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.

Society for Catholic Liturgy Annual Conference, Houston, Texas, September 26-27

The Society for Catholic Liturgy will hold its annual conference at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston, Texas, on September 26 & 27. The theme this year is “Liturgy & the Human Imagination”; the conference is open to members and non-members alike, and will begin with a members-only reception and a talk by Joseph Pearce. Keynote addresses will be delivered by Drs. David Fagerberg and Alexander Lingas, along with over 35 paper presentations.

Attendees will also enjoy a live concert of Byzantine Chant directed by Dr Lingas and performed by his world class ensemble, Cappella Romana. Masses will be celebrated by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and Archbishop Leonard Blair. Additionally, Studio io will provide a free guided tour of St. Mary’s at Texas A&M on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 25.

More information, including a full schedule, and the registration link can be found here: https://liturgysociety.org/page/Conference2024

Society for Catholic Liturgy’s Annual Conference, Sept. 21-22

The 2023 Annual Conference of the Society for Catholic Liturgy will be held at the University of St Thomas in St Paul, Minnesota, on September 21-22, under the title, “Remain in Me: Liturgical Formation and the Eucharistic Revival.”

In his recent apostolic letter Desiderio Desideravi, Pope Francis called for a “serious and vital liturgical formation” of the people of God through a “rediscovery of a theological understanding of the liturgy.” At the same time, the bishops of the United States have convened a three-year Eucharistic Revival, culminating in a Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2024.

As the Society for Catholic Liturgy, we believe that we have a specific scholarly contribution to make in responding to both calls to action. Our 2023 conference will study how a recommitment to the reverent celebration of the sacred liturgy, and thus to liturgical formation, is key to any Eucharistic revival.

To discuss this we will be joined by internationally renowned keynote presenters Father Uwe Michael Lang, whose seminal work Turning Towards the Lord was published with a Foreword by Cardinal Ratzinger; and Dr Brant Pitre, Distinguished Research Professor of Scripture at The Augustine Institute, whose numerous publications reveal the Scriptural basis of the Church’s liturgical prayer. The conference will host a panel discussion on liturgical formation and the priesthood, with contributions from distinguished seminary faculty and vocations directors from across the United States. The conference will also see the presentation of over 30 research papers, including a specific track for students and early career scholars.

The conference will have an intentionally ‘Eucharistic shape,’ opening with a Solemn Mass, offering the public celebration of the Divine Office, and concluding with a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the beautiful, brand new Chapel of St John Vianney Seminary on the campus of the university.

Registration for the conference is now open, and discounted hotel rooms are available through the Society’s website. Visit liturgysociety.org for more information.

Further information and media enquiries to Rev. Michael Wurtz: secretary@liturgysociety.org

SCL 2020 at Notre Dame - That They May Be One: Liturgical Reconciliation

Readers of NLM may be interested in the call for papers for the upcoming 2020 annual conference of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, titled “That They May Be One: Liturgical Reconciliation”, which will be held at the University of Notre Dame from September 24–26. The Keynote Speakers will be Bishop Stephen J. Lopes, Bishop of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, and Dr. Stephen Bullivant, Director of the Benedict XVI Centre for Religion and Sociology, and Professor of the Theology and Sociology of Religion at St Mary’s University (Twickenham and London).

Call for Papers 2020

In his Catholicism: Christ and the Common Destiny of Man, Henri de Lubac, S.J. describes the unifying function of liturgical prayer. In offering the Eucharistic sacrifice, the Church participates in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. It is through this sacrifice that men and women in the Church are restored to the original communion that was the destiny of the human family. The unity made possible by Christ’s sacrifice is ritually celebrated each Holy Thursday during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper as the Church sings, “Simul ergo cum in unum congregamur:/Ne nos mente dividamur, caveamus./Cessent iurgia maligna, cessent lites./Et in medio nostri sit Christus Deus” (So when we as one are gathered all together,/let us strive to keep our minds free of division;/may there be an end to malice, strife and quarrels,/and let Christ our God be dwelling here among us).

The irony is that much liturgical scholarship and practice in the last fifty years has led to disunity rather than unity within the Church. Catholics who worship according to the reformed rites of the Second Vatican Council may be viewed as participating in a liturgically deficient presentation of Christ’s sacrifice. Many liturgical scholars, pastoral liturgists, and even clergy of the post-conciliar era cast a suspicious eye toward Catholics who celebrate the Extraordinary Form or who desire a retrieval of liturgical and devotional practices from pre-conciliar Catholicism. The liturgical arts, especially sacred music and architecture, have become a space of contestation within Catholicism.

Liturgical renewal within both scholarship and pastoral practice must move beyond a mutual suspicion that does harm to Christ’s Body. The task of reconciliation within liturgical scholarship and practice cannot proceed as benign tolerance or a naïve relativism. Instead, it must include a deeper reflection on a liturgical theology of unity, grounded in what Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI called the sacramental mysticism central to Catholicism.

The 2020 conference of the Society for Catholic Liturgy invites submissions for papers and pastoral presentations that treat the theme of liturgy and unity in the Catholic Church. Proposals may address eastern Catholic liturgies, the reformed rites of the Second Vatican Council, the Extraordinary Form, and the Personal Ordinariate for former Anglicans. Potential topics and questions which arise from the conference theme are:

• The role of liturgical history in contributing to both unity and disunity in the Church. How might a liturgical historian narrate the history of the liturgy in a way that does not succumb to prejudices against a specific liturgical era or series of practices?
• A liturgical theology of unity grounded in the rites of the Church.
• Sociological and cultural examinations of liturgical practice in parishes and seminaries. Are parishes and seminaries marked by discord or harmony around liturgical practice? What is the source of this discord or harmony in parishes and seminaries?
• Constructive proposals attending to how the Novus Ordo, the Extraordinary Form, and eastern Catholic liturgies may contribute to a fuller understanding of actuosa participatio. What theological, ritual, aesthetic, pastoral, and principles should form the basis of this robust account of active participation?
• The role of the liturgical arts and sacred music in fostering the unity of the Church within the liturgy.
• The Personal Ordinariate of former Anglicans and its contributions to the Catholic Church.
• The function of liturgical language (the vernacular or a sacred language) as fostering ecclesial unity.
• The role of liturgical prayer as fostering unity within the human family in a global context.

Paper proposals of approximately 250 words should be emailed to:
tomalley@nd.edu by Monday, February 3, 2020.

Presentations are expected to be 45 minutes in length, followed by 15 minutes of discussion. Papers presented will be considered for publication in the Society for Catholic Liturgy’s journal Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal.

Registration, Housing, and Travel
Registration information will be available by February 1, 2020.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Embassy Suites and Fairfield Inn at the University of Notre Dame. Information about reserving these rooms will be available by February 1, 2020.

The University of Notre Dame is accessible via air, rail, and car.

Card Müller Keynote Speaker at 2018 Society for Catholic Liturgy Conference

The Society for Catholic Liturgy is pleased to announce its 2018 conference, to be held September 27–29 in Miami, Florida, at the Cathedral of St. Mary. The conference theme is the centenary of the publication of Romano Guardini’s Spirit of the Liturgy.

The conference will feature keynote addresses by His Eminence, Gerhard Cardinal Müller (“Lex orandi - lex credendi”), Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, and the Secretariat of the USCCB’s Committee on Divine Worship.

The liturgies of the conference are a solemn Mass in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite to be celebrated by Cardinal Müller, and a solemn pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form, celebrated by Archbishop Wenski.

Papers on the conference theme will be delivered by Steve Baker, Rev Mr Samuel Bellafiore, Dr Michael Brummond, Rev Daniel Cardó, Peter Carter, Jonathan Ciraulo, Dr Andrew Dinan, Rev David Friel, Dr Michael Foley, John Haigh, Barnaby Hughes, Dr Kevin Hughes, Dr Nathan Knutson, Kevin Magas, Dr William Mahrt, Dino Marcantonio, Dr Michon Matthiesen, John Monaco, Rev Michael Monshau, Sr Esther Mary Nickel, Dr Timothy O’Malley, Dr Edward Schaefer, Dr Jeremy Sinkiewicz, Joshua Wopata, and Zachary Watters. Topics can be viewed on the schedule available on the conference website. 

All are welcome to attend the conference; there is a discount for members of the Society, as well as for seminarians. Day passes are also available. Registration and more information is included below and at the Society’s webpage. 

The registration deadline is Monday, September 17th. Please also note that discounted hotel prices are good only until July 27th. Please book early if you'd like the discount. 

I hope you'll be able to join us in Miami in September!

Guardini's Spirit of the Liturgy Centenary - Call for Papers of the Society for Catholic Liturgy

Call for Papers
Centenary of the Publication of
The Spirit of the Liturgy by Romano Guardini

September 27–29, 2018
Cathedral of St. Mary
Miami, Florida

A touchstone of the twentieth-century Liturgical Movement, Romano Guardini’s Spirit of the Liturgy marks its centennial year of publication in 2018. For the occa

sion of its annual conference, The Society for Catholic Liturgy invites submissions for academic papers and pastoral presentations on topics related to Guardini’s work.

• Expositions on the life and work of Romano Guardini
• The legacy of Guardini and The Spirit of the Liturgy
• The place of Guardini within the twentieth-century Liturgical Movement 
• The Spirit of the Liturgy and the Second Vatican Council 
• Problematics posed or introduced by The Spirit of the Liturgy 
• The relationship between Guardini’s and Ratzinger’s The Spirit of the Liturgy 
• Relationships between the following in The Spirit of the Liturgy: 
• Nature and grace, or nature and “cultural heritage”/civilization 
• The individual and the community, the parish and the universal Church, or more generally the particular and the universal 
• Change and stability 
• Emotions, the mind, truth, or the will, etc. 
• Vertical and horizontal aspects of the liturgy 
• Liturgy and the moral life 
• The subjective and the objective 
• Popular piety/devotions, the spiritual life, and the liturgy 
• Lex orandi and lex credendi 
• Externality and internality 
• Freedom and restraint 
• Individual “style” and universality of expression 
• The material and the spiritual 
• Purpose and meaning 
• Beauty, truth, and goodness 
• Logos and ethos 
• Contemplation and activity 
• The role of the following in the liturgy, according to Guardini’s work 

• Christ as figure or actor 
• Repetition 
• “Active participation” 
• Sacrifice 
• Humility 
• Sensibilities of the modern man 
• Mystery 
• Symbolism and typology 
• Playfulness 
• Minimalism or simplicity 
• Rubrics and rules
• The problems of aestheticism, moralism, Kantianism, or didacticism vis-à-vis the liturgy 
• Reception and application of principles of The Spirit of the Liturgy in the post-modern context, or within Guardini’s own time 
• The place of The Spirit of the Liturgy within Guardini’s oeuvre 
• Guardini’s liturgical praxis and ars celebrandi 
• Guardini’s work with youth 
• Liturgy and technology 

Other proposals will be considered, but primary consideration will be given to proposals that are related to the conference theme.

Paper proposals of approximately 250 words should be emailed to Jennifer.Donelson@archny.org or mailed to Jennifer Donelson, 201 Seminary Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10704. Proposals must be received by Friday, May 4, 2018.

Presentations will be 45 minutes in length, followed by 15 minutes of discussion. Papers presented will be considered for publication in the SCL’s journal Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal. Presenters must register for the full conference and will be responsible for their own expenses.

The Society for Catholic Liturgy Annual Conference - September 28-30, 2017, in Philadelphia PA

The Society for Catholic Liturgy, an association of Catholic scholars, teachers, pastors and professionals, including architects and musicians, founded in 1995, will hold its annual conference from September 28 - 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The conference events will be held at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Pastoral Center.

The topic for this year’s conference is “The Liturgy and Post-Modernity.” His Eminence Robert Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, wrote concerning this event, “I wish to commend the Society for Catholic Liturgy for bringing its academic expertise and pastoral experience to bear on this important issue, so that God’s holy people, whose hearts continue to thirst for the true, the good and the beautiful, may be able to drink deeply at the wellspring of Christian worship. Thank you for all the work you are engaged in. Be assured of my prayers for the success of your endeavors.”

A plenary address will be given each day: on September 28 at 7:00 pm by Dom Alcuin Reid; on September 29 at 9:00 am by Father Andrew Menke; and on September 30 at 9:00 am by Father Cassian Folsom, OSB.

Three main conference Masses will be offered: on September 28 at 6:30 pm; a Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form on September 29 at 4:30 pm: and on September 30 at 12:05 pm.

Many other activities, breakout sessions and conferences will take place. For more information please go to http://liturgysociety.org

Call for Papers - Society for Catholic Liturgy

Call for Papers
The Liturgy and Post-Modernity
2017 Annual Conference of the Society for Catholic Liturgy http://liturgysociety.org/

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
and the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 28-30, 2017

With post-modernity, reality and truth, beyond individual preference, do not have a defining source. In fact, relativism and individualism are radicalized to the point of enshrining plurality, diversity and tolerance. The celebration of the sacred liturgy as the primary expression of God’s truth and revelation for reflection and living the Christian life must negotiate post-modernity without forfeiting its nature and purpose. The 2017 Conference of the Society for Catholic Liturgy will occasion academic and pastoral presentations on the topic of the liturgy and post-modernity.

You are invited to submit a paper proposal for a presentation at the 2017 Annual Conference on the topic of the Liturgy and Post-Modernity in terms of:

• an understanding of the sacred liturgy itself, 
• the celebration of the sacred liturgy, 
• instruction on the sacred liturgy, 
• participation in the sacred liturgy, 
• preaching during the sacred liturgy, 
• the celebration of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, 
• the Liturgy of the Hours and liturgical prayer, 
• liturgical time and the memory of Mary and the saints, 
• liturgical music, 
• liturgical art and architecture, 
• the sacred liturgy and the Christian life, 
• the sacred liturgy and tradition, 
• the sacred liturgy and ecumenism. 

Other proposals will be considered, but primary consideration will be given to proposals that are related to the theme, liturgy and post-modernity.

Paper proposals of approximately 250 words should be emailed to fr.dgill@archphila.org or mailed to Reverend Gerald Dennis Gill, SCL Conference Coordinator, Office for Divine Worship, 222 North Seventeenth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Proposals must be received by Friday, May 5, 2017.

Presentations will be 45 minutes in length, followed by 15 minutes of discussion. Papers presented will be considered for publication in Antiphon. Presenters must register for the full conference and will be responsible for their own expenses.

Photo of the Stanford Memorial Church by Trey Ratcliff.

Society for Catholic Liturgy - L.A. Conference - Registration Deadline Sept. 6

Registration Deadline: Tuesday, September 6th

The Liturgy and the New Evangelization
September 29 - October 1, 2016

We hope you'll be able to join us for the Society for Catholic Liturgy's Annual Conference held this year at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles, California.

Click here to register: http://liturgysociety.org/conference/.

The conference schedule, speaker bios, and helpful travel information are also available at the conference website.

Society for Catholic Liturgy Conference 2016 - Los Angeles Cathedral - Sept 29 to Oct 1

The Society for Catholic Liturgy is pleased to announce its 2016 annual conference, to be held at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles.

September 29 – October 1, 2016

www.liturgysociety.org

We are especially pleased to host keynote and plenary presentations by Archbishop José Gomez (Los Angeles), Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan (Maronite Bishop of Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles), and Sister Esther Mary Nickel, R.S.M. (St. John Vianney Seminary, Denver), as well as an update on the liturgical activities of the U.S.C.C.B. by their representative Fr. Andrew Menke.

The conference will include sung liturgies in both the ordinary (pontifical) and extraordinary forms of the Roman rite as well as the Maronite rite (pontifical), along with sung vespers.

Saturday features a Spanish-language track.

Registration, more information on the conference venue, and bios of our distinguished speakers are available at the SCL's website: www.liturgysociety.org. 

Preliminary conference schedule:

Thursday, September 29
3:00pm Registration and Welcome Reception
5:00pm Sung Mass (Stational - Ordinary Form)
6:00pm Opening Banquet with address by Archbishop Gomez “Popular Piety, Liturgy, and the New Evangelization”

Friday, September 30
8:00am Divine Liturgy (Maronite)
9:00am Continental Breakfast
9:30am Keynote: Bishop Elias Zaidan, “The Liturgy and the Church Persecuted”
11:00am Concurrent Sessions

• (1) Academic Track: James Pauley, Renewing Liturgical Catechesis: Towards the Cultivation of Desire for God
• (2) Academic Track: Michon Matthiesen, “The Eighth Day”: the Evangelizing Potential of Liturgical Time
• (3) Pastoral Track: Andrew Casad, Preparing the Uncatechized for Confirmation and Eucharist

12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Concurrent Sessions

• (4) Academic Track: Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth, The Rites of Christian Initiation and the Baptized but Un-catechized
• (5) Academic Track: Veronica Arntz, “This is a Great Mystery”: Sacramental Families Formed by Cosmic Liturgy
• (6) Pastoral Track: Paolo Miguel Cobangbang, The Canonical Coronation of Marian Images as a Liturgical Revival: a Philippine Perspective

2:30pm Concurrent Sessions

• (7) Academic Track: Sr. Moira Debono, R.S.M. The Church Shares Your Joy: Amoris Laetitia and the Order for Celebrating Matrimony
• (8) Academic Track: Mike Nolan, Re-interpreting the Poetry of Robert Southwell within the Context of New Evangelization
• (9) Academic Track: Alphonso Lopez Pinto, Visions of Heaven on Earth: Mystagogy, the Santo, and Modernity
• (10) Pastoral Track: Fr. Daniel Cardó, The Homily and the New Evangelization: Saint Augustine and Some Lessons for Today’s Preaching

3:30pm Business Meeting
5:00pm Vespers
6:00pm Reception and Banquet, after dinner talk by Sister Esther Mary Nickel, R.S.M. and the screening of Prophet for our Times.

Saturday, October 1
8:00am Mass (Extraordinary Form)
9:00am Breakfast with Registration for the Spanish Track
9:30am Fr. Andrew Menke – USCCB “Liturgical Projects Undertaken by the USCCB”
9:30am Spanish Session: Fr. Daniel Cardó : Fuente y cima: La Liturgia y la Nueva Evangelización
11:00am Concurrent Sessions and Spanish Session

• (11) Spanish Track: Fr. Daniel Cardó: Explorando los Misterios de la Misa
• (12) Academic Track: Dom Benedict Andersen O.S.B., Benedictine Liturgical Values and the New Evangelisation
• (13) Academic Track: Dino Marcantonio, Symbolic Architectural Form
• (14) Pastoral Track: Michael Foley, Sanctifying the Bar: Liturgical Drinking and the New Evangelization

12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Concurrent Sessions and Spanish Session

• (15) Spanish Track: Fr. Daniel Cardó: La Homilía y la Nueva Evangelización
• (16) Academic Track: Lisa Knutson, Principle and Foundation of Beauty in the Missionary Liturgy: The Jesuit Reductions as Model and Ignatian spirituality as Guide
• (17) Academic Track: Steve Baker, Between Luminous and Numinous: the Coincidence of Opposites and Its Role in the Aesthetic Appreciation of Catholic Sacred Architecture
• (18) Pastoral Track: Fr. Jamie Hottovy, Sacred Beauty: Evangelizing through the Images of Our Faith     

2:00pm Concurrent Sessions and Spanish Session

• (19) Academic Track: Richard Nicholas, the Sacramental Ordo in Medieval Architecture as a Means for Evangelization in the Twenty-First Century
• (20) Academic Track: Richard Bulzacchelli, There Are No Doors to Open if There Are No Walls: Maintaining Sacramental Discipline as a Prerequisite for Preaching the Gospel
• (21) Pastoral Track: Fr. Nick Schneider, In My Heart and on My Lips: Proclamation in the Mass as a Model for Evangelization

3:00pm concluding Plenary Session (announcement of new officers)

Call for Participation - SCL Annual Conference 2016

The Liturgy and the New Evangelization

2016 Annual Conference of the Society for Catholic Liturgy

The conference will be held at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral and Conference Center in Los Angeles, CA.

September 29 – October 1, 2016

Questions arising from this topic may include but are not limited to:

A. Liturgical and Sacramental Challenges for Parishes in the New Evangelization

     a. Liturgical and Canonical Norms in Evolving Situations in American Society
     b. The Role of the Liturgy in the Healing of Marriage and Family Life
     c. The Rites of Christian Initiation and the Baptized but Un-catechized

B. Preaching the Gospel of Christ in Post-Christian Societies
     a. Catholic Social Teaching and the Liturgy
     b. The Mass and the Bible in Popular Apologetics
     c. The New Evangelization and Liturgy in the Writings of the Popes

C. Liturgical Art and Popular Piety in the Mission of the Church Today
     a. Sacred Images and Practices in Popular Piety and the Mass
     b. Sacred Architecture and the New Evangelization
     c. Liturgical Renewal, Contemplative Prayer and Apostolic Work

D. Liturgy and Religious Freedom
     a. American Culture, Liturgical Prayer and the Public Square
     b. The Liturgical Life of the Persecuted Church around the World

Other proposals will be considered, but primary consideration will be given to proposals that are related to the conference’s theme.

Submissions: Paper proposals of approximately 250 words should be emailed to secretary@liturgysociety.org or mailed to Mr. Christopher Carstens, Board Secretary – Society of Catholic Liturgy, Diocese of La Crosse, PO Box 4004, La Crosse, WI 54602-4004. Proposals must be received by June 30, 2016.

Presentations will be 45 minutes in length, followed by 15 minutes of discussion. Papers presented will be considered for publication in Antiphon. Presenters must register for the conference and will be responsible for their own expenses.

SCL Registration Deadline Extended to Sept. 26th

Sept. 26th is the new deadline. 

Register here: liturgysociety.org/conference.html

The Most Reverend Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, will deliver the keynote address: “We Are Bound to Give Thanks to God Always: Worship That is Right and Just” at the Union League Club on Thursday, October 1. And on Friday, October 2, he will celebrate a Solemn Pontifical Mass (Extraordinary Form), accompanied by a sixteen-voice choir, at the historic Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral.

Two days of scholarly lectures follow at the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Center for Thought and Culture. Topics range from the justice of worship in St. Thomas Aquinas to the styles and hierarchies of Gregorian chant melodies. The Pastoral Track of the conference, held at the Basilica Parish House, will offer practical workshops for parish and diocesan personnel—everything from financing a parish music program, to liturgical preaching, to "unwreckovation."

Our distinguished speakers are:

Matthew Alderman
Taylor J. Bartlette
Fr Thomas Buffer
Fr Daniel Cardó
Christopher Carstens
Jennifer Donelson
Robert Fastiggi
Carl G. Fougerousse
David Hughes
Fr Paul J. Keller, OP
Fr Bryan Kromholtz, OP
Fr Uwe Michael Lang
William Mahrt
Michon Matthiesen
Brandon Otto
Christopher D. Owens
Fr Joseph F. Previtali
Fr George Rutler
Jonathan Ryan
Fr Innocent Smith, OP
Fr Nicholas Zientarski

Among the other beautiful liturgies to be offered, all free and open to the public, Archbishop Cordileone will preside Friday evening at Pontifical Vespers (Extraordinary Form), again accompanied by a professional choir.

To see the full conference schedule, and to register, go to: http://liturgysociety.org/conference.html.

Complete Speakers List Announced - Society for Catholic Liturgy Conference in NYC

SOCIETY FOR CATHOLIC LITURGY CONFERENCE—JUST A FEW DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER

liturgysociety.org/conference.html 

Don’t forget to sign up for the Society for Catholic Liturgy conference—just a few days left before registration closes on Sept. 22nd!

The Most Reverend Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, will deliver the keynote address: “We Are Bound to Give Thanks to God Always: Worship That is Right and Just” at the Union League Club on Thursday, October 1. And on Friday, October 2, he will celebrate a Solemn Pontifical Mass (Extraordinary Form), accompanied by a sixteen-voice choir, at the historic Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral.

Two days of scholarly lectures follow at the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Center for Thought and Culture. Topics range from the justice of worship in St. Thomas Aquinas to the styles and hierarchies of Gregorian chant melodies. The Pastoral Track of the conference, held at the Basilica Parish House, will offer practical workshops for parish and diocesan personnel—everything from financing a parish music program, to liturgical preaching, to "unwreckovation."

Our distinguished speakers are:

Matthew Alderman
Taylor J. Bartlette
Fr Thomas Buffer
Fr Daniel Cardó
Christopher Carstens
Jennifer Donelson
Robert Fastiggi
Carl G. Fougerousse
David Hughes
Fr Paul J. Keller, OP
Fr Bryan Kromholtz, OP
Fr Uwe Michael Lang
William Mahrt
Michon Matthiesen
Denis McNamara
Brandon Otto
Christopher D. Owens
Fr Joseph F. Previtali
Fr George Rutler
Jonathan Ryan
Fr Innocent Smith, OP
Fr Nicholas Zientarski

Among the other beautiful liturgies to be offered, all free and open to the public, Archbishop Cordileone will preside Friday evening at Pontifical Vespers (Extraordinary Form), again accompanied by a professional choir.

And there will be plenty of opportunity to see old friends and make new ones at breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. All are welcome for three days of learning, prayer, and camaraderie.

To see the full conference schedule, and to register, go to: http://liturgysociety.org/conference.html.

Founded in 1995, the Society for Catholic Liturgy is a unique organization that brings together faithful Catholic scholars and artists from around the world to recover, discuss, and promote the rich liturgical tradition of the Church. The Society holds an annual three-day conference, and publishes Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal, which deals with important theoretical and practical questions in the fields of liturgy and sacramental theology.

CONTACT:
Dino Marcantonio
Conference Manager
dvmarcantonio@gmail.com
www.liturgysociety.org

Society for Catholic Liturgy Conference - October 1-3 in NYC

The Society for Catholic Liturgy will celebrate its twentieth anniversary ​in the heart of Manhattan, at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral and the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, ​with a conference exploring how the Church’s sacred worship is dignum et iustum, right and just.​ ​​

The Most Reverend Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, will deliver the keynote address on Thursday, October 1st, at the Union League Club, and offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Friday, October 2, at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
You may register for all, or part, of the conference. Space is limited.

All liturgies are free and open to the public.

+ + +

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1

7 PM
Union League Club (Jacket and tie required)
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Keynote Address

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2

9 AM
Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
Solemn Pontifical Mass, Extraordinary Form (Celebrant: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone)

10:45 AM – 11:15 AM
Basilica Youth Center
Breakfast

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM (Session 1—Plenary)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Michon Matthiesen, S.T.L., Ph.D.
The Divine Liturgy: "The justice of Christ become fruitful"

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (Session 2)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Fr Thomas Buffer, STD
The American Liturgical Movement, Social Justice, and Liturgical Change

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Fr Innocent Smith, OP
Misericordiam et judicium cantabo: Liturgical Prayer and the Theology of Mercy in Thomas Aquinas

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Basilica Youth Center
Lunch

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (Session 3)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Fr Uwe Michael Lang, CO
Eucharistic Origins Revisited

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Christopher D. Owens
Just Worship: The Necessity of Divine Revelation for Perfection in the Virtue of Religion

Parish House, McCloskey Room

Practicum TBA

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (Session 4)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Rev. Nicholas Zientarski, STD
Lumen Christi: Christ, Candles, and the Dignity of the Catholic Liturgy

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Father Daniel Cardó, SCV
The Crucifix and the Altar

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

4:30 – 5:30 PM
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Business meeting for SCL members
Free period for non-members

6 PM
Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
Solemn Vespers, Extraordinary Form

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Basilica forecourt
Wine & Cheese

8:00 PM
Basilica Youth Center
Dinner

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3

9 AM
Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
Mass, Ordinary Form (Celebrant TBA)

10 AM – 10:30 AM

Basilica Youth Center
Breakfast

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (Session 5—Plenary)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
William Mahrt, Ph.D.
Gregorian Chant as Dignus et Justus

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM (Session 6)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Robert Fastiggi, Ph.D.
The Ontological Basis for the Rightness of the Eucharistic Sacrifice according to the French Oratorian, Charles de Condren (1588–1641)

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Fr Joseph F. Previtali, STL
St. Thomas Aquinas on the Justice of Liturgical Worship

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Basilica Youth Center
Lunch

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM (Session 7)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Fr Paul J. Keller, OP
Zeal For Your House Consumes Me: Embracing the Asceticism of the Liturgy of the Hours

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Fr Bryan Kromholtz, OP
It Is Right to Mourn: Toward Funerals that Acknowledge Death as Loss

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (Session 8)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Christopher Carstens
The Language of Man, of the Trinity, and of the Liturgy: The Right Consonance of the Word

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Ms. Taylor J. Bartlette
Being the Body of Christ: The Liturgy’s Role in the Development of Virtue

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (Session 9)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Carl G. Fougerousse
On the Dignity of Persons Revealed in Sacred Art: Depicting the Figure as Worthy Gift

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Lecture TBA

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

5 PM
Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
Vespers, Ordinary Form

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

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The Society for Catholic Liturgy is a multidisciplinary association of Catholic scholars, teachers, pastors, and professionals – including architects and musicians – in the Anglophone world. Founded in 1995, the non-profit Society is committed to promoting scholarly study and practical renewal of the Church’s liturgy.

Contact: Dino Marcantonio (dvmarcantonio@gmail.com)

Link Between Solomon’s Temple & Catholic Churches - Society for Catholic Liturgy Conference Part 2

Carl Bunderson has published another excellent article, summarizing a number of sessions at the recently-concluded conference of the Society for Catholic Liturgy in Colorado Springs, which was held from October 2-4. 

To follow this and other news of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, subscribe to their Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn.

The Society's next conference will be in New York in October, 2015.

By Carl Bunderson
Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct 8, 2014 / 12:43 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A conference held last week in Colorado Springs by The Society for Catholic Liturgy brought together experts from multiple disciplines to discuss the continuity between the Jewish temple, and Catholic churches and liturgy.

Dr. Michael P. Foley, associate professor of patristics at Baylor University, is president of The Society for Catholic Liturgy. He told CNA at the closing of the Oct. 2-4 conference that the speakers “did a marvelous job connecting the dots” regarding its theme of “how the Christian church really is this fulfilment of the great Temple of Solomon.”

“The society as a whole, I've always thought of as an enormously important organization because of the kinds of conversation that it generates. We get a really good interdisciplinary approach to things; there is a lot of talent that assembles – experts in art, architecture, music, and theology – and it's rare to get all those people in the same room … so it's nice to see the synergies that come together.”

Foley added that the conferences of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, which publishes the journal Antiphon, are notable for their inclusion of both scholarly and pastoral presentations: “We don't want to be just some ivory tower, castle-in-the-air kind of organization, especially where the liturgy is concerned, because the liturgy … is about worship, which is active and practical. For it really to be a liturgical organization, we need to have both a scholarly and a pastoral side; I am pleased we have both those tracks.”

The Oct. 2-4 conference, hosted by the Cathedral of St. Mary, included the celebration of Mass in both the ordinary and extraordinary forms, and of Vespers with Bishop Conley and with Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs. It was among the best-attended annual conferences The Society for Catholic Liturgy has held, according to one of the group's board members.

The event began with Vespers and a keynote address by Bishop Conley, who called The Society for Catholic Liturgy “a true sign of hope” for the renewal of liturgy.

His keynote focused on the thesis that evangelization will be carried out by bringing beauty to Catholic culture and worship: “The ugliness of secularism demands that we proclaim the 'via pulchritudinis' [way of beauty] in the cathedrals and chapels and parish churches across the country,” he said.

Bishop Conley asked those present to “imagine the transformation of our Church – of culture, in fact – if beautiful liturgy awakened Catholic souls to wonder, to conversion. Imagine the consequences of beautiful liturgy awakening souls to Jesus Christ.”

He then offered three principles essential to promoting beauty in Catholic worship: gratitude, charity, and steadfast commitment.

Additional plenary addresses at the conference were given by Dr. Denis McNamara, an architect who spoke about how rediscovering the meaning of the Temple informs the design of Catholic churches; Duncan Stroik, also an architect, who spoke on renaissance-era churches as the fulfilment of Jewish Temple architecture; and Fr. Uwe Michael Lang, C.O., on the concept of sacrifice seen in St. Augustine's City of God and its link to the Eucharist.

Read the rest over at CNA's website.

Photopost: Society for Catholic Liturgy Conference in Colorado Springs

The Society for Catholic Liturgy has just concluded one of its best-attended conferences, which was held Oct. 2-4 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Colorado Springs.

The SCL’s next conference in October 2015 will be held in New York. More information is forthcoming. 

To follow updates from the Society, follow their Facebook page or Twitter account.

Also, Carl Bunderson of the Catholic News Agency has published an article highlighting events at the conference, and summarizing the keynote address of Bishop James Conley (Lincoln).

Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct 7, 2014 / 12:24 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Evangelization will be carried out by bringing beauty to Catholic culture and liturgy, Bishop James Conley of Lincoln told a group of scholars and pastors gathered for an interdisciplinary conference.

“The work you’re doing is essential to the formation of Christian culture. The Church needs you … the work of evangelization is too important,” he said Oct. 2 at the 2014 conference of The Society for Catholic Liturgy, held at St. Mary's Cathedral in Colorado Springs.

“The ugliness of secularism demands that we proclaim the 'via pulchritudinis' [way of beauty] in the cathedrals and chapels and parish churches across the country,” he said.

The Oct. 2-4 conference included the celebration of Mass, in both the ordinary and extraordinary forms, and of Vespers with Bishop Conley and with Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs. It was among the best-attended annual conferences The Society for Catholic Liturgy has held, according to one of the group's board members.

Bishop Conley delivered the keynote address at the conference. He called The Society for Catholic Liturgy “a true sign of hope” for the renewal of liturgy.

The bishop noted that the lead-up to the Synod for Families, being held in Rome Oct. 5-19, has been “strange,” noting the discouragement brought on by some “to discard basic components of sacramental theology because of the difficulties they represent” and said he has “been baffled” by some bishops' conferences which “seem to have equivocated on doctrinal issues: cohabitation, contraception, and divorce in the face of increased secularization.”

“It seems that in some of the corners of the Church, the universal call to holiness – to greatness and to virtue – is being drowned out by a tide of mediocrity and secularism.”

It is in this context of secularization that the importance of beauty and liturgy is so essential to evangelization, Bishop Conley continued.

“Beautiful liturgy glorifies God, and awakens a natural human desire for beauty. Music and art and architecture draw men to the transcendent, and to the mystery of the beautiful Trinity.”

Read the rest on the CNA's website.

A view from the “Garden of the Gods” in beautiful Colorado Springs (click photo for larger view)

President of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, Dr. Michael Foley (Baylor) introduces Bishop Conley

Bishop Conley (Lincoln) Keynote Address

Bishop Conley (Lincoln) Keynote Address

Friday evening vespers with Bishop Sheridan (Colorado Springs)

Continue Reading this Article. . .

Bishop Joseph Perry speaks to the Society for Catholic Liturgy

The meeting of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, 3-5 October, will take place on the campus of Mundelein Seminary near Chicago and Bishop Joseph Perry, Auxiliary of Chicago, will be the keynote speaker. See below for a PDF of the schedule and talks.

SCL 2013 Registration With Schedule

Fr. Kocik on: SCL Conference: Worth noting...

“The Sacraments of Healing” was the theme of the annual conference of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, held at the beautiful Mary Immaculate Center (a former Vincentian seminary) in Northampton, Pennsylvania, September 21-24. I will not comment at length about the Society or the conference. Those wanting to know more can visit the Society’s website, which will soon feature photos of the event. However, I think the following observations are of general interest:

Lauds, Vespers, and the Holy Sacrifice were celebrated daily in the magnificent, un-wreckovated Queen of All Saints Chapel, constructed in the late-1930s. It is no exaggeration to describe the chapel as an artistic marvel: ornate wood and stone carvings (as one architect observed, the saints are literally woven into the fabric of the church: lex orandi, lex credendi, lex aedificandi); brilliantly colored and elaborate stained glass windows; magnificent stone altars. The conference ended, fittingly enough, with a solemn Mass offered by Father Paul Keller, O.P., of Providence College in Rhode Island. The liturgy was, in a word, exemplary. Both Latin and English were used. Everything but the homily was sung, from the Sign of the Cross to the dismissal (yes, everything – even the Old Testament reading, the Epistle, the Gospel, and the Roman Canon in its entirety). A schola chanted the proper antiphons from the Roman Gradual. The Liturgy of the Eucharist was carried out ad orientem, an orientation with which Fr. Keller and the concelebrating priests seemed quite at ease. Incense was used at the Entrance, Gospel, Offertory, and Consecration. Two obviously well trained brothers (as in siblings) served with great reverence and comportment. All knew their proper roles and carried them out well, with (if you’ll pardon the wearisome phrase) “full, conscious and active participation.” It was the modern Roman-rite Mass at its finest. And with the forthcoming English translation of the new Missale Romanum, it can get even better. Speaking of which…

Monsignor Bruce Harbert, executive secretary for ICEL and a member of the Society, announced that he hopes the new-and-improved ICEL translation of the Latin Missale will first be used by the Holy Father at World Youth Day 2008 (Sydney, Australia). That, he said, is not beyond the realm of possibility, since ICEL has finished its work on the Ordinary of the Mass and is expected to complete the translation of the propers by this time next year (leaving sufficient time for Rome’s final approval of the work).

Unfortunately, the Society’s conference coincided with the annual convention of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars in Kansas City, Missouri (September 22-24), the topic of which was – any guesses? – Vatican II and the reform of the sacred liturgy. Consequently, the possibility of attending both conferences was limited to those gifted with an ability to bilocate. Which brings me to my final point…

(No, not bilocation.) There seems to be some measure of redundancy, or what management jargon terms “duplication of effort,” among those groups interested in authentic liturgical renewal. There’s the Adoremus Society. Then there’s the Society for Catholic Liturgy, founded in the same year as Adoremus (1995) and not to be confused with the Research Institute for Catholic Liturgy (2004), whose board of directors includes SCL members. Even if we consider only the pro-Latin organizations, there's the Latin Liturgy Association (1975; Novus Ordo and Tridentine) but also the St. Gregory Foundation for Latin Liturgy (1989; Novus Ordo only), the latter being distinct from the St. Gregory Society (1985; Tridentine only). In terms of mission, they all seem to be saying and doing pretty much the same things, and sometimes at the same time. Granted, some groups are geared toward scholars while others have a more popular membership. Still, I cannot help wondering what a difference it could make if there were greater coordination among these groups and, in some cases, amalgamation. But that's for another day.