Adoremus Bulletin - January 2022 Issue

Adoremus Bulletin

JANUARY 2022

Pope Francis Further Restricts Traditional Latin Mass

By Hannah Brockhaus

CNA—The Vatican issued further strict guidelines on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, in response to questions about the motu proprio Traditionis custodes.

The explanatory document, which bans confirmations and ordinations according to pre-Vatican II Roman Missals, was published December 18 with Pope Francis’ approval, the Vatican’s liturgy office said.

Traditionis custodes is a July 16 motu proprio in which Pope Francis placed sweeping restrictions on the celebration of Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal, known variously as the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Tridentine Mass, and the Traditional Latin Mass.

His predecessor Benedict XVI had issued a 2007 apostolic letter called Summorum Pontificum, which acknowledged the right of all priests to say Mass using the Roman Missal of 1962, which is in Latin.

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Vatican office responsible for matters related to the sacred liturgy, said it had received “several requests for clarification” on the correct application of Traditionis custodes.

The congregation published December 18 a “responsa ad dubia” (“answers to doubts”), with oneword replies—either “negative” or “afffirmative”—to 11 specific questions, followed by brief explanations.

Archbishop Arthur Roche, prefect

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XXVII, No.4

Source, Sign, Celebration, and Service: Fundamentals of the Church’s Eucharist Mission

By Roland Millare

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2009 Pew Research Study unveiled the unsettling news that only 31% of all Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Among Catholics who attend Mass once a week, 63% believe the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of our Lord. This survey revealed the need for the “dry bones” of Eucharistic faith to receive new life. The Lord exhorts the prophet Ezekiel with these words: “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.

And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:4-6).

In response to the “dry bones,” Bishop Andrew Cozzens (Diocese of Crookston), in collaboration with other clergy and members of the laity, is in the planning phases of a threeyear period of Eucharistic revival that begins on June 19, 2022, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. According to Bishop Cozzens in an interview with The Pillar, the theme of this revival is “my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51).

In November, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published the document The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church, which serves as a succinct summary of the Church’s doctrine on the Eucharist. This document is intended to be a point of departure to reignite catechesis and evangelization on the Eucharist in anticipation of the period of Eucharistic revival.

Pope Benedict XVI offers in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, a helpful framework on how we can contribute to the Eucharistic revival in light of the proclamation of the kerygma, the celebration of the leitourgia, and the exercise of diakonia. Benedict maintains that these “duties presuppose each other and are inseparable.”1 This threefold responsibility of the Church helps

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Adoremus Bulletin JANUARY 2022

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For the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy

Pope Benedict notes that the core of the Gospel, which we are always called to proclaim, has been “the Kerygma of Christ who died and rose for the world’s salvation, the Kerygma of God’s absolute and total love for every man and every woman, which culminated in his sending the eternal and Only-Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus, who did not scorn to take on the poverty of our human nature, loving it and redeeming it from sin and death through the offering of himself on the Cross.”

us to address three roots that have contributed to the “dry bones” of Eucharistic faith: poor catechesis, liturgy poorly celebrated, and the lack of integration between the Eucharist and life.

First Things First: The Kerygma The proclamation of the kerygma is the foundation of the Church’s mission, which from the beginning has been to preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). Pope Benedict notes that the core of the Gospel, which we are always called to proclaim, has been “the Kerygma of Christ who died and rose for the world’s salvation, the Kerygma of God’s absolute and total love for every man and every woman, which culminated in his sending the eternal “Dem Bones, Dem Bones…”

Not only are “Dem dry bones gonna walk around,” as the old song says, but they’re also going to live out the Church’s mission which, Roland Millare says, always begins with the Eucharist.............................................................1 Don’t Count Sheep, Count on 150 Whether by fingering your beads or dipping into the Psalms, according to Christopher Carstens, prayer can turn sleepless nights into a great way to greet the new day—and the New Year!...........................................................3 The Sequel is a Prequel Father Aaron Williams explains how the publishing history of a recently released volume of Gregorian chant texts for the

and Only-Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus, who did not scorn to take on the poverty of our human nature, loving it and redeeming it from sin and death through the offering of himself on the Cross.”2 In order for a renewal to take root, we must examine how and when we are proclaiming the kerygma. The kerygma must be the first priority of an authentic Eucharistic renewal.

Pope Francis has emphasized the primacy of the kerygma in his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium. The kerygma must be the “center of all evangelizing activity and all efforts at Church renewal.”3 The public ministry of the Lord began with the first step towards our reception of the kerygma: the call to repentance and conversion (Mark 1:14). Preaching Please see EUCHARIST on page 4 Liturgy of the Hours comes with its own adventure story ..............................................6 The Big Dubia Adoremus reprints the Vatican’s 2021 official responses to all the questions you may (or may not) have had about Traditionis Custodes...........................................................8 Incoming Missal Ignatius Press has published a new missal which reviewer Father Justin Ward sees as scoring a direct hit regarding its respect for tradition and meeting the needs of today’s Massgoers .................................................... 12 News & Views ................................................1 The Rite Questions...................................... 10

2 Continued from DUBIA, page 1 of the liturgy congregation, also wrote a letter to the presidents of bishops’ conferences, in which he said that the primary aim of the new restrictions was to foster ecclesial communion.

Ecclesial communion, he said, is expressed by recognizing that the liturgical books promulgated in conformity with the decrees of the Second Vatican Council are “the unique expression” of the prayer of the Roman Rite.

“This is the direction in which we wish to move, and this is the meaning of the responses we publish here,” Archbishop Roche said.

In one of the responses, the Divine Worship congregation said that according to Traditionis custodes, sacraments cannot be celebrated using the liturgical books Rituale Romanum and the Pontificale Romanum promulgated prior to the Vatican II reforms.

The Pontificale Romanum contains the rites and ceremonies usually performed by bishops and the Rituale Romanum is one of the official ritual books used by a priest or deacon for rites not found in the Roman Missal, which is used for Mass.

The Vatican congregation clarified that a diocesan bishop can authorize the use of the 1952 edition of the Rituale Romanum, but not the Pontificale Romanum, “only to those canonically erected personal parishes which, according to the provisions of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes, celebrate using the Missale Romanum [Roman Missal] of 1962.”

This restriction is intended “to re-establish in the whole Church of the Roman Rite a single and identical prayer expressing its unity,” the liturgy office said.

“In implementing these provisions, care should be taken to accompany all those rooted in the previous form of celebration towards a full understanding of the value of the celebration in the ritual form given to us by the reform of the Second Vatican Council,” the document said.

“This should take place through an appropriate formation that makes it possible to discover how the reformed liturgy is the witness to an unchanged faith, the expression of a renewed ecclesiology, and the primary source of spirituality for Christian life.”

One of the changes Pope Francis’ motu proprio introduced to the Traditional Latin Mass was the obligation for it to be celebrated only in non-parish churches, oratories, or chapels.

The Vatican said that bishops can ask the Congregation for Divine Worship for a dispensation from this obligation “if it is established that it is impossible to use another church, oratory or chapel.”

The congregation went on to say that if the dispensation is given for a community to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass in a parish, “such a celebration should not be included in the parish Mass schedule, since it is attended only by the faithful who are members of the said group” and “it should not be held at the same time as the pastoral activities of the parish community.”

“It is to be understood that when another venue becomes available, this permission will be withdrawn,” the liturgy office said.

The note also explained that the reason for the provision that the Traditional Latin Mass not be celebrated in parish churches is “intended to affirm that the celebration of the Eucharist according to the previous rite, being a concession limited to these groups, is not part of the ordinary life of the parish community.”

“There is no intention in these provisions to marginalize the faithful who are rooted in the previous form of celebration: they are only meant to remind them that this is a concession to provide for their good (in view of the common use of the one lex orandi [law of prayer] of the Roman Rite) and not an opportunity to promote the previous rite,” it added.

Another response emphasized that at Traditional Latin Masses, “it [is] possible to use the full text of the Bible for the readings.”

The document noted that “Traditionis custodes states that the readings are to be proclaimed in the vernacular language, using translations of Sacred Scripture for liturgical use, approved by the respective episcopal conferences.”

It added: “No vernacular lectionaries may be published that reproduce the cycle of readings of the previous rite.”

In his letter to the presidents of bishops’ conferences, Archbishop Roche said that a continuous formation regarded the liturgy is needed for priests and lay Catholics.

“As pastors we must not lend ourselves to sterile polemics, capable only of creating division, in which the ritual itself is often exploited by ideological viewpoints,” he said.

“Rather, we are all called to rediscover the value of the

Adoremus Bulletin, January 2022

NEWS & VIEWS

liturgical reform by preserving the truth and beauty of the Rite that it has given us,” he said.

“For this to happen, we are aware that a renewed and continuous liturgical formation is necessary both for priests and for the lay faithful.”

The new guidelines also explained certain regulations for priests who celebrate Traditional Latin Masses and ministers who assist them.

The diocesan bishop must seek the authorization of the Vatican to permit priests ordained after the publication of Traditionis custodes to celebrate the Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal.

Deacons and other instituted ministries participating in the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass need to have the permission of their bishop.

The Vatican said it wanted to ensure that priests who wish to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass “share the desire of the Holy Father” that the Vatican II reform of the liturgy is recognized “as the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite.”

Under the new restrictions, the Divine Worship congregation also banned priests who offer the Traditional Latin Mass from “bination,” or celebrating Mass twice on the same day.

It explained that priests granted permission to offer the Traditional Latin Mass may not offer more than one Old Rite Mass each day, or offer both the older Mass and the ordinary form Mass on the same day.

“It is not possible to grant bination on the grounds that there is no ‘just cause’ or ‘pastoral necessity’ as required by canon 905 §2: the right of the faithful to the celebration of the Eucharist is in no way denied, since they are offered the possibility of participating in the Eucharist in its current ritual form,” the document stated.

The congregation also offered guidance for bishops on how to respond to priests who do not accept the validity of the act of concelebration of the Mass—that is, when two or more priests or bishops celebrate Mass together— in particular, priests who refuse to concelebrate the Chrism Mass with their bishop.

According to the Vatican, these priests should have their permission to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass revoked.

The congregation went on to say that before permission is removed, however, the bishop should “establish a fraternal dialogue” with the priest and “accompany him towards an understanding of the value of concelebration.”

“The explicit refusal not to take part in concelebration, particularly at the Chrism Mass, seems to express a lack of acceptance of the liturgical reform and a lack of ecclesial communion with the bishop,” the note said.

Overview: The 2024 National Eucharistic Congress

By Shannon Mullin and Katie Yoder

CNA—Seeking to rekindle devotion to the Eucharist, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted November 17 to launch an ambitious, three-year revival initiative, culminating with a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024.

“My sense, from speaking with you, is that the Holy Spirit is leading us together to fulfill a great need for the Church,” Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, MN, one of the architects of the multifaceted campaign, said November 17 during the USCCB’s annual fall assembly in Baltimore.

The revival initiative will include the development of new teaching materials, training for diocesan and parish leaders, the launch of a dedicated revival website, and the deployment of a special team of 50 priests who will travel the country to preach about the Eucharist.

The campaign will officially launch on June 19, 2022, on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Dioceses will be encouraged to hold Eucharistic processions on that day,

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Bishop Cozzens said. He said Blessed Carlo Acutis, the young Italian Catholic who used his computer skills to share online content about Eucharistic miracles, will be the patron of the revival’s first year.

Perhaps the revival’s most ambitious component is a National Eucharistic Congress planned for July 1721, 2024, in Indianapolis, Bishop Cozzens announced November 17. In an interview with CNA, Bishop Cozzens said the congress would be the first of its kind in the United States in nearly 50 years. He told the bishops during his presentation that the last large U.S. Eucharistic congress took place in Philadelphia in 1976. Previously, Bishop Cozzens said, such national eucharistic events were held once a decade.

The bishops voted 201 to 17 in favor of the revival campaign, with five abstentions. The voting was anonymous and conducted electronically.

“I am very hopeful that it will produce the great fruits that all my brother bishops are praying for and hoping for during these days, including helping people in the course of the revival to rediscover the beauty of the Mass and return to Mass,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City said prior to the vote.

“I think we’re on the cusp and on the verge of something truly impactful and wonderful for the Church in the United States,” Archbishop Coakley said. “I think this might be just what we need.”

“Let the revival begin, brothers,” Bishop Cozzens said after the vote.

Bishop Cozzens, who was installed as bishop of the Diocese of Crookston on December 6, serves as chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. In an interview with CNA, he said the initiative is a comprehensive effort to spark a greater love and devotion to the Eucharist.

“Our goal is to lead people to a deeper encounter with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist so that their lives can be transformed,” Bishop Cozzens said.

“And the reason it’s three years is because we want to affect the Church at every level,” with different initiatives geared for parishes, dioceses, and the country as a whole, he said.

“We want the depth. We don’t just want to have a couple of nice celebrations that say the Eucharist is great,” Bishop Cozzens told CNA. “The bishops are asking for a deep and sustained focus on the Eucharist. And my hope is that…this will become a long-lasting movement,” Bishop Cozzens said.

Other highlights of the revival plan include the following: • The distribution of a “how-to” handbook to diocesan leaders in December.

• The launch of a dedicated website, EucharisticRevival. org, expected in January, providing a wealth of catechetical resources in both English and Spanish, including the new document on the Eucharist the bishops approved November 17. Cozzens said the website is being funded by FORMED, an online provider of Catholic faith formation resources, amounting to an in-kind gift of $1.2 million.

• The commission of a new study on Catholic belief in the Eucharist by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. Bishop Cozzens said the study will be funded by the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.

The new study stems in part from concerns among U.S. Catholic leaders about the validity of a widely referenced Pew Research Center survey in 2019 that found that just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

• The development of a national advertising campaign about the revival effort, funded by a grant from the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus is also partnering with the USCCB to provide dioceses with a “tool kit” for holding Corpus Christi processions.

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Adoremus Bulletin, January 2022

Red-Eyed Confraternity of the 3 a.m. Rosary

By Christopher Carstens, Editor

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erhaps it has something to do with the age— either my own age, 51, or the current epoch, or both—but I find myself lying awake at 3 a.m. more and more often. Apparently, though, I’m not the only one tossing, turning, and trying to return to sleep these days. My wife, my relatives, my coworkers, and my friends have all complained of the same as of late.

Maybe you can relate?

There are, of course, different ways of dealing with being awake at this hour, just as there are many causes.

But apart from hearing that others I know also suffer bouts of insomnia, I’ve also discovered another thing we have in common: prayer.

Prayer is certainly a better solution than picking up the smartphone and checking emails or texts or news (if for no other reason that so much of their contents are the probable cause of the present insomnia). One prayerful intercessor invoked by a coworker is St. Dymphna, a special patron of those suffering from sleep disorders. Dymphna was a seventh-century Irish girl who, after her mother had died, resisted the attempts of her suffering father, the king, to marry her (she is said to have looked a great deal like her mother). She fled with a priest and a few other assistants to a town in present-day Belgium and opened a home there for the sick. But when her feverish father eventually tracked her down, and she refused to return with him and marry him, he killed her by the sword. She is, as you might imagine, also the patron saint of anxiety and mental illnesses.

The Rosary comes to the aid of many insomniacs.

It is a common reply in our own house to be asked, “Well, did you pray your Rosary?” when one among us complains about not sleeping well. Truly, pressing the beads (or merely using one’s fingers) helps more than recounting current events or looking ahead to the next day’s schedule. Plus—and here’s a bonus I’m not afraid to promote—the meditative and repetitious nature of the prayer has the effect of a mother lulling her child back to sleep. Perhaps we ought to begin a club: we could call it the Red-Eyed Confraternity of the 3 a.m.

Rosary.

But the Rosary isn’t the only pacifier for the predawn preoccupied. Another 150 prayers are also at our disposal: like a divine lullaby, any one of the blessed Psalms meet the nighttime need for prayer and sleep. The antiphon accompanying Psalm 134 in the Church’s own Night Prayer from the Divine Office reads, “In the silent hours of the night, bless the Lord.”

(It seems the Chosen People had a great deal to keep them awake in their own day.) Other psalms mention the “night watches,” which were three-hour periods where sentries would keep watch through the night. As Psalm 119 says, “My eyes greet the night watches as I meditate on your promise” (119:148). The Evangelists use these same three-hour divisions in the night when writing of Jesus’ passion. For example, immediately after Peter’s third denial of our Lord, St. John writes in his gospel, “Again Peter denied it. And immediately the cock crowed” (18:27). The footnote in my bible explains that “Cockcrow was the third Roman division of the night, lasting from midnight to 3 A.M.” However one prays during the night—invoking St. Dymphna, reciting the Rosary (or part of it), or letting the hour draw the mind to the Passion—these prayers must have a special hearing in God’s ear. Night, after all, has a meaning and significance all of its own.

Consider the “darkness over the abyss” (Genesis 1:2)

Many of salvation history’s great events happen at night, leading us all to Christ. Even today, God calls us to himself—and counts us, his sheep—in the darkness of night.

at the moment of creation. Later, at the time the Lord made his covenant with Abraham, it was not until “the sun had set and it was dark” that “there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch” among the sacrificial offerings. God began his liberation of the Chosen People from Egyptian slavery in darkness, for during the “night I will go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn in the land, human being and beast alike, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the Lord” (Exodus 12:12). And even the fulness of time seems to be a nocturnal hour, as the Easter Exsultet sings, “O truly blessed night, worthy alone to know the time and hour when Christ rose from the underworld!”

The winter months, not unlike the night watches, can be for praying people privileged times. Consider how Christ comes into his world at Christmas on about the darkest day of the year. But even so, “the

The staff of the Adoremus Bulletin wishes all of our readers

God’s Blessings in 2022 St. Joseph, Patron of the Unviersal Church: Pray for us!

darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). And this light will continue to grow until, just after nature’s own vernal equinox (in the northern hemisphere, at least), the light will overcome the night, as Christ the light will overcome the sin, evil, and ignorance.

At the appearance of the pregnant Mary, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, sang that in God’s compassion “the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death” (Luke 1:78-79). As 2022 dawns and 2021 fades to black, may we look forward to brighter days.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled,” our Lord counsels us in John’s gospel (14:1). Perhaps he especially had the bleary-eyed of a late early hour in mind. So don’t lose sleep over our present, dark times. Take comfort in knowing that our Lord is counting his sheep—and that we can turn all this lost sleep into some of the most fruitful times of prayer.

Adoremus Bulletin, January 2022

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Clergy, religious, and the lay faithful should promote the practice of frequent Communion, preparation for Communion, making sincere thanksgivings after Holy Communion, and the neglected practice of spiritual Communion.

Task 1: Eucharistic Kerygma The Holy Eucharist is a sacramental sign of the core event at the center of the kerygma. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, “All things that are in the Eucharist pertain to represent the same reality, namely, the death of the Lord.”6 The foundation of the Church’s doctrine of the Eucharist is that it is the premiere sacramental sign of Christ’s sacrifice on calvary. Aquinas argues that the Holy Eucharist, like the death of the Lord, effects “the grace by which the human being is incorporated in the mystical body.”7 The sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist is ordered into communion. Finally, the Holy Eucharist perpetuates the Presence of Jesus Christ as evidence of his abiding love for humanity.

The USCCB’s document on the Eucharist emphasizes that the celebration of the Holy Eucharist re-presents the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.8 The bishops acknowledge that Eucharist is both a sacrifice and a sacrificial meal.9 While the sacrificial nature of the Mass has primacy, this does not mean that it is

“ Three roots have contributed to the ‘dry bones’ of Eucharistic faith: poor catechesis, liturgy poorly celebrated, and the lack of integration between the Eucharist and life.” opposed to the meal or banquet aspect of the Mass. As affirmed by the Council of Trent, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, St. John Paul II, and Pope Benedict, there is a clear emphasis upon the sacrificial character of the Eucharist. Is the re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross in the Mass clearly taught from the pulpit, in the classroom, and by the manner in which the liturgy is celebrated? The Second Vatican Council teaches that Christ instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice “in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again.”10 The Eucharistic sacrifice reaches its culmination in communion.

At a time when society seems more fractured and divided than ever, the Eucharist serves as a sign of ecclesial unity that can remind people of what communion can look like. St. John Paul II maintains the “Eucharistic Sacrifice is intrinsically directed to the inward union of the faithful with Christ through

“ Preaching on conversion, sin, and grace, accompanied by a greater availability of the sacrament of reconciliation, form an essential foundation for the reception of the kerygma.” communion.”11 At a time when individualistic autonomy reigns supreme in culture, the message of the communion brought about by the Holy Eucharist needs to be proclaimed with renewed vigor. The gift of sacramental graces, the increase of sanctifying graces, the strengthening of the life of virtue, and the grace offered to conquer sin and temptation are essential teachings that should be highlighted during this period of intentional Eucharistic focus.

Clergy, religious, and the lay faithful should promote the practice of frequent Communion, preparation for Communion, making sincere thanksgivings after Holy Communion, and the neglected practice of spiritual Communion. Awareness of the practice of spiritual communion has been revived as a result of the pandemic. Even beyond the pandemic, every household could find a prominent place to display an act of spiritual Communion in order to cultivate the constant desire for the Holy Eucharist.

Unfortunately, the majority of the discussion on the much-anticipated USCCB document on the Holy Eucharist within the media has centered upon “Eucharistic coherence,” narrowly framed as whether

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Continued from EUCHARIST, page 1 on conversion, sin, and grace, accompanied by a greater availability of the sacrament of reconciliation, form an essential foundation for the reception of the kerygma.

Pope Francis says that catechesis focused on the kerygma should “express God’s saving love which precedes any moral and religious obligation on our part.”4 Further, this catechesis is characterized by “joy, encouragement, liveliness and a harmonious balance which will not reduce preaching to a few doctrines which are at times more philosophical than evangelical.”5 We cannot simply begin with Eucharistic doctrine until we have focused and renewed our efforts at the first proclamation of the kerygma. The people of God need to be reminded of the fundamental message that “God loved us first” (1 John 4:19).

Are the messengers who present this foundational truth filled with zeal and motivated by love in their presentation of the kerygma? During the inaugural Mass of his pontificate, Benedict XVI noted: “There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him. The task of the shepherd, the task of the fisher of men, can often seem wearisome. But it is beautiful and wonderful, because it is truly a service to joy, to God’s joy which longs to break into the world.”

Bishops, priests, deacons, and lay people need to present the kerygma with joy and hope. Above all, it needs to be rooted in the lived encounter with our own friendship with Christ in the Holy Eucharist if we want the message to be received well. “We cannot give what we do not have.” The proclamation of the kerygma must flow out of one’s friendship with Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

Is the re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross in the Mass clearly taught from the pulpit, in the classroom, and by the manner in which the liturgy is celebrated? The Second Vatican Council teaches that Christ instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice “in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again.” or not politicians in support of abortion should be able to receive Holy Communion. The USCCB, which never intended to focus solely upon this issue, offers the wider context for the Church’s teaching on receiving Holy Communion worthily. St. John Paul II articulates an essential component of the Church’s teaching on Communion. He notes that “the celebration of the Eucharist presupposes that communion already exists, a communion which it seeks to consolidate and bring to perfection.”12 Holy Communion presupposes ecclesial communion.

On the one hand, the onus is upon each individual Catholic to discern with the aid of a well-formed conscience whether he or she is properly disposed to receive Communion. On the other hand, the Ordinary of a local church is called “to remedy situations that involve public actions at variance with the visible communion of the Church and the moral law.”13 The bishop is entrusted with the role to “guard the integrity of the sacrament, the visible communion of the Church, and the salvation of souls.”14 The tension that is delicately outlined here deserves greater clarity not merely in written word and speech. There is obvious confusion about the manner in which the consistent teaching on Holy Communion is implemented in practice. The bishops will need to continue to provide prophetic

Adoremus Bulletin, January 2022 and charitable clarity as they attempt to accompany all people towards Communion without compromising the teaching of the Gospel. The issue at hand is not about politicizing the Eucharist, but the koinonia, the spiritual Communion that characterizes the Eucharist and the Church (1 Corinthians 10:16).

The Holy Eucharist is a precious gift that extends the mystery of the Incarnation. Jesus Christ is sacramentally present in the Eucharist. In the teaching of St. Paul VI, the Eucharist is the real and substantial presence par excellence.15 Beyond the reaffirmation, emphasis, and clarity on the Church’s doctrine of the Real Presence, parishes and dioceses can promote devotion to Christ in the Eucharist through processions, holy hours, local Eucharistic congresses, and extended periods of Eucharistic adoration. The worship of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament outside of the liturgy can help the faithful to appreciate the gift of the Real Presence, which is first given through the gift of the Mass. According to Pope Benedict, “The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself.”16

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Task 2: Participation in Leitourgia Much of the immediate discussion following the publication of the Pew Research Study has focused on the need for better catechesis. The hope for Eucharistic

of liturgical action.”19 Parishes should examine the sacred artwork, the architecture, vessels, and vesture which are integral to their liturgical celebrations.

The close connection between beauty and the liturgy demands that we periodically assess whether everything used in relation to the celebration of the Eucharist is beautiful. Denis McNamara, executive director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College, Atichison, KS, constantly emphasizes that something is beautiful when it reveals its ontology. Do all of these items used within the local ars celebrandi direct the faithful to appreciate the beauty of the heavenly Jerusalem or to encounter Jesus Christ, the Incarnation of beauty?

Particular attention should be given to sacred music because it is the supreme art within the ars celebrandi.

Benedict XVI emphasizes that the “texts, music, and execution” demand particular attention because they “ought to correspond to the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, the structure of the rite and the liturgical seasons.”20 Does the current repertoire of music used during the liturgy lead people to worship in accordance with the Church’s teaching on sacred music? Is there an effort to implement the use of more Gregorian chant with the liturgy?

Finally, greater efforts need to integrate more mystagogical catechesis. The faithful would all benefit

During this period of intentional Eucharistic renewal, every minister should examine how he prepares for and participates in the Mass: the priest, the deacon, the servers, emcees, the lectors, the sacristan, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, ushers, and the faithful. Every gesture, word, and action should be carried out with reverence and focus.

renewal also depends on how the liturgy is celebrated.

Pope Benedict XVI affirms a view espoused by one of the participants in the 2001 synod of bishops on the Holy Eucharist: “the best catechesis on the Eucharist is the Eucharist itself, celebrated well.”17 The liturgy (lex orandi) itself is an expression of the Church’s teaching (lex credendi), so greater attention should be given to the manner in which the Holy Eucharist is celebrated.

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council in continuity with previous magisterial teaching and the leaders of the liturgical movement have emphasized the need for the conscious and active participation of the faithful in the liturgy. The best means of fostering active participation is a renewed focus on improving the ars celebrandi. While there has been an attitude that wants to oppose the ars celebrandi and the active participation of the faithful, Benedict XVI considers the ars celebrandi the “best way” to achieve the active participation of the faithful.18 During this period of intentional Eucharistic renewal, every minister should examine how he prepares for and participates in the Mass: the priest, the deacon, the servers, emcees, the lectors, the sacristan, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, ushers, and the faithful. Every gesture, word, and action should be carried out with reverence and focus.

Renewed attention should be given to the role of beauty within the liturgy. Recent popes have highlighted the via pulchritudinis in catechesis, evangelization, and the celebration of the liturgy.

Benedict XVI notes that beauty is “an essential element

“ All things that are in the Eucharist represent the same reality, namely, the death of the Lord.” — St. Thomas Aquinas from an increased understanding of the relationship between the liturgical rites and salvation history, the meaning of the varying signs and symbols of the liturgical rites, and finally the implications of the rite for one’s own life.21 Preaching, catechesis, and ongoing faith formation are varying forums that could be utilized to assist the faithful to understand the liturgical year, liturgical gestures, and varying aspects of the liturgical rite with greater clarity. Greater understanding of the mysteries being celebrated can foster greater love for them.

Task 3: Diakonia, the Love that Fulfills the Law Sacrifice is not the destruction of something within the context of the Eucharist. Sacrifice is ultimately about divinization—the transformation of the faithful by self-giving love.22 The pioneers of the early liturgical movement emphasized the unity between the celebration of the liturgy and social action. Benedict XVI maintains the bold statement that a Eucharist that does not lead to charitable actions towards one’s neighbor is “intrinsically fragmented.”23 A renewed emphasis upon the unity between the lex credendi and lex orandi ought to inform the lex vivendi.

Many communicants seem to reduce the Holy Eucharist to receiving an obligatory vitamin: the

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Eucharist is passively received because it is supposed to be good for my spiritual health. Exceptional catechesis and evangelization focused on unpacking the doctrine of the Holy Eucharist and a renewal of reverent, intentional, and beautiful liturgy can help provide a clearer revelation of Jesus Christ. When this occurs, it becomes easier for a person to be transformed actively by our encounter with the Eucharist. Benedict describes the radical transformation brought about by the Eucharist: “The Eucharist draws us into Jesus’ act of self-oblation. More than just statically receiving the incarnate Logos, we enter into the very dynamic of his self-giving.”24 Through the Incarnation, God has become man and, via the divinization that can occur within the Eucharist, the human person enters into the life and love of God. The ultimate fruit of a Eucharistic renewal is a Eucharistic life, which is marked by a selfless and loving diakonia. Saints and Blesseds such as Teresa of Kolkata, Damien of Molokai, Vincent de Paul, Pier Giorgio Frasatti, Chiara Corbella Petrillo, or Carlo Acutis (patron of the USCCB revival’s first year) are witnesses to lives transformed by their encounter with the incarnate Logos. Their love for the Eucharist committed them to love others generously. Ratzinger characterizes charity as an essential companion to worship: “‘Caritas,’ care for the other, is not an additional sector of Christianity alongside worship; rather, it is rooted in it and forms part of it. The horizontal and the vertical are inseparably linked in the Eucharist, in the ‘breaking of the bread.’”25 The Church’s teaching on the Eucharist is not simply abstract doctrine. The core of the Eucharistic doctrine focused on sacrifice is best translated into concrete self-giving love.

From Bones to Body and Blood A fruitful Eucharistic revival needs to assist people in bridging the gap between Sunday worship and daily life.

The mysteries of Christ’s life, which we encounter within the liturgy, ought to be translated into the daily rhythm of life. Through work, friendships, and interactions with family members, the Lord offers people opportunities to make sacrifices of themselves. There are ample opportunities to bring about communion through kindness, forgiveness, and mercy day in and day out.

Each member of the Body of Christ is invited each and every day to be a living witness to the Lord’s loving presence in the world. The new worship of Jesus Christ invites us to enter into his sacrificial love and become “bread that is broken” for others. Charity is essential to putting Christ’s flesh on these dry bones in need of revival. We need consistent and interconnected kerygma, leitourgia, and diakonia to make this clear.

Roland Millare serves as the vice president for curriculum and the program director of Shepherd’s Heart (a continuing education and formation program for priests and deacons) for the St. John Paul II Foundation, Houston, TX, and as an adjunct professor of theology for deacon candidates at the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary, Houston, TX. Roland earned a doctorate in sacred theology (STD) at the Liturgical Institute/University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, IL. He is the author of the forthcoming book A Living Sacrifice: Liturgy and Eschatology in Joseph Ratzinger (Emmaus Academic).

1. Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est (DCE), §25.

2. Pope Benedict XVI, Message for World Mission Day 2012, 6 January 2012. https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/messages/ missions/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20120106_world-missionday-2012.html 3. Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 164.

4. Ibid., 165.

5. Ibid.

6. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Sentences, book IV, d. 8, q. 1, a.

1, quaestiuncula 2, sed contra 2.

7. Ibid.

8. USCCB, The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church, §§8, 14, 16, and 25.

9. Ibid., §15.

10. Sacrosanctum Concilium, §47.

11. St. John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, §16.

12. Ibid., §35.

13. USCCB, The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church, §49.

14. Ibid.

15. Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei, §39.

16. Sacramentum Caritatis (SCar), §66.

17. Ibid., §64.

18. Ibid., §38.

19. Ibid., §35.

20. Ibid., §42.

21. See SCar, §64. Also see Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, §166.

22. See Joseph Ratzinger, Theology of the Liturgy: The Sacramental Foundation of Christian Existence, ed. Michael J. Miller, trans. John Saward, Kenneth Baker, S.J., Henry Taylor, et al., Collected Works 11 (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2014), 15.

23. DCE, §14.

24. Ibid., §13.

25. Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, Part Two. Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, trans. Vatican Secretariat of State (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2011), 129–30.

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Adoremus Bulletin, January 2022

Mission Impossible: Antiphonale Romanum I

By Father Aaron Williams

Solesmes Sets the Standard France’s Abbey of Solesmes, historically tasked with the duty to preserve the tradition of chant in the Church, quickly began work on producing a revised Antiphonale Monasticum, which is the equivalent chant book necessary for the sung office in the Monastic usage. These three volumes would form the basis for future editions of the sung version of the Liturgia Horarum even outside the monastery.

In this case, the Abbey was faced with a difficult question: should they simply compose new “neoGregorian” chants to reflect the texts in the reformed breviary, or should they substitute the breviary texts with pre-existing chants? As readers may expect, it was not a popular idea among Benedictine communities to simply throw out over a millennia’s worth of Gregorian tradition. Instead, a sort of compromise was made that allowed the substitution of Gregorian antiphons within the psalter, but the composition of neo-Gregorian melodies for the

AB/FATHER AARON WILLIAMS

I

Father Aaron Williams went to great lengths to create a traditional-yet-modern antiphonale for Notre Dame Seminary as a student. “I tried to familiarize myself enough with these chant motifs in order to retain them,” he writes. “One I could mention is a motif found in the eighth mode on Marian feasts, particularly when the Incarnation is mentioned. The melody moves downward in rapid succession, which I always likened to the movement of the Holy Spirit descending into the womb of the Blessed Mother.”

“ Parishes and religious houses which received the new Breviary in 1971 were faced with the impossible task of chanting an office which was not compiled with musical forms in mind.”

AB/BRYAN SHERWOOD ON FLICKR

n late 2020, the Abbey of Solesmes published Antiphonale Romanum I, but due to shipping difficulties related to the pandemic, only recently are these texts making their ways into the hands of eager lovers of Gregorian chant. The publication of this volume is a much more significant event than most Catholics would probably expect. Volume one completes a trio of texts which began with the publication of the Liber Hymnarius in 1983 and Antiphonale Romanum II in 2009. These three books provide the Gregorian notation for the antiphons, hymns, and responsories which are necessary to chant Lauds and Vespers from the modern Liturgy of the Hours on Sundays, feasts, and solemnities. These books are instrumental in implementing the vision of the Second Vatican Council regarding the reformed and restored Office.

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council decreed in Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC) that “Pastors of souls should see to it that the chief hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts” (SC, 100). But there is an issue with this expectation. At the time that the Constitution was published, the traditional Breviarium Romanum was still in use. Chanting the office of Vespers on Sunday in a parish setting, for instance, was not too difficult because, with the exception of the Magnificat antiphon, the chants used at Sunday vespers hardly ever changed from week to week.

But the promulgation of the Liturgia Horarum in 1971 made this task exceedingly difficult for several reasons: (1) the introduction of the fourweek psalter presented a constantly changing body of texts with different antiphons each week, (2) the hymns were more diverse, and (3) proper antiphons were introduced in seasons which before did not have proper texts. Yet, the most significant issue in attempting to chant the modern Liturgy of the Hours is that the texts of the Latin typical edition were not chosen to reflect the already-established body of Gregorian antiphons. In fact, an overwhelmingly large number of texts in the Liturgia Horarum are “new,” including a great number of hymns, which means that over half of the modern breviary makes use of liturgical texts for which there is not and has never been Gregorian/musical compositions.

Strictly speaking, parishes and religious houses which received the new Breviary in 1971 were faced with the impossible task of chanting an office which was not compiled with musical forms in mind. Communities across the world each had to decide how they were to proceed, especially communities where the chanted office had existed in custom for generations and formed part of the ethos of the liturgical life of the house. In some cases, communities wholesale rejected the new Breviary and continued to chant the older form, perhaps at least in hope that a musical form of the reformed Breviary would eventually be available. Other communities made use of the four-week psalter, but began creating their own books of antiphons which replaced the spoken texts of the Liturgia Horarum with preexisting Gregorian chants of a similar text. Other communities sacrificed Gregorian chant and began to compose their own music in Latin or the vernacular, sometimes attempting to reflect the Gregorian modes and sometimes making use of modern forms of music.

An overwhelmingly large number of texts in the postconciliar Liturgia Horarum are “new,” including a great number of hymns, which means that over half of the modern breviary makes use of liturgical texts for which there is not and has never been Gregorian/musical compositions.

Magnificat and Benedictus antiphons texts where necessary. In regard to the hymns, it was decided that the new hymn texts would be assigned to pre-existing Gregorian melodies which made use of the same meter.

In consultation with the Congregation for Divine Worship, this method of adaptation led to the publication of the Ordo Cantus Officii in 1983. The Ordo provides a schema where antiphons in the Liturgia Horarum may be substituted by pre-existing chants along with the manuscript source for each of those chants. At this point, it was now possible to have an agreed-upon body of chants which would apply to the modern breviary. But still there was a major issue: no book existed which provided all of these antiphons together. The Ordo itself makes reference to dozens of musical sources, sometimes including sources so obscure that only one or two European monasteries had copies of the chant. (It is worth noting that the Mass has its counterpart in the Ordo Cantus Missae,

The Chant Books for the Modern Liturgy of the Hours: Ordo Cantus Officii: A schema or outline providing references to manuscript sources and page numbers for each Gregorian chant necessary to sing the entire Liturgy of the Hours. Promulgated by the Congregation for Divine Worship first in 1983, and then revised in 2015.

Antiphonale Romanum I: Provides the Gregorian chants necessary to sing the office of Lauds (Morning Prayer) on Sundays, solemnities, and feasts. Published by the Abbey of Solesmes, 2020.

Antiphonale Romanum II: Provides the Gregorian chants necessary to sing the office of Vespers (Evening Prayer) on Sundays, solemnities, and feasts. Published by the Abbey of Solesmes, 2009.

Liber Cantualis: A small book of miscellaneous chants to be used at common Masses, Offices, and devotions, including the chants necessary for Compline (Night Prayer) on Sundays and solemnities. Published by the Abbey of Solesmes first in 1995.

Liber Hymnarius: Provides the Gregorian notation for all the hymns and invitatories of the Liturgy of the Hours. Published by the Abbey of Solesmes, 1983.

Antiphonale Monasticum: A collection of chants for the daytime hours of the office according to the Monastic usage.

Published by the Abbey of Solesmes, 2007.

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AB/WIKIMEDIA

Adoremus Bulletin, January 2022

Since the time of Pope Pius X (r. 1903-1914), the Benedictine Abbey of Solesme in France, birthplace of the modern liturgical movement, has given the Church the necessary music to accompany the Roman Rite Mass and Office. Its most recent publication, the Antiphonale Romanum I, was published in late 2020 and includes the chants to sing Lauds on Sundays and solemnities.

which forms the basis for the modern Graduale Romanum.)

Even with the publication of the Ordo and the Liber Hymnarius in 1983, it was still nearly impossible for the majority of religious houses to chant the modern office, let alone attempt to meet the Council’s demand that the office be celebrated solemnly in parishes. Those few communities which were convinced about the necessity of chanting the modern breviary were forced to produce leaflets for each chanted office which pasted together the necessary antiphons—as was, and in many cases still is, the practice of the Canons of the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome.

A significant moment came in 2008 when the Communauté Saint-Martin, a French community of parish priests, published Les Heures Grégoriennes. This threevolume set provides all the necessary chants according to the Ordo Cantius Officii 1983 in order to chant all the hours except the Office of Readings. Music and texts are provided in Latin, with a parallel French translation of the psalms, with marked accents allowing the singer to easily chant the text to the accompanying psalm tone.

The next year, Solesmes published its Antiphonale Romanum II which constituted the first “official” (that is, expert-made but not promulgated as a liturgical text) chant edition of the modern Liturgia Horarum. This volume covers the office of Vespers on Sundays, feasts and solemnities, and contains only minor differences from the chants selected in Les Heures Grégoriennes.

Unexpectedly, the Congregation for Divine Worship published a second edition of the Ordo Cantius Officii in 2015, which revised several of the antiphon selections of its predecessor. The need for this text arose in 2002 after Pope John Paul II introduced the three-year cycle of antiphons at the Gospel canticle. But the Ordo did not restrict these revisions to the newly introduced texts.

Several changes were made in other places, including the four-week psalter. This made both Les Heures Grégoriennes and the Antiphonale Romanum II out of date, though in the case of the latter, only a few chants are now “incorrect.” The recent publication of the Antiphonale Romanum I reflects the 2015 Ordo, and therefore makes this volume the only “correct” edition available—though this text only covers the office of Lauds.

Work in Progress As it stands, much work is still to be done. No official text has been published to cover memorials, ferial days, or any of the hours over than Lauds and Vespers (with the exception of Compline on Sundays, which is included as an appendix to the 2009 edition of the Liber Cantualis).

It is worth mentioning that in regard to the Office of Readings, the task of providing music for this office is immense, especially considering that the official edition of the Nocturnale Romanum (which was made necessary by the 1911 reform of the breviary) was never published, having been in the process of creation at the time of the Second Vatican Council. Essentially, the clock ran out on the need for that text. (It is worth noting that the first published edition of the 1911 office of Matins was only

made available in 2001 by a private German typesetter, Holger Peter Sandhofe. This text is out of print.)

Solesmes did produce an interim edition for in-house use with the modern office, the Nocturnale Solesmense (2010). This paperback includes responsories and antiphons for the solemnity Vigils (the monastic version of Office of Readings). For the remainder of the year, it is the practice of the monks to simply chant the entire office on a straight-tone, and this custom is fairly common among houses within the Solesmes congregation.

All things considered, the publication of the Antiphonale Romanum I is both a major step forward, and also a sign of just how daunting a task it will be to provide chant editions for the entirety of the reformed Liturgy of the Hours. However, this conundrum also underscores the major difficulty in producing vernacular editions for the chanting of the office.

Perhaps the most common available edition of the sung office in English is the Mundelein Psalter. This text, a joint venture of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL, and Benedictine Father Samuel Weber, provides simple psalm tones for use in the psalter which can be applied both to psalm texts and antiphons alike, along with simplified hymn melodies. It is a popular edition among seminaries and religious houses, but while it provides a simple approach to the sung office in English, the Psalter cannot be said to be an English rendering of the true chanted office, as it treats the antiphons as simple addendums to the psalm texts, having them sung in the same manner according to a psalm tone.

However, like in the Mass, the antiphons are properly liturgical moments in themselves. They are meant to provide a sort of meditative preface and conclusion to the psalm text, and therefore require the singer to linger over them with a through-composed melody.

Many modern composers and chant scholars have successfully provided English adaptations for the antiphons of the Mass, but doing so for the office is difficult both because of the unavailability of the music and because the translations themselves are, again, texts which largely do not have musical counterparts in their Latin original. So, the musician who performs the adaptation is left with either adapting a chant melody of one Latin text to an entirely different English text, or simply creating something new. Neither is really a satisfying option for those who are genuinely interested in chant tradition. The Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky produced its own office which uses modal settings of the texts from the Liturgy of the Hours, though without adherence to any Gregorian counterpart. A third option is for the composer to make translations of the Latin antiphons, but this itself is a shady area from the perspective of liturgical law, since clerics are bound to recite the official translation.

Text from Scratch As a seminarian, I was faced with this conundrum in 2015 when the administration of Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans approached me about producing a text for in-house use which would provide music for the

chanted office of Vespers on Sundays, feasts, and solemnities. Prior to 2015, the seminary had made use of a collection of musical renderings of the Office which were of differing styles, and also did not allow for the true variety found in the modern Liturgy of the Hours. The desire with this text was to produce something that was reflective of the true tradition of the Gregorian office. The final edition, entitled the Notre Dame Vesperal, comprises 364 pages of English plainchant which are closely based upon the available Gregorian originals. The seminary has used this edition for all choral offices for the past six years.

In preparing this edition, I first had to do a significant amount of research using the 2015 Ordo Cantus Officii in order to determine which chants, in their Latin original, had identical or nearly-identical counterparts in the Latin edition of the office. Adaptations of these chants were made as closely as possible to the melodic original. However, for those antiphons which did not have a Gregorian original to match the spoken text, I searched for Gregorian antiphons which either had similar Latin texts or which were taken from a neighboring text in Scripture. The Latin antiphons of the office often make use of similar motifs across the year in order to invoke meditations among communities where the office is sung regularly. I tried to familiarize myself enough with these motifs in order to retain them. One I could mention is a motif found in the eighth mode on Marian feasts, particularly when the Incarnation is mentioned. The melody moves downward in rapid succession, which I always likened to the movement of the Holy Spirit descending into the womb of the Blessed Mother.

Regrettably, there are so many copyright laws which surround the publication of the Office that the seminary never sought to publish this text, so no editions are available for purchase. The Office is livestreamed weekly over the seminary’s Facebook and YouTube pages, for those who are interested in hearing it.

Extraordinary Difficulty In light of recent discussions surrounding the liturgical usages which preceded the 1970 reform, it is worth mentioning that it is entirely probable that at least among communities which use a Gregorian sung office, the desire to use the older, preconciliar books might likely be because no such counterpart edition is yet available in the reformed text. This discussion should underscore a difficulty in seeking a common expression of the Roman Rite.

Until all of the liturgical books of the reformed liturgy are available, it is hardly possible to expect people to wholesale give up the books they have, especially those in communities which have existed for centuries and which thrive on the tradition of the chanted office. Meeting the standard proposed by the Fathers of the Council in Sacrosanctum Concilium 100 will not be possible until the necessary books actually exist.

Father Aaron M. Williams is a priest of the Diocese of Jackson, MS. He is a graduate of Notre Dame Seminary (New Orleans, LA) and the Liturgical Institute (Mundelein, IL), and holds a Masters in Liturgical Studies.

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Adoremus Bulletin, January 2022 Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments RESPONSA AD DUBIA on certain provisions of the Apostolic Letter TRADITIONIS CUSTODES issued “Motu Proprio” by the Supreme Pontiff FRANCIS

TO THE PRESIDENTS OF THE CONFERENCES OF BISHOPS Your Eminence / Your Excellency, Following the publication by Pope Francis of the Apostolic Letter “Motu Proprio data” Traditionis custodes on the use of the liturgical books from prior to the reform of the Second Vatican Council, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, which exercises the authority of the Apostolic See for material within its competence (cf. Traditionis custodes, n. 7), received several requests for clarification on its correct application. Some questions have been raised from several quarters and with greater frequency. Therefore, after having carefully considered them, having informed the Holy Father and having received his assent, the responses to the most recurrent questions are published herewith.

The text of the Motu Proprio and the accompanying Letter to the Bishops of the whole world clearly express the reasons for the decisions taken by Pope Francis. The first aim is to continue “in the constant search for ecclesial communion” (Traditionis custodes, Preamble) which is expressed by recognizing in the liturgical books promulgated by the Popes Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite (cf. Traditionis custodes, n. 1). This is the direction in which we wish to move, and this is the meaning of the responses we publish here. Every prescribed norm has always the sole purpose of preserving the gift of ecclesial communion by walking together, with conviction of mind and heart, in the direction indicated by the Holy Father.

It is sad to see how the deepest bond of unity, the sharing in the one Bread broken which is His Body offered so that all may be one (cf. John 17:21), becomes a cause for division.

It is the duty of the Bishops, cum Petro et sub Petro, to safeguard communion, which, as the Apostle Paul reminds us (cf. 1 Cor 11:17-34), is a necessary condition for being able to participate at the Eucharistic table.

One fact is undeniable: The Council Fathers perceived the urgent need for a reform so that the truth of the faith as celebrated might appear ever more in all its beauty, and the People of God might grow in full, active, conscious participation in the liturgical celebration (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium n. 14), which is the present moment in the history of salvation, the memorial of the Lord’s Passover, our one and only hope.

As pastors we must not lend ourselves to sterile polemics, capable only of creating division, in which the ritual itself is often exploited by ideological viewpoints. Rather, we are all called to rediscover the value of the liturgical reform by preserving the truth and beauty of the Rite that it has given us. For this to happen, we are aware that a renewed and continuous liturgical formation is necessary both for Priests and for the lay faithful.

At the solemn closing of the second session of the Council (4 December 1963), St Paul VI said (n. 11): “The difficult, complex debates have had rich results. They have brought one topic to a conclusion, the sacred liturgy. Treated before all others, in a sense it has priority over all others for its intrinsic dignity and importance to the life of the Church and today we will solemnly promulgate the document on the liturgy. Our spirit, therefore, exults with true joy, for in the way things have gone we note respect for a right scale of values and duties. God must hold first place; prayer to him is our first duty. The liturgy is the first source of the divine communion in which God shares his own life with us. It is also the first school of the spiritual life. The liturgy is the first gift we must make to the Christian people united to us by faith and the fervor of their prayers. It is also a primary invitation to the human race, so that all may lift their now mute voices in blessed and genuine prayer and thus may experience that indescribable, regenerative power to be found when they join us in proclaiming the praises of God and the hopes of the human heart through Christ and the Holy Spirit.”

When Pope Francis (Address to the participants in the 68th National Liturgical Week, Rome, 24 August 2017) reminds us that “after this magisterium, after this long journey, We can affirm with certainty and with magisterial authority that the liturgical reform is irreversible” he wants to point us to the only direction in which we are joyfully called to turn our commitment as pastors.

Let us entrust our service “to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4,3), to Mary, Mother of the Church.

From the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 4 December 2021, on the 58th anniversary of the promulgation of the Constitution on the Scared Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium. ✠ Arthur Roche Prefect

The Supreme Pontiff Francis, in the course of an Audience granted to the Prefect of this Congregation on 18 November 2021, was informed of and gave his consent to the publication of these RESPONSA AD DUBIA with attached EXPLANATORY NOTES. Traditionis custodes Art. 3. Episcopus, in dioecesibus ubi adhuc unus vel plures coetus celebrant secundum Missale antecedens instaurationem anni 1970: [The bishop of the diocese in which until now there exist one or more groups that celebrate according to the Missal antecedent to the reform of 1970:] § 2. statuat unum vel plures locos ubi fideles, qui his coetibus adhaerent, convenire possint ad Eucharistiam celebrandam (nec autem in ecclesiis paroecialibus nec novas paroecias personales erigens); [is to designate one or more locations where the faithful adherents of these groups may gather for the eucharistic celebration (not however in the parochial churches and without the erection of new personal parishes);] To the proposed question: When it is not possible to find a church, oratory or chapel which is available to accommodate the faithful who celebrate using the Missale Romanum (Editio typica 1962), can the diocesan Bishop ask the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the

Sacraments for a dispensation from the provision of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes (Art. 3 § 2), and thus allow such a celebration in the parish church?

The answer is: Affirmative.

Explanatory note.

The Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes in art. 3 § 2 requests that the Bishop, in dioceses where up to now there has been the presence of one or more groups celebrating according to the Missal prior to the reform of 1970, “designate one or more locations where the faithful adherents of these groups may gather for the Eucharistic celebration (not however in the parochial churches and without the erection of new personal parishes).” The exclusion of the parish church is intended to affirm that the celebration of the Eucharist according to the previous rite, being a concession limited to these groups, is not part of the ordinary life of the parish community.

This Congregation, exercising the authority of the Holy See in matters within its competence (cf. Traditionis custodes, n. 7), can grant, at the request of the diocesan Bishop, that the parish church be used to celebrate according to the Missale Romanum of 1962 only if it is established that it is impossible to use another church, oratory or chapel. The assessment of this impossibility must be made with the utmost care.

Moreover, such a celebration should not be included in the parish Mass schedule, since it is attended only by the faithful who are members of the said group. Finally, it should not be held at the same time as the pastoral activities of the parish community. It is to be understood that when another venue becomes available, this permission will be withdrawn.

There is no intention in these provisions to marginalize the faithful who are rooted in the previous form of celebration: they are only meant to remind them that this is a concession to provide for their good (in view of the common use of the one lex orandi of the Roman Rite) and not an opportunity to promote the previous rite. __________________________________________ Traditionis custodes Art. 1. Libri liturgici a sanctis Pontificibus Paulo VI et Ioanne Paulo II promulgati, iuxta decreta Concilii Vaticani II, unica expressio “legis orandi” Ritus Romani sunt. [The liturgical books promulgated by Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of Vatican Council II, are the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite.]

Art. 8. Normae, dispositiones, concessiones et consuetudines antecedentes, quae conformes non sint cum harum Litterarum Apostolicarum Motu Proprio datarum praescriptis, abrogantur. [Previous norms, instructions, permissions, and customs that do not conform to the provisions of the present Motu Proprio are abrogated.]

To the proposed question: Is it possible, according to the provisions of the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes, to celebrate the sacraments with the Rituale Romanum and the Pontificale Romanum which predate the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council?

The answer is: Negative.

The diocesan Bishop is authorized to grant permission to use only the Rituale Romanum (last editio typica 1952) and not the Pontificale Romanum which predate the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council. He may grant this permission only to those canonically erected personal parishes which, according to the provisions of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes, celebrate using the Missale Romanum of 1962.

Explanatory note.

The Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes intends to re-establish in the whole Church of the Roman Rite a single and identical prayer expressing its unity, according to the liturgical books promulgated by the Popes Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of the Second Vatican Council and in line with the tradition of the Church.

The diocesan Bishop, as the moderator, promoter and guardian of all liturgical life, must work to ensure that his diocese returns to a unitary form of celebration (cf. Pope Francis, Letter to the Bishops of the whole world that accompanies the Apostolic Letter Motu Proprio data Traditionis custodes).

This Congregation, exercising the authority of the Holy See in matters within its competence (cf. Traditionis custodes, n. 7), affirms that, in order to make progress in the direction indicated by the Motu Proprio, it should not grant permission to use the Rituale Romanum and the Pontificale Romanum which predate the liturgical reform, these are liturgical books which, like all previous norms, instructions, concessions and customs, have been abrogated (cf. Traditionis Custodes, n. 8).

After discernment the diocesan Bishop is authorized to grant permission to use only the Rituale Romanum (last editio typica 1952) and not the Pontificale Romanum which predate the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council. This permission is to be granted only to canonically erected personal parishes which, according to the provisions of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes, celebrate with the Missale Romanum of 1962. It should be remembered that the formula for the Sacrament of Confirmation was changed for the entire Latin Church by Saint Paul VI with the Apostolic Constitution Divinæ consortium naturæ (15 August 1971).

This provision is intended to underline the need to clearly affirm the direction indicated by the Motu Proprio which sees in the liturgical books promulgated by the Saints Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite (cf. Traditionis custodes, n. 1).

In implementing these provisions, care should be taken to accompany all those rooted in the previous form of celebration towards a full understanding of the value of the celebration in the ritual form given to us by the reform of the Second Vatican Council.

This should take place through an appropriate formation that makes it possible to discover how the reformed liturgy is the witness to an unchanged faith, the expression of a renewed ecclesiology, and the primary source of spirituality for Christian life. __________________________________________ Traditionis custodes Art. 3. Episcopus, in dioecesibus ubi adhuc unus vel plures coetus celebrant secundum Missale antecedens instaurationem anni 1970: [The bishop of the diocese in which until now there exist one or more groups that celebrate according to the Missal antecedent to the reform of 1970:] § 1. certior fiat coetus illos auctoritatem ac legitimam naturam instaurationis liturgicae, normarum Concilii Vaticani II Magisteriique Summorum Pontificum non excludere; [is to determine that these groups do not deny the validity and the legitimacy of the liturgical reform, dictated by Vatican Council II and the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs;]

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Adoremus Bulletin, January 2022 To the proposed question: If a Priest who has been granted the use of the Missale Romanum of 1962 does not recognize the validity and legitimacy of concelebration—refusing to concelebrate, in particular, at the Chrism Mass—can he continue to benefit from this concession?

The answer is: Negative.

However, before revoking the concession to use the Missale Romanum of 1962, the Bishop should take care to establish a fraternal dialogue with the Priest, to ascertain that this attitude does not exclude the validity and legitimacy of the liturgical reform, the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs, and to accompany him towards an understanding of the value of concelebration, particularly at the Chrism Mass.

Explanatory note.

Art. 3 § 1 of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes requires the diocesan Bishop to ascertain that the groups requesting to celebrate with the Missale Romanum of 1962 “do not deny the validity and the legitimacy of the liturgical reform, dictated by Vatican Council II and the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs.”

St Paul forcefully reminds the community of Corinth to live in unity as a necessary condition to be able to participate at the Eucharistic table (cf. 1 Cor 11,17-34).

In the Letter sent to the Bishops of the whole world to accompany the text of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes, the Holy Father says: “Because ‘liturgical celebrations are not private actions, but celebrations of the Church, which is the sacrament of unity’ (cf.

Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 26), they must be carried out in communion with the Church.

Vatican Council II, while it reaffirmed the external bonds of incorporation in the Church— the profession of faith, the sacraments, of communion—affirmed with St. Augustine that to remain in the Church not only ‘with the body’ but also ‘with the heart’ is a condition for salvation (cf. Lumen Gentium, n. 14).”

The explicit refusal not to take part in concelebration, particularly at the Chrism Mass, seems to express a lack of acceptance of the liturgical reform and a lack of ecclesial communion with the Bishop, both of which are necessary requirements in order to benefit from the concession to celebrate with the Missale Romanum of 1962.

However, before revoking the concession to use the Missale Romanum of 1962, the Bishop should offer the Priest the necessary time for a sincere discussion on the deeper motivations that lead him not to recognize the value of concelebration, in particular in the Mass presided over by the Bishop. He should invite him to express, in the eloquent gesture of concelebration, that ecclesial communion which is a necessary condition for being able to participate at the table of the Eucharistic sacrifice. __________________________________________ Traditionis custodes Art. 3. Episcopus, in dioecesibus ubi adhuc unus vel plures coetus celebrant secundum Missale antecedens instaurationem anni 1970: [The bishop of the diocese in which until now there exist one or more groups that celebrate according to the Missal antecedent to the reform of 1970:] § 3. constituat, in loco statuto, dies quibus celebrationes eucharisticae secundum Missale Romanum a sancto Ioanne XXIII anno 1962 promulgatum permittuntur. His in celebrationibus, lectiones proclamentur lingua vernacula, adhibitis Sacrae Scripturae translationibus ad usum liturgicum ab unaquaque Conferentia Episcoporum approbatis; [to establish at the designated locations the days on which eucharistic celebrations are permitted using the Roman Missal promulgated by Saint John XXIII in 1962. In these celebrations the readings are proclaimed in the vernacular language, using translations of the Sacred Scripture approved for liturgical use by the respective Episcopal Conferences;] To the proposed question: In Eucharistic celebrations using the Missale Romanum of 1962, is it possible to use the full text of the Bible for the readings, choosing the pericopes indicated in the Missal?

The answer is: Affirmative.

Explanatory note.

Art. 3 § 3 of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes states that the readings are to be proclaimed in the vernacular language, using translations of Sacred Scripture for liturgical use, approved by the respective Episcopal Conferences.

Since the texts of the readings are contained in the Missal itself, and therefore there is no separate Lectionary, and in order to observe the provisions of the Motu Proprio, one must necessarily resort to the translation of the Bible approved by the individual Bishops’ Conferences for liturgical use, choosing the pericopes indicated in the Missale Romanum of 1962.

No vernacular lectionaries may be published that reproduce the cycle of readings of the previous rite.

It should be remembered that the present Lectionary is one of the most precious fruits of the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council. The publication of the Lectionary, in addition to overcoming the “plenary” form of the Missale Romanum of 1962 and returning to the ancient tradition of individual books corresponding to individual ministries, fulfils the wish of Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 51: “The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God’s word.

In this way a more representative portion of the holy scriptures will be read to the people in the course of a prescribed number of years.” __________________________________________ Traditionis custodes Art. 4. Presbyteri ordinati post has Litteras Apostolicas Motu Proprio datas promulgatas, celebrare volentes iuxta Missale Romanum anno 1962 editum, petitionem formalem Episcopo dioecesano mittere debent, qui, ante concessionem, a Sede Apostolica licentiam rogabit.

[Priests ordained after the publication of the present Motu Proprio, who wish to celebrate using the Missale Romanum of 1962, should submit a formal request to the diocesan Bishop who shall consult the Apostolic See before granting this authorization.]

To the proposed question: Does the diocesan Bishop have to be authorized by the Apostolic See to allow priests ordained after the publication of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes to celebrate with the Missale Romanum of 1962 (cf. Traditionis custodies, n. 4)?

The answer is: Affirmative.

Explanatory note.

Article 4 of the Latin text (which is the official text to be referenced) reads as follows: «Presbyteri ordinati post has Litteras Apostolicas Motu Proprio datas promulgatas, celebrare volentes iuxta Missale Romanum anno 1962 editum, petitionem formalem Episcopo dioecesano mittere debent, qui, ante concessionem, a Sede Apostolica licentiam rogabit».

This is not merely a consultative opinion, but a necessary authorization given to the diocesan Bishop by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, which exercises the authority of the Holy See over matters within its competence (cf. Traditionis custodes, n. 7).

Only after receiving this permission will the diocesan Bishop be able to authorize Priests ordained after the publication of the Motu Proprio (16 July 2021) to celebrate with the Missale Romanum of 1962.

This rule is intended to assist the diocesan Bishop in evaluating such a request: his discernment will be duly taken into account by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

The Motu Proprio clearly expresses the desire that what is contained in the liturgical books promulgated by Popes Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, be recognized as the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite: it is therefore absolutely essential that Priests ordained after the publication of the Motu Proprio share this desire of the Holy Father.

All seminary formators, seeking to walk with solicitude in the direction indicated by Pope Francis, are encouraged to accompany future Deacons and Priests to an understanding and experience of the richness of the liturgical reform called for by the Second Vatican Council. This reform has enhanced every element of the Roman Rite and has fostered—as hoped for by the Council Fathers—the full, conscious and active participation of the entire People of God in the liturgy (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium no. 14), the primary source of authentic Christian spirituality. __________________________________________ Traditionis custodes Art. 5. Presbyteri, qui iam secundum Missale Romanum anno 1962 editum celebrant, ab Episcopo dioecesano licentiam rogabunt ad hanc facultatem servandam. [Priests who already celebrate according to the Missale Romanum of 1962 should request from the diocesan Bishop the authorization to continue to enjoy this faculty.]

To the proposed question: Can the faculty to celebrate using the Missale Romanum of 1962 be granted ad tempus?

The answer is: Affirmative.

Explanatory note.

The possibility of granting the use of the Missale Romanum of 1962 for a defined period of time—the duration of which the diocesan Bishop will consider appropriate—is not only possible but also recommended: the end of the defined period offers the possibility of ascertaining that everything is in harmony with the direction established by the Motu Proprio. The outcome of this assessment can provide grounds for prolonging or suspending the permission. __________________________________________ To the proposed question: Does the faculty granted by the diocesan Bishop to celebrate using the Missale Romanum of 1962 only apply to the territory of his own diocese?

The answer is: Affirmative. __________________________________________ To the proposed question: If the authorized Priest is absent or unable to attend, must the person replacing him also have formal authorization?

The answer is: Affirmative. __________________________________________ To the proposed question: Do Deacons and instituted ministers participating in celebrations using the Missale Romanum of 1962 have to be authorized by the diocesan Bishop?

The answer is: Affirmative. __________________________________________ To the proposed question: Can a Priest who is authorized to celebrate with the Missale Romanum of 1962 and who, because of his office (Parish Priest, chaplain, etc.), also celebrates on weekdays with the Missale Romanum of the reform of the Second Vatican Council, binate using the Missale Romanum of 1962?

The answer is: Negative.

Explanatory note.

The Parish Priest or chaplain who—in the fulfilment of his office—celebrates on weekdays with the current Missale Romanum, which is the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite, cannot binate by celebrating with the Missale Romanum of 1962, either with a group or privately.

It is not possible to grant bination on the grounds that there is no “just cause” or “pastoral necessity” as required by canon 905 §2: the right of the faithful to the celebration of the Eucharist is in no way denied, since they are offered the possibility of participating in the Eucharist in its current ritual form. __________________________________________ To the proposed question: Can a Priest who is authorized to celebrate using the Missale Romanum of 1962 celebrate on the same day with the same Missal for another group of faithful who have received authorization?

The answer is: Negative.

Explanatory note.

It is not possible to grant bination on the grounds that there is no “just cause” or “pastoral necessity” as required by canon 905 §2: the right of the faithful to the celebration of the Eucharist is in no way denied, since they are offered the possibility of participating in the Eucharist in its current ritual form. © Libreria Editrice Vaticana

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Q A

Adoremus Bulletin, January 2022

THE RITE QUESTIONS : Is selling—or buying— a blessed object permitted?

: The answer to this question is a little more nuanced than at first glance. To understand the issue clearly, a few foundational principles should be considered.

First, it is clear that Catholic tradition holds simony to be a sin. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines simony as “the buying or selling of spiritual things” (CCC, 2121). This is forbidden and is even a canonical crime if it involves a sacrament (Code of Canon Law (CIC), can. 1380). However, it is important to note that there is a distinction between the object and the spiritual blessing or grace attached to it.

Technically, it is not the buying or selling of the material object (obiecta) per se that is simony but rather the attempted buying or selling of the spiritual blessing, grace, favor, etc. (the spiritual res) that is the sin.

The Latin term used in the Catechism at number 2121 when describing simony is “rerum” and not “obiecta.”

Second, since it is the blessing or grace that cannot be bought or sold, if anything blessed is sold or is severely damaged, it is considered to have lost its blessing. Thus, when a home or a car is blessed, for example, once it is sold, it loses its blessing. In this light, it is not entirely accurate to say that the Church completely prohibits the selling of any blessed things, otherwise no Catholic with a blessed home could ever sell his or her house. However, certain types of blessed things have different restrictions to consider when it comes to buying and selling.

Third, there is a distinction when it comes to things that have a blessing, namely: 1) blessed objects; 2) “sacred objects,” and 3) blessed sacramentals.

“Blessed objects” are merely objects that are not religious or sacramental—such as cars, houses, etc.—that are blessed. These objects can be bought and sold but, as mentioned above, they lose their blessing when that happens.

“Sacred objects,” strictly speaking as used in canon 1171 of the Code of Canon Law, is a category of designated objects that are consecrated or blessed in a way that sets them apart for sacred worship (liturgy), such as a church building, altars, church bells, holy oils, etc.

According to canon 1171, once consecrated or blessed, these cannot be handed over for secular or inappropriate use, including buying or selling, even if owned privately. This is why before a consecrated church building can be sold, the competent ecclesiastical authority must follow a series of steps required by canon law and issue a decree that, in a sense, “de-consecrates” the building or, in the technical term, “regulates it to profane but not sordid use” (cf. can. 1222). This decree of regulation has as one of its effects the loss of the consecration or blessing of the building. Only then can the canonical steps for the alienation of the property be done (see, e.g., can.1290ff).

“Blessed sacramentals” are religious objects that are blessed, such as rosaries, medals, crucifixes, etc.

These are not technically “sacred objects” in the sense of being set apart for “divine worship” (liturgy) but are meant for prayer, piety, or private devotions. In the July 12, 1847, Decree of the then-Sacred Congregation of Indulgences & Sacred Relics, the Congregation explicitly prohibited the selling of rosaries and crucifixes. It added that, if sold, these lose the blessings and indulgences attached to them. Similarly, the Raccolta (1910) repeats this prohibition stating “they cannot be sold or exchanged” (Raccolta, #38). Interestingly, this prohibition is not repeated in the current Manual on Indulgences, which only states that the indulgence attached to an article of devotion ceases if it is destroyed or sold (Manual on Indulgences, N16 §2). This has raised questions as to whether the prohibition is still in force.

Regardless of whether the prohibition against selling blessed sacramental objects is in force, it is clear that their sale is to be avoided. This is because if the blessed sacramental is presented in some way as more unique or valuable because it carries a blessing or a blessing from a certain person (e.g., “This rosary was blessed by the Pope!”), it would technically fall under simony since the spiritual reality is being advertised as making it more worthy to be paid for. In addition, even if it is sold or auctioned, it loses its blessing upon the sale and the person receives an unblessed object.

Inevitably, the sale of blessed sacramentals easily causes scandal. In all prudence, the sale should be of a non-blessed religious object and should be blessed only after the sale.

All of the above applies to auctioning as well, since

auctioning is considered equivalent to buying and selling in that there is an offer, an acceptance, and a transaction done based on it.

—Answered by Benedict Nguyen Chancellor, Diocese of Corpus Christi, TX

Q A

:W hat are the liturgical laws concerning altar wine?

: Over the years, questions have arisen about the validity of the wine used for the celebration of the Mass. The 1983 Code of Canon Law in canon 924 §3 requires that the “wine must be natural from the fruit of the vine and not spoiled.” The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) further clarifies,“The wine for the celebration of the Eucharist must be from the fruit of the vine (cf. Lk 22:18), natural, and unadulterated, that is, without admixture of extraneous substances” (322). The GIRM goes on to say that diligent care should be taken to ensure that wine intended for the Eucharist is kept in a perfect state of conservation, meaning that the wine does not turn to vinegar. Wine that has just begun to turn sour is valid but illicit (but, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, is sinful to use because of irreverence [see ST, IIIa, q. 74, a.

5]). Wine that has totally soured or turned to vinegar is invalid matter. Valid matter for sacrament must always be used; to use anything else renders the sacrament invalid. Illicit matter, while valid, goes against the laws and rubrics and should not be used.

Therefore, the most important feature of altar wine is that it be made in the natural way entirely from “the fruit of the vine,” that is, from grapes (fruit from the genus Vitis). Wine made from raisins is also acceptable. Wine made with genetically modified organisms can be considered valid matter. The addition of other fruits or juice invalidates the matter, as would be such wine-based liquors as sangria, wine coolers, or wine spritzers. The chemical manufacture of “wine” not made by the fermentation action of yeast results in invalid matter. The Apostolic See has responded over the years that the addition of sulfites as antioxidants to inhibit the yeast and to avoid spoilage does not affect liceity or validity.

During the celebration of the Mass, water is mixed with the wine. Wine to which water in a greater or equal quantity has been added would make the wine invalid, since the wine would have lost the qualities of wine. The addition of pure distilled grape spirits during the process of fermentation to increase the alcohol content to avoid spoilage is also permitted, so long as the total alcohol content is not above 18%. Official replies to the question of alcohol content have varied over the years and identified a range of percentages between 9–18%. A brief survey of some common altar wines places the alcohol percentage between 12–18%.

The color and flavor are not defined: red, white, or rosé are acceptable as is sweet or dry wine; however, sparkling wine such as champagne or spumante are not valid.

Mustum (or must) is to be understood as fresh juice of the grape or juice preserved by suspending its fermentation and thus limiting its alcohol content (by means of freezing or other methods that do not alter its substance). The Apostolic See has noted caution has to be taken to preserve the necessary distinction between mustum and certain types of pasteurized or otherwise treated grape juice which, though commercially accessible, would not constitute mustum. Pasteurized grape juice is not valid matter because pasteurization removes even trace amounts of alcohol produced in the natural fermentation process. The prohibition of additives to mustum as in normal wine remains the same.

The use of mustum was once restricted only to clergy suffering from alcoholism or other serious health problems and required an indult from the Apostolic See. However, since 2003, the ordinary is competent to give permission for an individual priest or layperson to use mustum for the celebration of the Eucharist. Permission can be granted habitually, for as long as the situation continues which occasioned the granting of permission. Such situations include alcoholism, wine allergy or intolerance, or other health problems.

While the use of mustum, which usually contains significantly less than 1% alcohol, can be permitted by the ordinary, the permission is granted only for a specific person. Others present at the Mass, including concelebrants, must use normal wine.

In the United States, there are no laws governing the appellation of any wine as “Altar Wine” or “Sacramental Wine.” While any wine that meets the requirements of the church’s law is valid matter, wine certified

by the manufacturer or by the local bishop as meeting the requirements should be preferred to using wine that comes from an ambiguous source.

Ensuring proper valid matter for the Eucharist is an important task. The Apostolic See noted in 1929 that it is criminal to expose so great a Sacrament to the danger of nullity. This was reiterated in the 2004 Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum and in the 2017 Circular Letter to Bishops on the Bread and Wine for the Eucharist: it is altogether forbidden to use wine of doubtful authenticity or provenance, for the Church requires certainty regarding the conditions necessary for the validity of the sacraments.

—Answered by Father Alan Guanella Diocese of La Crosse, WI

Q A

: What is the clergy’s obligation to pray the Liturgy of the Hours?

: Before a man is ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons and enters the clerical state, he makes promises “to celebrate faithfully the Liturgy of the Hours with and for the People of God and indeed for the whole world” (Ordination of a Deacon, 228). This promise, of course, does not go away if a man is ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests.

The Second Vatican Council desired “that the chief hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts. And the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually” (Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC), 100).

Although this hope of the Council Fathers has gone largely unfulfilled, it would constitute one excellent way that clerics can pray the Liturgy of the Hours— with the People of God. They can also do so in a spiritual sense by prayerfully uniting themselves to all who pray the Liturgy of the Hours.

The Liturgy of the Hours is part of the daily prayer of clergy and religious, the purpose of which “includes the sanctification of the day and of the whole range of human activity” (General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours (GILH), 11). It consists of hymns, psalms, readings, and prayers and is broken up into the Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer (which may be prayed at midmorning, midday, or midafternoon), Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer. In so far as possible, “it is preferrable that they should be recited at the hour nearest to the one indicated by each canonical Hour” (SC, 94; GILH, 11; canon 1175).

The Code of Canon Law specifies the obligation of clerics to pray to the Liturgy of the Hours, noting that they are to do so “according to the proper and approved liturgical books” and that permanent deacons “are to carry out the same to the extent defined by the conference of bishops” (canon 276, §2, 3º). In its June meeting of 2003, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop defined that permanent deacons in US dioceses are to pray Morning and Evening Prayer daily and that, when possible, they should do so with the community to which they have been assigned (cf. National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2009, art. 90).

Transitional deacons, priests, and bishops “should recite the full sequence of Hours each day, as far as possible at the appropriate times,” which would mean that—at least ideally—the book would be opened and prayed five separate times each day, although it is possible to pray the hours together if they cannot be prayed at the appropriate times becomes of travel or meetings, etc. (GILH, 29).

The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours recognizes that the hours of Morning and Evening Prayer are the “hinges…which should not be omitted except for a serious reason” (29). What such a serious reason may be is not specified by law and is left to the discretion of the cleric. Such a serious reason might include extensive travel in the course of a single day. It is also possible for the Ordinary to dispense from the obligation to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, either in part or in full, if a situation so warrants it.

After Morning and Evening Prayer, clerics “should faithfully recite the Office of Readings” and “will have also at heart the recitation of the Daytime Hour and Night Prayer” (GILH, 29).

If clerics live together in common, they “should arrange to say at least some part of the Liturgy of the Hours in common, particularly Morning and Evening Prayer” (GILH, 25).

—Answered by Father Daren Zehnle Diocese of Springfield, IL

Adoremus Bulletin, January 2022 Continued from NEWS & VIEWS, page 2

Vatican Issues Clarifying Decree on Translating Latin Liturgical Texts

By Courtney Mares

CNA—The Vatican issued a decree on guiding bishops’ conferences on the proper protocol for the translation of liturgical texts from Latin into vernacular languages.

Published on October 22, the feast of St. John Paul II, the decree, called Postquam Summus Pontifex, clarifies changes already made by Pope Francis to the process of translating liturgical texts.

The decree from the Congregation for Divine Worship builds on a motu proprio Pope Francis issued in September 2017 shifting responsibility for the revision of liturgical texts toward bishops’ conferences.

The motu proprio, Magnum Principium, modified Canon 838 of the Code of Canon Law, which addresses the authority of the Vatican and national bishops’ conferences in preparing liturgical texts in vernacular languages.

The decree implementing this change to canon law comes four years after Pope Francis’ motu proprio was first published and a few months after the appointment of Archbishop Arthur Roche as the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, succeeding Cardinal Robert Sarah.

“Fundamentally the aim is to make collaboration between the Holy See and the bishops’ conferences easier and more fruitful,” the 71-year-old English archbishop said in an interview with Vatican News. “The great task of translation, especially translating into their own languages what we find in the liturgical books of the Roman Rite, falls to the bishops.”

Archbishop Roche, who also published a commentary on the new decree, underlined that the translation of liturgical texts is “a great responsibility” because “the revealed word can be proclaimed and the prayer of the Church can be expressed in a language which the people of God can understand.”

With the 2017 motu proprio, the text of Canon 838 changed to read: “It is for the Apostolic See to order the sacred liturgy of the universal Church, publish liturgical books, recognize adaptations approved by the episcopal conference according to the norm of law, and exercise vigilance that liturgical regulations are observed faithfully everywhere.”

The text of the following paragraph added that it was the responsibility of bishops’ conferences “to approve and publish the liturgical books for the regions for which they are responsible after the confirmation of the Apostolic See.” The new decree from the Congregation for Divine Worship presents the norms and procedures to be taken into account when publishing liturgical books.

It says that the Holy See remains responsible for reviewing the adaptations approved by bishops’ conferences and confirming the translations that are made.

“This reform of Pope Francis aims to underline the responsibility and competence of the bishops’ conferences, both in assessing and approving liturgical adaptations for the territory for which they are responsible, and in preparing and approving translations of liturgical texts,” Archbishop Roche said.

“The bishops, as moderators, promoters, and custodians of liturgical life in their particular church, have a great sensitivity, due to their theological and cultural formation, which enables them to translate the texts of Revelation and the Liturgy into a language that responds to the nature of the People of God entrusted to them,” he said.

Vatican Issues Guidelines for Catechist Ministry

By Hannah Brockhaus

CNA—The Vatican’s liturgy office on December 13 issued a rite and guidelines for the institution of lay catechists in the dioceses of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis created the lay ministry of catechist in May with the release of the motu proprio Antiquum ministerium (“Ancient ministry”), which emphasized the importance of the role of the catechist in history and today for transmitting the Catholic faith.

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments published the rite of institution to the ministry of catechist on December 13.

The rite is a liturgical ritual by which the role of catechist is conferred.

In a letter to bishops published with the new rite, the Vatican’s liturgy prefect, Archbishop Arthur Roche, explained that catechist is a lay ministry distinct from the ordained priesthood, but that catechists, “by virtue of their Baptism, are called to be co-responsible in the local Church for the proclamation and transmission of the faith,

carrying out this role in collaboration with the ordained ministers and under their guidance.”

“The definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ: only He can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity,” Archbishop Roche said, quoting from St. Pope John Paul II’s 1979 apostolic exhortation Catechesi tradendae.

The two main categories of tasks for catechists, he said, are catechizing, or teaching the faith, and participating in apostolates.

Baptized adult Catholics who have received the sacraments of confirmation and first Holy Communion and would like to be instituted in the ministry of catechist can present a written and signed petition to their diocesan bishop, who decides who may be admitted as a candidate.

The ministry is conferred by the bishop or by a priest delegated by him, according to the liturgical rite promulgated by the Holy See on December 13. The institution should take place during a Mass or celebration of the Liturgy of the Word.

The structure of the rite proposes an exhortation about the role of the catechist, an invitation to prayer, a blessing, and the handing over of a crucifix.

In Antiquum ministerium, Pope Francis said that recent decades had seen “a significant renewal of catechesis,” and “catechists are called first to be expert in the pastoral service of transmitting the faith as it develops through its different stages from the initial proclamation of the kerygma [Gospel proclamation] to the instruction that presents our new life in Christ and prepares for the sacraments of Christian initiation, and then to the ongoing formation that can allow each person to give an accounting of the hope within them.”

USCCB Approves Four Liturgical Action Items at November 2021 Plenary Meeting

From the USCCB’s Committee on Divine Worship Newsletter, November 2021 At the first in-person USCCB plenary meeting in two years, the Latin Church bishops approved four action items presented by the Committee on Divine Worship.

First, the bishops approved the inscription of an Optional Memorial of St. Teresa of Calcutta in the Proper Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America by a vote of 213-0 with one abstention. If confirmed by the Holy See, her feast will be celebrated on September 5, the day currently observed by the Missionaries of Charity, and will use those Mass texts approved for them by the Holy See, with only a very minor modification to the Spanish text. Proper texts for the Divine Office will be promulgated together with the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition.

The second action item approved was a new translation of Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery outside Mass, prepared by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) in April 2020. Passed by a vote of 200-14 with four abstentions, this book includes rites for Holy Communion outside Mass, the administration of Communion and Viaticum to the sick by an extraordinary minister, and various forms of worship of the Most Holy Eucharist. For the most part, the text is a straightforward translation of the Latin typical edition. One section, however, includes adaptations newly approved by the body of bishops. In the Order of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction, the rubrics of the Latin typical edition are sparse, providing space for adaptation to the traditions and needs of individual regions as well as helpful flexibility when planning special events. The Committee on Divine Worship proposed, and the bishops approved, a sort of “standard model” for Exposition and Benediction in the dioceses of the United States. This form includes new English translations of O salutaris Hostia and Tantum ergo, confirmed by the Holy See as a part of the hymnody of the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition. It also includes a standard text of both the versicle following the Tantum ergo and the Divine Praises.

Certain rubrics were expanded to include customary practices or provide necessary clarification.

The third action item approved by the bishops, the fruit of several years of work, was the revised English edition of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), by a vote of 215-6 with two abstentions. This vote was the second of a two-step process, which began with the approval of the ICEL Gray Book translation at the November 2019 plenary meeting. Following that approval, the Committee on Divine Worship began the process of adapting and rearranging the text after the model of the current English edition. The paragraph numbers of this new edition follow the paragraph numbers of the current edition exactly.

There are a few new elements in the text being sent to the Holy See. Most notably, the terms referring to

11 individuals have been adjusted for the sake of clarity. In ritual books, the word “candidate” often refers generically to any person preparing to receive a sacrament, ministry, or blessing. In the context of the Initiation process, however, a custom has developed over the last four decades in the United States of using the word “candidate” to refer to an already-baptized person who is preparing to receive the other Sacraments of Initiation. Thus, to help clarify the steps of the process, the new book will reflect that practice and reserve the use of “candidate” to only those who are already baptized, and will use other terms such as “inquirer,” “entrant,” “catechumen,” and “elect” as replacements for “candidate” when referring to individuals in other stages of the Initiation process.

Two other notable changes in the new edition are found in the combined Easter Vigil celebration of Initiation and the Rite of Reception. Suggested introductory language is now provided, motivated by an ecumenical sensitivity, highlighting the difference between catechumens and those who are already baptized. Also added to the rite are rubrics and prayers for the baptism of an infant at the Easter Vigil, a possibility noted by both the Order of Baptism of Children and the Roman Missal. This Combined Rite already attended to the Initiation of the elect, reception into full communion of candidates, and the confirmation of uncatechized Catholics, and thus now provides texts for a fourth category of person who might be initiated at the Easter Vigil.

Finally, the fourth item approved by the bishops was a revised Spanish edition of the OCIA, entitled the Ritual para la Iniciación cristiana de adultos, by a vote of 218-3 with one abstention. This edition is not a new Spanish translation but has rather been updated to match the changes in the new English edition, to correct various errors in the current edition, and to incorporate texts from the Misal Romano approved for use in this country.

Related to the OCIA, revised English and Spanish editions of the National Statutes for the Catechumenate were approved by votes of 222-1 and 224-0 with one abstention, respectively. This item, presented by the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance in consultation with the Committees on Divine Worship and on Evangelization and Catechesis, updates the statutes in light of nearly four decades of experience with catechesis and the Christian Initiation process. Fewer statutes are now proposed, namely only those that are truly legislative, complementary to the universal law, and unique to the United States. If granted recognitio by the Congregation for Bishops, these revised statutes will abrogate those currently in force, and its text will be published in the new editions of the OCIA, as is the case with the current ritual text.

MEMORIAL FOR Father Leonard Klein from Christa Klein Reverend Paul V. Mankowski, SJ from Myles and Christine Crowe Maryann Gesarda Ragan from Andretta Family Ronald G. Simon from John and Mira Simon

TO HONOR

Patricia Orosz from Mark DeVita

Don and Katherine Ricketts 59th Wedding Anniversary from John and Gretchen Reese Father Mitchel Zimmerman from Jane Tutle

IN THANKSGIVING

For what God has given us from Fernandez Family Recovery from Covid from Arthur Kunath

PRAYER REQUEST

Improvement of health of William Vernon who had two strokes in May of 2021 fron Shirley Vernon

12

Adoremus Bulletin, January 2022

Ignatius Press Offers a Versatile New Missal for the New Year

By Father Justin Ward

F

ather, these are beautiful!”

“Father, we love the new “books.” “We think this is the last piece of our puzzle!” These were the kinds of things that were said to me as I recently greeted the faithful after a Sunday Mass in little St. Leo Catholic Church in rural Alabama. The historic parish had just completed a wonderful “liturgically-informed” renovation—one in keeping with the Church’s norms and informed by principles of her long tradition—and had over the last year become particularly adept at identifying when something was (or was not) suitable for the sacred liturgy. What a moment of joy it was when the people’s unsolicited acclamation proudly confirmed that their new Missals, the 2022 Ignatius Pew Missal, was “the last missing piece.”

The bar had been set quite high because of the new intricately detailed wood furnishings and several impressive murals. You see, there was a new standard for this rejuvenated congregation and this worship aid was just the thing.

What is immediately impressive about the 2022 Ignatius Pew Missal, and in contrast to other annual productions, is that the entire book is printed on crisp white paper. Thus, the entire publication lends itself to more of a sense of permanence than resources that had been in previous use. The welcome connotation is that this is “meant to be here,” accomplishing one of the primary goals of the editors.

Much more than a hymnal, the Missal contains musical versions of the Propers, which are increasingly being recovered as something intrinsic to Catholic worship.

Generations young and old, including over 300 parishes and high schools in the country, have found that these easily singable settings of the Entrance and Communion Antiphons really do facilitate with great ease the assembly’s participation. The tones fall easily on the ear and are easily repeatable after only a single hearing. The patterns of cantillation as have come down to us from the sounds of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin traditions are intentionally preserved in what emerge as a distinctly sacred sound in these chants.

At the fingertips of the whole assembly are solemn and worthy settings to accompany two of the liturgical processions of the Mass. Benedictine Father Samuel F. Weber has once again done what he does best in providing these settings as well as the beautiful responsorial psalms, gospel acclamations, and many of the English chants that appear in the hymnody section.

The Missal works well in parish and school settings because the complete texts of the Biblical readings are not only included, but also attractively formatted. For many parishes, the inclusion of the biblical readings is a nonnegotiable priority, and the way the text is printed in this resource is both clear and inviting. The various fonts which are used in conjunction with a two-colored print schema which make this book among the most user-friendly that I have encountered.

The professional design is contemporary. However, the serious tone of the presentation makes the use of Gregorian notation a logical conclusion. While the notation style is still often unfamiliar to some, the format helps these singable tunes to be followed along with as they are demonstrated by a cantor, even for the very first time. The serene tonality of most of the antiphons makes use of a limited musical vocabulary, ensuring that a congregation would have most of the antiphons “in their ear” after only a few short weeks.

The Propers and readings are provided in their entirety for all Sundays and solemnities. Equally beneficial are the features which have been included as a liturgical aid for weekday Masses. There is included a non-musical section in which the daily Propers are printed and lectionary citations are referenced.

The hymnody section of this Missal is indeed very worthy as well. The editors at Ignatius Press (in collaboration with the Augustine Institute) have done an extremely admirable job in evaluating the repertoire against what the Church would ask with regard to her hymnody. The 286 hymns in the Ignatius Pew Missal constitute a healthy corpus of what would generally be considered traditional hymnody. However, included among them are some more recent compositions that are often useful in pastoral circumstances, such as funerals or weddings, which is an added benefit of the Ignatius Pew Missal, since many if not all parishes frequently rely on these compositions throughout the liturgical year.

I confess that I was not overly optimistic in 2003 when the new St. Michael Hymnal (Saint Boniface Press) arranged their hymns in alphabetical order. Based solely on my

AB/STUDIO IO

“

St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Demopolis, AL, finds the St. Ignatius Pew Missal a true complement to its recent renovation by Studio io in Austin, TX.

own experience in parish music, I thought that I preferred hymns sorted according to theme or liturgical season to this seeming innovation. However, with the changing face of liturgical planning, my further experience has revealed that it is only a very rare occasion when I am actually seeking a hymn thematically or seasonally. The 2022 Ignatius Pew Missal, which also places these hymns in alphabetical order, recognizes the realities for both the modern worship planner and those among the faithful standing in the pews trying to find a hymn after the organ has already started the introduction. With the Ignatius Pew Missal, no more are the days of hunting for the index!

The Order of Mass with sung notation establishes the tone for the rest of the book and thus proves itself as not only a complete liturgical missal, but also valuable as a teaching tool for parishes, schools, or even in the home. A healthy selection of musically desirable Ordinary Settings, both chant-based and free-composed settings, round out the repertoire. Traditional devotional prayers, an Order for Stations of the Cross, and the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction make this a complete resource for any Catholic parish.

The 2022 Ignatius Pew Missal is an excellent step forward and a timely publication as we continue to strive to faithfully implement the liturgical vision of the Second Vatican Council, an emphasis that continues to be reiterated from the Holy Father himself. It literally hits “all the notes” and so I enthusiastically recommend it as among the strongest contemporary resources for use in the sacred liturgy.

I recently assisted on a pilgrimage to a seminary for university students in our diocese. At the time, I knew that writing this review was on my “to-do list.” So, when two young men on the bus pulled out their copies of the Ignatius Pew Missal to pray and prepare for Mass, I smiled and thought to myself: “Those good people of St. Leo’s were absolutely right. Ignatius Press’s new missal really does ‘cut the mustard.’”

Very Reverend Justin L. Ward, STL, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Birmingham, AL, in 2019. He currently serves as the vicar for sacred liturgy and episcopal master of ceremonies for the Diocese of Birmingham.

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