In order to recount the genesis of the Christian liturgy, and even more importantly to understand it within its own context, we must get a proper start. In a work of this kind, the first steps determine all that follows. To imagine that the Christian liturgy sprang up from a
Catholics love anniversaries. A few months ago, in October 2022, the Vatican marked the sixtieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s opening. The celebration occurred at a time of intense ecclesial tension. It took the Council of Trent at least a century to be fully received, and Vatican II is
In a recent article in these pages, Phil Davignon makes the case for why apologetics and catechesis are the wrong targets for the oft-maligned “rise of the nones.” While there is nothing wrong with intellectual defenses and instruction, Davignon admits, placing our attention here reveals a fundamental misunderstanding about the
The State of the Liturgy Prior to Vatican II Although the liturgical renewal had percolated for approximately sixty years prior to Vatican II, it had had little impact on the laity in the parish setting. The vast majority of Catholic faithful recognized that they were attending the all-holy sacrifice of
Introduction With the promulgation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, the bishops at Vatican II enthusiastically and ardently hoped to renew the Eucharistic liturgy. While achieving much of what the Council desired, the postconciliar implementation of this renewal has also included many undesirable aspects and unforeseen distressing