

Solemn Mass in the Basilica of St Mary Magdalene, during the 2014 Sacra Liturgia summer school

Message of Bishop Dominique Rey on the Announcement of Sacra Liturgia USA 2015

Photo © CNA Petrik Bohumil

Toulon, France – 8th December 2014

Bishop Dominique Rey, Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, France, has welcomed the announcement of Sacra Liturgia USA 2015. “I am delighted at this initiative, which we began in Rome with Sacra Liturgia 2013, and which continues the work of fostering a greater appreciation of the fundamental role of liturgical formation and celebration for the mission of the Church in the twenty-first century,” he said.

“As the Second Vatican Council taught, ‘the Sacred Liturgy is the source and summit of life and mission of the Church.’ Our first duty is the worship of Almighty God. Thus, if unjustly we do not give the liturgy its primary place in Christian life or if our liturgical celebrations are somehow not as they should be, the New Evangelisation will be impeded. The urgent work of bringing people to Christ, or of bringing them back to the practice of their Catholic faith, will suffer. That is why we must begin with getting right liturgical formation and celebration,” Bishop Rey continued.

“I am profoundly grateful to His Eminence, Cardinal Dolan, for so readily welcoming Sacra Liturgia USA 2015 to the Archdiocese of New York,” Bishop Rey said, “and to the organisers and speakers who have already done so much to prepare what will be an important opportunity for liturgical formation for all involved in the Church’s ministry.”

“May God bless this new Sacra Liturgia initiative. May it bear much fruit in the United States of America, and beyond!”