One of the hallmarks of the Liturgical Movement in the early- to mid-20th century was the impetus to open up the treasures of the Sacred Liturgy of the Catholic Church to the entire people of God. To this end, a slew of vernacular publications of liturgical texts, not only bilingual hand missals but also simplified … Continue reading
I have written several posts in the past about the ongoing revision of the Liturgy of the Hours’ American edition, giving props to USCCB and ICEL for their excellent work, reasonable timing and transparency about progress. Although this continental revision of the translation will not solve some fundamental issues with the current Roman office that … Continue reading
Much digital ink has been, and yet will be, spilled over Pope Francis’ new letter on the liturgy, Desiderio desideravi. In giving it a closer and slower reading, the key point that really struck me, and a point that often seems so elusive to all different ideological factions of the “Liturgy Wars,” lies in the … Continue reading
Daytime Prayer in the Roman Office: A (Very) Brief Historical Overview From about the mid-first millennium until 1911, when Pope Pius X radically rearranged its psalm distribution, the divine office of the Roman rite had a never-changing psalmody for the “little hours” of the day: Prime (First Hour, 6 a.m.), Terce (Third Hour, 9 a.m.), … Continue reading
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer, still broadly considered to be the traditional norm of Anglican Christian worship, has a long history and has left an indisputable mark on the development of English-speaking culture worldwide (one need only think of such iconic phrases as “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” originating from … Continue reading
The current American breviary in force includes as an option the Latin vespers hymn for Eastertide from the Liturgia Horarum, Ad cenam Agni providi. However, it does not have the equally excellent Latin hymns for the Office of Readings, Lauds (Morning Prayer), and the daytime hours of Terce (Mid-Morning), Sext (Midday) and None (Mid-Afternoon). To … Continue reading
It has been 47 years since the new Liturgy of the Hours (U.S. edition) first appeared in English in 1975, but the Second Vatican Council’s strong admonition (SC §100) that pastors ensure at least Sunday and Feast day Vespers be celebrated regularly in parishes is very far from being a recognizable reality in the American … Continue reading
I have long ago come to think Roman-rite pastors simply have no legitimate general excuse not to either personally celebrate, or make necessary arrangements with assistant pastors or deacons to have, at least a monthly (if not weekly or more) public divine office in their parishes. Consider: most offices (including the “major hours” of Lauds/Morning … Continue reading
The Catholic investigative journalism outfit, The Pillar, just published an excellent, extensive “inside-baseball” interview with Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth, the executive director for the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), the body responsible for translating many (though not all) liturgical texts from Latin into English. The main topic was the hymnody for the Liturgy … Continue reading
The USCCB’s Secretariat for Divine Worship has recently updated their Liturgy of the Hours Second Edition progress tracker page with some key updates since the last bishops’ plenary meeting, which included votes on final-draft components of the overhaul. The changes/updates that stood out to me include (all emphases mine): Making it clear and explicit that … Continue reading
Tom's Digest 