Adoremus Bulletin - July 2015

Vol. XXI No. 2

JULY 2015

The Silent Action of the Heart

by Robert Cardinal Sarah — page 2

The Hymns the Church Calls Her Own–And the coming opportunity to truly make them our own

by Adam Bartlett — page 4

St. Thomas Aquinas Church at the University of Nebraska Newman Center –rejuvenating the Church’s architectural tradition and engaging souls

by Joseph O’Brien — page 6

Implementing the Liturgical Reform of the Second Vatican Council

by Robert Cardinal Sarah— page 9

Departments News & Views — page 2 Donors, Memorials — page 11 Letters - Reader’s Forum - page 10

The Stained Glass Window in St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Lincoln, Nebraska

“

W

e illustrate the indebtedness of our center to both St. Thomas Aquinas and Blessed John Newman in the stained glass window above the high altar. It’s the largest stained glass window installed in a Catholic Church in 100 years. It was built in Munich by Franz Mayer & Company. Measuring 20x24 feet, it pictures Christ on the heavenly throne surrounded by angels and saints that have to do with either learning or working with youth. To his right is St. Thomas, the Angelic doctor and great teacher of the faith, and to his left is Blessed John Henry Newman, who is the patron of Newman Centers, Catholic campus ministries and the apostolate to college students.

The window also includes St. Albert the Great (not pictured), a teacher of St. Thomas renowned in his own right for his contributions to philosophy and theology, and St. John Paul II, a great icon for the youth. The window also shows Blessed Giorgio Frassati and St. Therese of the Little Flower. All these figures in the window depict something related to young people, to the teaching or evangelizing of the youth.”

– Bishop James D. Conley, Bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln.

Adoremus Bulletin • Vol. XXI No. 2 — July 2015

NEWS & VIEWS Translation of Confirmation Rite approved The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has approved the new translation of the typical edition of the Order of Confirmation.

May 15, Pentecost Sunday, 2016 is the first date on which the new text of the rite must be used, although it may be used prior to that date upon publication.

While the third edition of the Roman Missal in English stemmed both from the new third typical edition in Latin and the use of new liturgical principles as found in “Liturgiam authenticam,” the recentlyapproved Rite of Confirmation is more properly a re-translation of the first revised rite.

The USCCB’s Committee on Divine Worship explains the translation, noting that “two key texts of the ritual have not changed in this new translation.

“The Bishop’s assent to the profession of faith remains as before: ‘This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (nos.23, 40). Likewise, the translators found no need to propose a modification of the text of the words used at

the conferral of the Sacrament: ‘N., be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit’ (nos. 27, 44, 55-56).

“Most of the text, however, is noticeably distinct from that of the current translation. For example, many of the conventions and vocabulary of the Roman Missal will be quickly recognizable when reading the Confirmation ritual: ‘And with your spirit,’ ‘a suitable chant may be sung,’ ‘Bow down for the blessing,’ ‘the Universal Prayer,’ and so forth.

“In general, the new translations are more precise in their language and are closer to the style and content of the Latin typical edition. Even though the changes are not dramatic in most instances, there are some places where the changes are notable, beginning with the title: until now the Rite of Confirmation, the book is henceforth the Order of Confirmation” (April-May 2015 Newsletter).

The revised Order, as well as its implementation and use, will be the topic of entries among upcoming issues of the Adoremus Bulletin.

U.S. Bishops respond to same-sex “marriage” ruling In a June 26 ruling, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to legalize same-sex “marriage” in the United States. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, responded with the following statement: “Regardless of what a narrow majority of the Supreme Court may declare at this moment in history, the nature of the human person and marriage remains unchanged and unchangeable. Just as Roe v. Wade did not settle the question of abortion over forty years ago, Obergefell v. Hodges does not settle the question of marriage today. Neither decision is rooted in the truth, and as a result, both will eventually fail. Today the Court is wrong again. It is profoundly immoral and unjust for the government to declare that two people of the same sex can constitute a marriage.

“The unique meaning of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is inscribed in our bodies as male and female. The protection of this meaning is a critical dimension of the ‘integral ecology’ that Pope Francis has called us to promote. Mandating marriage redefinition across the country is a tragic error that harms the common good and most vulnerable among us, especially chil-

dren. The law has a duty to support every child’s basic right to be raised, where possible, by his or her married mother and father in a stable home.

“Jesus Christ, with great love, taught unambiguously that from the beginning marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman. As Catholic bishops, we follow our Lord and will continue to teach and to act according to this truth.

“I encourage Catholics to move forward with faith, hope, and love: faith in the unchanging truth about marriage, rooted in the immutable nature of the human person and confirmed by divine revelation; hope that these truths will once again prevail in our society, not only by their logic, but by their great beauty and manifest service to the common good; and love for all our neighbors, even those who hate us or would punish us for our faith and moral convictions.

“Lastly, I call upon all people of good will to join us in proclaiming the goodness, truth, and beauty of marriage as rightly understood for millennia, and I ask all in positions of power and authority to respect the God-given freedom to seek, live by, and bear witness to the truth.

Society for Catholic Liturgy Conference to be held October 2015 The 20th annual conference of the Society for Catholic Liturgy (SCL) will take place October 1-3, 2015, in New York City. The topic for this conference is “The Liturgy: It is Right and Just,” and it will be hosted at the Sheen Center and the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. Keynote speaker will be Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Conference papers will explore topics on liturgical translation – its principles and application to various liturgical books present and imminent – as well as the liturgy as an act of justice, to God and others, and the dignity which liturgical art, architecture, and music ought to possess.

The SCL is a multidisciplinary association of Catholic scholars, teachers, pastors, and professionals – including architects and musicians – in the Anglophone world. Founded in 1995, the non-profit Society is committed to promoting scholarly study and practical renewal of the Church’s liturgy. For more information about the 2015 conference or about the SCL, visit http://www. liturgysociety.org/conferences/.

New “Sacramental Series” authored

by Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez

A series of booklets on the seven sacraments in the lives of the faithful has been recently published by Liberia Editrice Vaticana and the United States Confer-

F

ifty years after its promulgation

by Pope Paul VI, will the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy finally be read?

Sacrosanctum Concilium is not in fact a simple catalogue of “recipes” for reform, but a true and proper Magna Carta for all liturgical action.

In that Constitution, the Ecumenical Council gives us a masterful lesson in methodology. Far from contenting itself with a disciplinary and external approach to the liturgy, the Council summons us to contemplate the liturgy in its essence. The Church’s practice always

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flows from what she receives and contemplates from Revelation. Pastoral practice cannot be divorced from doctrine.

In the Church, “action is directed to contemplation” (cf. n. 2). The conciliar Constitution invites us to rediscover the Trinitarian origin of the work of the liturgy. Indeed, the Council affirms continuity between the mission of Christ the Redeemer and the liturgical mission of the Church. “Just as Christ was sent by the Father, so also he sent the apostles,” so that “by means of sacrifice and sacraments, around which the entire liturgical life revolves” they might “accomplish the work of salvation” (n. 6).

The liturgy in action is thus none other than the work of Christ in action. The liturgy is in its essence actio Christi:

Adoremus Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy

Editor - publisher: Christopher Carstens

Managing Editor: Joseph O’Brien

Graphic Designer: Danelle Bjornson

Office Manager: Elizabeth Gallagher

Postal Address:

PO BOX 385 - La Crosse, WI 54602-0385

Phone: 608-521-0385 Editorial E-mail: editor@adoremus.org

Membership Requests, Change of address: info@adoremus.org

The Silent Action of the Heart

By Robert Cardinal Sarah Prefect of the Congregation for the Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments

ence of Catholic Bishops. Written by Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez, former Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments (1998-2002), the small booklets of the series, about 25 pages each, are pastoral applications of the Church’s theological thinking and liturgical life for pastors and the faithful.

“Perfect for families, catechists, and those interested in deepening their knowledge of the Catholic faith, this primer will help anyone along the road to understanding the Church’s path to salvation.” To order, visit www.usccb. org and click on the store menu in upper right hand side (store.usccb.org).

Website: www.adoremus.org

“the work of Christ the Lord in redeeming mankind and giving perfect glory to God” (n. 5). He is the high priest, the true subject, the true protagonist of the liturgy (cf. n. 7). If this vital principle is not embraced in faith, one risks reducing the liturgy to a human action, to the community’s celebration of itself.

On the contrary, the true work of the Church consists in entering into the action of Christ, participating intimately in the mission he has received from the Father. Thus “the fullness of divine worship was given to us,” because “his humanity, united with the person of the Word, was the instrument of our salvation” (n. 5). The Church, the Body of Christ, must in turn become an Continued on Page 9

Adoremus Executive Committee: The Rev. Jerry Pokorsky ✝ Helen Hull Hitchcock The Rev. Joseph Fessio, SJ Contents copyright © 2015 by ADOREMUS. All rights reserved.

Adoremus Bulletin (ISSN 1088-8233) is published six times a year by ADOREMUS—SOCIETY FOR THE RENEWAL OF THE SACRED LITURGY, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. ADOREMUS is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation of the State of California. Non-profit periodicals postage paid at various US mailing offices.

Change service requested.

ADOREMUS—SOCIETY FOR THE RENEWAL OF THE SACRED LITURGY was established in June 1995 to promote authentic reform of the Liturgy of the Roman Rite in accordance with the Second Vatican Council’s decree on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium.

Adoremus Bulletin is sent on request to members of ADOREMUS. Suggested donation: $40 per year, US; $45 foreign.

Adoremus Bulletin • Vol. XXI No. 2 — July 2015

A Liturgy Transformed

By Christopher Carstens

A

ugust 6 is an important date, not only because around this time you will find the current Adoremus Bulletin in your hands but also because it marks the day on which the Church celebrates the Transfiguration of the Lord, a Feast that is especially meaningful for the liturgy.

In the account of the Transfiguration, read this year from the Gospel of Mark, we hear how Jesus led Peter, James, and John “up a high mountain apart by themselves.” And as Moses and Elijah appear with him, Jesus is transfigured, his clothes “dazzling white such that no fuller on earth could bleach them.” As the story continues, Peter, not sure what to do or say, is motivated to act, and he suggests three tents be erected to mark the event. Then a cloud overshadows the party, and the voice of the Father calls to Peter and the others to “Listen to Him,” his Son. In this iconic scene from the scriptures, some analogies to the Mass (and even the liturgy generally) present themselves. In the Church’s greatest prayer, the Lord leads us to a height, to a place set apart, while our feet remain firmly on the ground. As we hear the readings, we listen to Jesus, as the Father commands us, presenting Himself within the larger economy of salvation.

We call upon the Holy Spirit to bless our offerings at the liturgy and we are in turn transformed and impelled to act in the world – much like Peter was at the Transfiguration.

Keeping these other elements of this beautiful feast in mind, let us focus on one particular feature of the story of the Transfiguration – the image of the radiant Christ. This image above all others strikes me as especially relevant today for understanding and celebrating the liturgy.

It was not long ago that a friend explained to me a passage from the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. In paragraph 34, the Council Fathers direct that “rites should be distinguished by a noble simplicity.” The Latin text for “distinguished by a noble simplicity” is “nobili simplicitate fulgeant,” and the last word word of that passage, fulgeant,

is, literally, enlightening. Rather than translating it as “distinguished,” my friend suggested that a more accurate rendering is “shining,” “radiating,” or – in keeping with the Transfiguration account – “dazzling.” The noun form of this word – fulgor, (-oris) – means a flash of lightning.

The reformed liturgical rites, then, ought to communicate Jesus to us like

a flash of lightning. Words ought to be brilliant. Architecture and art, dazzling.

Music, radiant. Ministers and participants, shining. From this luminous liturgical encounter with Christ and the Trinity, the enlightened (is this not what the baptized are called?) “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord,” transforming and transfiguring the world.

With this insight in mind, let me

draw your attention to our two feature articles. The first, by Adam Bartlett, considers the place of hymnody in the Liturgy of the Hours, not only by examining its history but by providing a contemporary context for hymns in the upcoming edition of the Liturgy of the Hours in English. The second story, by Joseph O’Brien, tells of the newly-dedicated Newman Center church on the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, and how beautiful architecture is a key element in the liturgical formation of college students. See if these examples of radiant beauty don’t convey the joy of a transfigured and transforming liturgy.

One final note on the topic of change - regarding the Adoremus Bulletin itself.

In her last editorial (September 2014) before her death, Helen Hull Hitchcock asked, “How will the Church withstand coming changes and challenges?” Little did any of us know, of course, that her own contribution to the Church, the Adoremus Bulletin, would undergo its own changes.

It remains mystifying to me, and humbling, that I find myself continuing the good work that she and others had begun some 20 years ago. Please pray for the continued success of the Bulletin!

While the transfer of operations from St. Louis, to La Crosse, Wis., has been the main focus of Adoremus’s work over the past few months, the change has been smooth, in large part because of the constant and generous help of Helen’s staff – with particular thanks to Hilary Hitchcock, Susan Benofy, Gina Caulfied, and Sean Cullen, and the sound direction of Father Jerry Pokorsky. And like the staff in Adoremus’s St. Louis home, La Crosse has its own excellent contributors—Joseph O’Brien as managing editor and in-house reporter, Danelle Bjornson as layout and design coordinator, and Elizabeth Gallagher as office manager, receiving subscriptions, phone calls, and donations. Finally, thanks always go to Adoremus’s dedicated and faithful readers for supporting the change and keeping Adoremus moving forward.

Celebrate the Transfiguration! May Christ shine through in every liturgy we attend and enlighten us through the humble efforts of the Adoremus Bulletin.

The Homiletic Directory: A Pastor’s Perspective

By Fr. William P. Felix Diocese of La Crosse, Wis.

B

efore I speak to the Homiletic Directory, recently published by the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, let me tell you about my liturgical history. Born in 1955, my first memories of Sunday Mass were what we call today the “Extraordinary Form.” I made my First Holy Communion according to the 1962 Missal. The year I became an altar server (1964) changes were already being made in the Mass from the Second Vatican Council.

While the basic structure of the Mass remained the same, the vernacular was inserted in various parts.

By the time I completed my eighth grade elementary education, our graduation Mass was said according to what is now the “Ordinary Form,” and accompanied by popular guitar music such as “Joy is Like the Rain,” “Blowin’ in the

Wind,” “Kumbaya,” and so on. In Catholic high school I experienced Mass being offered on a teacher’s desk.

In college I served on the liturgy committee for our Newman Center community and was responsible for coming up with “thematic Masses” using the Mass structure and readings like an Erector Set that could be disassembled and altered to fit the theme. And if the Sacred Scripture readings did not fit the theme, others could be substituted or replaced by choice secular readings and poems.

Thank God those days are over!

Liturgical confusion, I believe, resulted from the surrounding secular and ecclesial confusion of the times.

Radical and rapid changes were taking place in society and in the Church. Sunday Mass became the stage on which preachers could address both. We went from a time when the sermon always began and ended with the Sign of the Cross, with each sermon beginning with the words “My dear brothers and

sisters in Christ,” and followed by short moral or doctrinal instruction or an occasional letter from the local bishop, to a time when sermons became diatribes on war and peace, or racism and riots in the streets. The new way of preaching was often described as having the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. In any case, liturgical reform was in search of a way to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ relevant to what was happening in modern culture.

Unfortunately the homily became for some preachers an occasion for political rhetoric or social commentary rather than for preaching the Gospel.

The Homiletic Directory rightly points out the need for a deepening of the integral bond between the Sacred Scriptures, worship, and the demands of living the Gospel in daily life.

This homiletic principle is not just a theological or theoretical abstraction, but places the responsibility of authentic preaching directly toward

the prayer life of the preacher. “What is essential,” says the Homiletic Directory, “is that the preacher makes the Word of God central to his own spiritual life, that he knows his people well, that he be reflective of the events of the times, that he continually seeks to develop the skills that help him preach effectively and above all, that in his spiritual poverty, he invites in faith the Holy Spirit as the principal agent that makes the hearts of the faithful amenable to the divine mysteries” (3).

This, for me, is the greatest challenge of preparing a homily. I need to keep one eye on the Word of God, especially as it unfolds throughout the liturgical year, and the other eye on the condition of the world and the lives of my people, and through my prayer allow the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart a word that God wants them to hear.

Continued on Page 4

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Adoremus Bulletin • Vol. XXI No. 2 — July 2015

The Hymns the Church Calls Her Own – And the coming opportunity to truly make them our own

By Adam Bartlett

T

he place of hymnody in Catholic liturgy has been both an area of great interest and also of much confusion and uncertainty throughout the course of recent generations. A great opportunity awaits us, however, to bring clarity to the proper role of the hymn in Catholic worship, and to help the faithful to come to know and love the hymns of the faith that properly belong to them.

In accordance with Liturgiam authenticam, the International Commission on English in the Liturgy and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship have announced plans and some of the details surrounding the forthcoming second edition of the Liturgy of the Hours (with an anticipated publication and promulgation date of 2020).1 This revised edition will not involve new translations of every element of the current edition of the Liturgy of the Hours (as the non-scriptural portions of the Office of Readings among other elements will not be revised); however the Psalms, canticles, scriptural readings, orations, some antiphons, and the intercessions will be either newly translated or revised in accordance with the more recent editions of the Roman Missal, the Revised Grail Psalms, and the New American Bible, Revised Edition.2 The most substantial change in this new edition of the Divine Office, undoubtedly, will be its inclusion of the Church’s great patrimony of liturgical hymns that has been carefully crafted throughout the history of the Church in virtually every age – from Ambrose to Gregory the Great to Venerable Bede to Thomas Aquinas to Bernard of Clairvaux to Philip Bruni, among hosts of others. These hymns are currently found in their proper placement in the Latin typical edition Liturgia Horarum (editio typica altera, 2000) – the official source from which they will be translated. It is anticipated that the hymns will be presented to the English-speaking Church paired with traditional chant tunes taken from the Liber Hymnarius (Solesmes, 1983).

The significance of this gift to the English-speaking liturgical world cannot be overestimated. At long last, all Anglophone Catholics will be presented with the vast body of hymns that form an integral part of the liturgy of the Roman Rite. Aside from the sheer beauty and theological richness of this hymn repertoire, the suitability of each hymn to its designated liturgical placement is sure to clearly impress an image of the liturgical role of hymnody upon the Catholic consciousness that currently may be foggy at best. This point of clarity shows that the hymn is integral, properly speaking, not to the Mass, but to the Liturgy of the Hours.3 The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours describes the role and function of the office hymn, stating:“... more often than the other parts of the office the hymns bring out the proper theme of individual hours or feasts and incline and draw the spirit to a devout celebration. The beauty of their language often adds to this power. Furthermore, in the office hymns are the main poetic element created by the Church.”4 The proper office hymn, then, has a function that is somewhat similar to the Entrance Antiphon of the Mass, which has the specific purpose of introducing

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The hymn for Morning Prayer (Lauds) during the Advent Season, after December 16th, as found in the Lumen Christi Hymnal (learn more at illuminarepublications.com)

the minds of the faithful to the mystery of the liturgical time or festivity, although through a form of antiphonal Psalmody that is fitting for accompanying the procession of the priest and ministers to the altar at the beginning of the Mass.5 This proper theme is conveyed much more concisely through the form of a brief scriptural antiphon in the liturgy of the Mass – as appointed in the Roman Missal or Graduale Romanum – than it is through the more poetic and verbose genre of the liturgical hymn in the Liturgy of the Hours.

The complete focus of the liturgical action during the singing of an office hymn within the Liturgy of the Hours is the hymn itself, unlike the Entrance Chant of the Mass which is an accompaniment of the liturgical action, the entrance procession. The textual and musical characteristics of each genre lend themselves to the specific needs and characteristics of their respective liturgical actions. In both cases, however, the form and text itself are prescribed by the rite, not crafted or selected by an individual. In the case of the hymns of the Divine Office, the personal creative authorship involved is one that is guided and sifted by tradition – the poetry contained in the Church’s hymns is not an external ornament affixed upon the liturgical rites, but has been assimilated by the liturgical tradition into the fabric of the liturgy itself, becoming an integral part of its content.

History of the Office Hymns 6 The historical origin of the hymn in the Christian tradition is not of a liturgical but of a catechetical nature. The Church’s most significant early poet is St. Ambrose, who began writing theologically rich and orthodox hymns in the 4th century in order to combat the popular Arian hymns which were sung

commonly as a means of spreading elements of heretical Arian theology. Ambrose observed the power of the hymn as a transmitter of theological content, and adopted the form as a means of evangelism and of handing on the pure content of the Christian faith. Contem-

poraneous to Ambrose were the hymn writers Nicetas, Prudentius, and Sedulius, among others, who with him added to the Church’s store of poetry with texts of theological richness and precision, many of which have proved their value through the test of time.

It was with the rule of St. Benedict in the 5th century that hymns – taken from the store of texts that had begun to build up and prove their worth – became a part of the liturgy of the Divine Office.

Out of Benedictine monasticism came one of the greatest hymn writers of the 6th century, Pope St. Gregory the Great, who most famously composed six hymns that describe the six days of creation in Genesis chapter one. These six hymns remain today as the prescribed Vespers hymns for the first six days of Weeks I and III of the four-year cycle through the year. Venantius Fortunatus, who has been called “the last of the Roman poets,” composed the “Vexilla regis” and four other hymns in the current arrangement of the Divine Office toward the end of the Patristic period.7 The office hymn repertoire continued to grow during the Carolingian era – during the height of the development of the music that the Church calls her own, Gregorian chant – with additions made

by St. Paulinis, Paul the Deacon, Alcuin of York, and Rabanus Maurus, and with Notker of St. Gall, St. Peter Damian, and others. The Scholastic period saw a kind of culmination in the development of the sung Divine Office in the Roman Rite with additions to the hymn repertoire by Adam of St. Victor, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Peter Abelard, and St. Thomas Aquinas, among others. St. Thomas most famously composed the hymns of the feast of Corpus Christi in 1264 as commissioned by Pope Urban Continued on Page 5

Homiletics Continued from Page 3

Perhaps the most important section of part I in the Homiletic Directory for me is the section on preparation of the homily (26 ff.). It calls for the preacher to prayerfully contemplate the Word of God through the age-old practice of lectio divina. This fourfold process of lectio divina is explained well in the Homiletic Directory (27-36) and will prove helpful for any preacher not familiar with this dialectic engagement with the Sacred Scriptures. Lectio divina keeps the Word of God in the forefront of the preacher’s mind not only when he is sitting down to write his homily, but when he is in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, when he is listening to the news, and when he is on his pastoral visits with his people.

Secondly, I believe that lectio divina serves another purpose, to help the people who listen to the homily prayerfully approach the Word of God themselves. If the one who is listening does not bring the Word of God into his or her own life and prayer, the Word of God falls on “rocky ground” and does nothing.

Part II of the Homiletic Directory is an excellent guide to the central themes of the Sacred Scriptures within the rhythm of the liturgical year, and

is a practical help for preachers to insure that the fundamental mysteries of Christian faith are addressed.

This section begins with the Paschal Triduum, the center of the liturgical year. I suggest that not only is the Paschal Triduum the center of the liturgical year, but it is also currently the daily experience of the Church and the people of God. It is always easier to preach during the joyful, glorious, and luminous times of the world, but what every preacher knows who mounts the pulpit these days is that we are headed right into the sorrowful mysteries, and will require great courage and strength to speak the Word of God in truth and love.

Adoremus Bulletin • Vol. XXI No. 2 — July 2015 Continued from Page 4

in 1264 as commissioned by Pope Urban IV – including “Pange lingua gloriosi,” “Sacris sollemniis” (verses 5 and 6 of which comprise the “Panis angelicus”), “Verbum supernum prodiens” (verses 5 and 6 of which constitute the “O salutaris hostia”), and the “Lauda Sion salvatorem” sequence of the Mass for Corpus Christi – all of which remain in the office of the Roman Rite to this day.

The Renaissance Humanism of the early 16th century and early Tridentine period brought with it a desire by many within the Church to revise or “modernize” both the melodies of Gregorian chant and also the Latin hymn texts of the received tradition. In the field of chant scholarship, this so-called updating amounted to a kind of mutilation of the authentic Gregorian tradition – one so devastating that the monks of Solesmes undertook a complete effort of Gregorian chant restoration in the mid-19th century through the comparative analysis of the earliest chant manuscripts. Similarly, those concerned with the recovery of the riches of classical antiquity sought to revise the vulgar Latin of the Middle Ages, including the poetry of the hymn tradition. This revision found its climax in the reform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Urban VIII in the first part of the 17th century with alterations to the classic hymns of the office that were not insignificant in both form and content.

During intervening years prior to the beginning of the 20th century, a number of hymns continued to be added to the repertoire, especially as was required by the addition of new feasts and by the expansion of the liturgical calendar.

The liturgical reforms of the 20th century began in 1903 with the “motu proprio” of Pope St. Pius X, Tra le sollecitudini, and were substantiated with the publication of the Vatican Edition of the Graduale Romanum in 1908 and of the Antiphonale Romanum in 1912. The Antiphonale, though still containing the hymns of the Urbanite reform, also included an appendix with the hymns of the ancient tradition in response to the growing awareness in the Church of the damage done to the theological and poetic content of the hymn corpus. It was only with the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council that the hymns of the Divine Office were finally set to be restored to their original purity, as stated in article 93: “To whatever extent may seem desirable, the hymns are to be restored to their original form…. Also, as occasion may arise, let other selections from the treasury of hymns be incorporated.”8 In response to this, several ancient hymns of great value were incorporated into the post-conciliar edition of the Divine Office, Liturgia Horarum, as several new hymn texts were also composed with the expansion of the office to its current four week cycle.

Office Hymns in the Post-Conciliar Era With the publication of the typical edition Liturgia Horarum in 1973, the hymns of the tradition of the Roman Rite were fully restored and placed before the faithful as an integral part of the public prayer of the Church.

The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours insists that this prayer is not reserved for clerics and religious only, but that it properly belongs to every member of Christ’s body: “Wherever possible, other groups of the faithful should celebrate the liturgy of the hours communally in church.

This especially applies to parishes – the cells of the diocese, established under

their pastors, taking the place of the bishop; they ‘represent in some degree the visible Church established throughout the world.’”

Hence, when the people are invited to the Liturgy of the Hours and come together in unity of heart and voice, they show forth the Church in its celebration of the mystery of Christ.9 The publication of the Liturgy of the Hours in English in 1975 by the conferences of Catholic Bishops in Englishspeaking countries, however, perhaps unfortunately, did not include English translations of the vast majority of the newly restored and expanded body of hymnody that the Church has come to call her own over the course of two mil-

solemnity and closer union of hearts in offering praise to God. . . . Therefore the singing of the office is earnestly recsanctification, unification, and strengthening of family life amidst troubled times.

The prayer of the Church will be greatly strengthened by the forthcoming edition of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Its hymns should find their way into the homes and hearts of all who eagerly await the coming of the Lord with lighted lamps, and who long to be made worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.

lennia. Instead, the hymns that were included in this edition were more freely chosen according to the permission given in the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours: “For vernacular celebration, the conferences of bishops may adapt the Latin hymns to suit the character of their own language and introduce fresh compositions, provided these are in complete harmony with the spirit of the hour, season, or feast. Great care must be taken not to allow popular songs that have no artistic merit and are not in keeping with the dignity of the liturgy.”10 While there are a few certain cases where English translations of the Latin hymns of Liturgia Horarum were included in the Liturgy of the Hours, the vast majority of the vernacular hymns that were included in this edition were “fresh compositions,” or broad borrowings from the English hymn tradition of previous 100 years – from both Catholic and Protestant sources alike.

The rapid publication of the English edition of the Divine Office left little time for the proper translation of the 291 hymns found in Liturgia Horarum, even if their use was desired at the time.

Despite the virtual exclusion of the hymns of the typical edition in the English edition, a notable and heroic contribution was made to the English-speaking Church nonetheless by St. Cecilia’s Abbey of Ryde on the Isle of Wight, UK. This community of female Benedictines undertook the monumental task, almost immediately, of translating into English the hymns of the typical edition of the Divine Office, although for decades they would not be heard by many outside the walls of the monastery of St. Cecilia’s Abbey.

In 2007 – a full 30 years later – the Ryde hymn translations would finally see the light of day with the publication of The Mundelein Psalter.11 This remarkable book was the first widely available edition of the Divine Office since the Second Vatican Council that allowed for the principle hours (Morning and Evening Prayer, in addition to Night Prayer and the Office for the Dead) to be fully sung in English, using the officially approved texts of the Liturgy of the Hours. The edition is a response to the Church’s insistence that: “The sung celebration of the divine office is more in keeping with the nature of this prayer and a mark of both higher

ommended to those who carry out the office in choir or in common.”12 While The Mundelein Psalter has provided a simple way for virtually anyone to chant the Divine Office to simple psalm tones, its only deficiency is the absence of hymn tunes for a large number of the hymns which are included in the edition in text only. While many of these can easily be sung to a common tune (such as “Old Hundredth,” or “Iesu dulcis memoria”), the full use of the hymn repertoire requires the use of a companion hymnal.

The Lumen Christi Hymnal has filled this need.13 This edition provides English translations of the entirety of the corpus of hymns contained in Liturgia Horarum for Morning Prayer (Lauds), Evening Prayer (Vespers) and Night Prayer (Compline), each paired with authentic chant tunes taken from the Liber Hymnarius. In this way, it serves as an ideal companion hymnal for those who pray the office regularly, and especially to those who celebrate it in common.

The Lumen Christi Hymnal provides a bridge to, and is helping prepare the English-speaking Church for, the fruitful reception of the anticipated 202014 Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition.

For those who wish to begin singing the authentic hymns of the Catholic tradition, in their proper context, there is no need to wait.

The Future of Catholic Hymnody There is great reason to look forward to the forthcoming English translation of the Liturgy of the Hours, and to the treasury of hymnody that, through it, will be presented to every Catholic as their own. Like the time that preceded the implementation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, the years that lie ahead will provide a great opportunity for further liturgical catechesis and for engaging the faithful in the Church’s official public prayer that properly belongs to them. In our day it would also be fitting to reinvigorate the common celebration of the office, especially in the domestic Church, as a means of

Adam Bartlett is an internationally recognized composer, editor, conductor and teacher of Catholic sacred music. He serves as assistant director and faculty member of the Liturgical Institute, lecturer in Liturgical Chant at Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein, Ill., and editor of Illuminare Publications. Active as a teacher, workshop leader and speaker, Bartlett has travelled around the country offering catechetical and training workshops on topics of Catholic sacred music and liturgical chant. He has served as a parish music director for over ten years, most recently as Director of Sacred Music at SS. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix, AZ. He has contributed to the journal Sacred Music, and has written for the Chant Cafe blog and the New Liturgical Movement. He resides in Mundelein, with his wife and two daughters.

1 http://www.usccb.org/about/divine-worship/newsletter/upload/newsletter-2015-03.pdf 2Ibid. 3 In certain cases hymns have also been taken into the proper structure of the Mass, such as the Gloria in excelsis, Sanctus, the Sequences, the Crux fidelis of the Good Friday liturgy, the Gloria laus et honor of the Palm Sunday Procession, the O Redemptor of the Chrism Mass, among a few others. GIRM 88 also states that “When the distribution of Communion is over...[i]f desired...a hymn may also be sung by the whole congregation. Hymns can also very effectively be sung prior to the beginning of Mass (before the Entrance Antiphon), and at the end of Mass (after the Ite missa est). Acknowledging that the singing of a hymn during the Entrance, Offertory and Communion processions of the Mass is both licit under the provisions of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and is also the common experience of most Englishspeaking Catholics of the last several generations, it is worth noting that GIRM 48, 74 and 87 make no specific mention of hymns. The form of the chant sung at the Entrance, Offertory and Communion processions of the Mass is described as the singing of scriptural antiphons and Psalms taken from liturgical sources or from sources approved by the Conference of Bishops or Diocesan Bishop. The singing of hymns during these times finds its historical precedent primarily in the indults granted to certain German-speaking regions, and in the singing of hymns of an essentially devotional nature at Low Mass in the United States during the first part of the 20th century – a practice that was first officially and universally sanctioned in 1958. Without questioning the merits and importance of such religious singing in the devotional lives of the faithful, it is important to note that the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council desired that the faithful actively participate in the liturgical rites themselves, and not in devotional activities while the liturgical rites are being carried out –according to the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, music is not ancillary to, but “a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy” (SC 112). 4General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours (GILH), art. 173. 5 See General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), art. 48. 6 For a more exhaustive treatment of the history and development of the office hymn repertoire, see: Eric M. Andersen, ‘History, Reform, and Continuity in the Hymns of the Roman Breviary’, Sacred Music, March 2009. 7 Joseph Connelly, Hymns of the Roman Liturgy (Westminster, Md., Newman Press, 1957), p. 81. 8Sacrosanctum concilium, art. 93. 9General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, art. 21-22. 10 See GILH, art.

178. 11Douglas Martis and Samuel Weber, OSB, eds., The Mundelein Psalter (Liturgy Training Publications, 2007). 12General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, art. 268. 13Adam Bartlett, ed., ‘Lumen Christi Hymnal’ (Mundelein, IL: Illuminare Publications, 1 September 2014). 14 http://www.usccb.org/about/divine-worship/newsletter/upload/newsletter-2015-03. pdf

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Adoremus Bulletin • Vol. XXI No. 2 — July 2015

“St. Thomas Aquinas Church communicates beauty – and beauty attracts.”

St. Thomas Aquinas Church at the University of Nebraska Newman Center – rejuvenating the Church’s architectural tradition and engaging souls

By Joseph O’Brien Managing Editor

L

INCOLN, Nebr. – About ten years ago, the Newman Center at University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) began facing up to a big problem that had been growing bigger each school year.

As part of the network of Newman apostolates around the country, the Catholic Cornhusker outreach on UN-L’s campus had a sterling reputation for drawing in students, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Young people plugging into the UN-L Newman Center’s catechetical, liturgical and spiritual programs come to learn more about the Catholic faith, revitalize their relationship with Christ through access to the sacraments, public prayer and private devotions, and graduate from UN-L, a 25,000-student institution, with a keen sense of how to live out their baptismal call to holiness – whether through the Catholic priesthood, consecrated life or married life.

But the Newman Center seemed to be doing its job only too well under the leadership of its two pastors, the late Monsignor Leonard Kalin and, for the past 17 years, Father Robert Matya.

Apparently the church which served as the spiritual home for Catholics on campus was getting too small for the droves of students attending Sunday Mass. Every nook and cranny of space was being occupied at each of the several celebrations of Mass each weekend.

All the same, ask anyone at the UN-L Newman Center and, as Father Matya would say, given the Church’s mission here on earth, that’s “a great problem to have.”

This phrase became such a byword at the UN-L Newman Center that they eventually integrated it into their solution – the newly built St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Newman Center complex.

Dedicated earlier this year on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 12, by Bishop James D. Conley, Bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln, the new church replaces the older, smaller structure built in the 1960s.

More than doubling the capacity of the older structure, the new building seats at least 650 people comfortably – with plenty of extra seating for another 100 or so people.

Designed and built by a team of architects and architectural experts who specialize in classical and ecclesial building design, the 60,000 square foot facility includes the church, a student center, parish social hall, rectory and office suites.

The team included Kevin Clark of Clark Architectural Collaborative3, Lincoln; Denis McNamara, associate director of the Liturgical Institute of Mundelein Seminary, Illinois, who provided many contributions to the design of the building as an expert in classical and ecclesial architecture; and James McCrery of McCrery Architects, Washington, D.C., who, with other architects around the country such as Duncan Stroik and Thomas Gordon Smith, is leading a revival in classical architecture.

A melding of classic architectural design and modern state of the art heating and cooling through an extensive geothermal system, the church boasts a 122foot bell tower with a spacious interior, a 70-foot high crossing tower and almost 50-foot tall interior coffered ceiling.

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I have rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord….

Because of the house of the Lord our God, I have sought good things for thee. – Psalm 121.

“Great problem” Perhaps the best evidence of the Lincoln Newman Center’s overachievement was the massive Mass attendance on campus: students show up to participate in liturgical celebrations in incredible numbers.

“We started adding Masses to our Sunday schedule,” Father Matya said. “At one point we had four Masses on Sunday.”

But the old St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel only seated 300 people at a stretch, Father Matya said, and “standing room only” had become the new norm for Sunday Mass.

“I saw kids walking in to Mass and they would see it was so full – there wasn’t even room to stand at this point,” Father Matya said. “So they’d turn around and walk out – which was frustrating for me.”

About eight years ago, Father Matya said, it was time for the Center to start thinking about ways to accommodate the overflow – which led to the inevitable talk about a building project. But where are university students going to come up with money for any sort of expansion effort? Further complicating the situation, the UN-L Newman Center, located near the center of campus, is locked into its location. The block-and-a-half area occupied by the Center left little room to build.

And so, Father Matya and the rest of the Newman Center staff realized something had to give.

That something was the Diocese of Lincoln, a trio of important architectural experts, and a group of committed benefactors giving the go-ahead to build a new St. Thomas Aquinas Church – what Father Matya sees as the diocese’s legacy to future UN-L students.

Originally, the plan was to renovate, Father Matya said, but the response from the diocese was an unexpected surprise.

“When we went to the diocesan building commission, they rejected [the renovation] plan and said that we ought not to be putting that kind of money into renovating the current building,” Father Matya relates. “Instead, they said, ‘Why don’t you knock it down and start

over?’…So we went back to square one.

“It was exciting – and a little daunting at first – but exciting in the sense that we could build something much more beautiful, aesthetically pleasing and much more in the Church’s tradition of architecture.”

Bishop’s blessings Like the architects involved in the project, Bishop Conley also has a keen appreciation and understanding of the classical tradition. A 1977 graduate of the University of Kansas, Bishop Conley, like his fellow KU alumnus Archbishop Paul S. Coakley (Archdiocese of Oklahoma City), participated in the renowned but short-lived (1970-1979) Pearson Integrated Humanities Program started by

“We think the style and the whole structure of St. Thomas Aquinas Church will communicate beauty, and beauty attracts” a trio of KU professors – Shakespeare scholar Dennis Quinn and classicists John Senior and Frank Nelick. Because the program focused on the great literary works of Western Civilization, it should come as no surprise that Bishop Conley understands the power of the new

church’s design.

“We think the style and the whole structure of St. Thomas Aquinas Church will communicate beauty, and beauty attracts,” he said in an interview with Adoremus Bulletin. “We believe that students will be drawn to that. They already have. There are always students in there.

They’re drawn to the beauty and lifted up.”

Even before the newly built church was dedicated, Bishop Conley said, it has “been the buzz of the city,” having become a prominent feature on Lincoln’s skyline – with only one other “temple” on campus standing taller – the UN-L football stadium.

“Everyone was struck by the fact that here was this brand new building being built according to a traditional architectural style, and that caused all kinds of curiosity and wonderment,” he said. “It caught everyone’s attention – everyone from the mayor of Lincoln to the president of the university to the faculty. Even my barber, who is not Catholic, would ask every time I came in for a haircut, ‘What’s that building for? What are they doing there?’”

Besides being a jewel in the diocesan crown of churches, Bishop Conley said Continued on Page 7

Adoremus Bulletin • Vol. XXI No. 2 — July 2015 Continued from Page 6

that the new brick and mortar project for Newman also includes social and academic components – a Catholic fraternity for men, which was established with a residence on campus, two years ago, and a Catholic sorority for women, both in the Greek system. Bishop Conley said that the Newman Center is also planning to open the Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture, offering a program of integrated humanities studies.

The program will begin with a pilot lecture series in Fall 2015 with the first series of courses to be offered Fall 2016.

“The minds of students need to be fed through the intellectual tradition of the Church, and they’re taking these courses at a university which oftentimes are secular at best but can be hostile to the faith,” he said, noting that the new program “will offer a program of humanities studies in the great books where students will be able to take courses that will satisfy their undergraduate requirements for humanities and western civilization.”

Homecoming With both a professional and personal connection to the building project, architect Kevin Clark was a Newman Center student at UN-L in the 1990s and as an experienced architect took the helm on the new church and complex project. But Clark’s connection to the Newman center, he said, goes back long before matriculation as a Cornhusker.

“I grew up in the Newman center,” he said. “I was from Lincoln and our high school youth group took us down to Mass one evening to meet the college students there. I walked in there my first Sunday of my first year on campus and that’s where it all began.”

Besides expertise and knowledge, Clark was also the likely choice because of his work for the diocese designing and building St. Gregory the Great Seminary, Seward, Nebr., in 2000 – but the Newman chapel was a whole new challenge for architect and patron alike. Thanks to the teamwork of Clark, McCrery, McNamara and Father Matya though, the challenges were met – and expectations exceeded.

“The diocese had never embarked on anything of this scale – this was very much a new endeavor for our diocese,” he said, adding that the finished product has been a success. “It is amazing to watch Catholics and non-Catholics participate in the physical beauty of the building. It’s part of their conversation, it’s an intrigue. There are quite a number of non-Catholics I bump into when I’m giving tours… They just want to be there, they just want to see it, and it has really become an element of the city’s fabric.”

The project also incorporated elements of a salvage operation, Clark said, by acquiring a collection of liturgical antiquities from closed churches, including a pipe organ rescued and restored from neighboring Cornerstone Methodist Church, Lincoln, and a pair of altars rescued from the now-closed Immaculate Conception Church, Youngstown, Ohio, and repurposed as St. Thomas’s altar of reservation and altar for the church’s Marian chapel.

Since its official dedication, Clark said, he’s been reminded of the impact that UN-L Newman Center has had on his life by seeing all the students from surrounding Catholic schools visiting the church.

“All the grade schools have brought kids down for tours,” he said. “Back when I was finishing high school the only reason I knew about the Newman Center was that tour I took my senior year; but now fourth, fifth, and sixth graders know about it; they’ve visited it on their retreat tours. The building is working, it’s spreading this message of the impact of

“God created us with the senses and beautiful worship should engage the senses as well. What we see, hear and smell are all important aspects of how we function as people. So obviously when you think about a church it should be something aesthetically pleasing and uplifting, so that when people encounter it, their senses are going to be uplifted by it and moved by it.” beauty and how it can change a place.”

“St. Thomas Aquinas Church is a beautiful symbol on campus – that we’re here to stay,” Clark added. “It’s saying that the Catholic faith isn’t changing, we’re committed, and we’re growing.”

Student-inspired As part of the design process, a meeting was held between the architects, the planning committee and Newman students.

At one point, said Clark, the meeting began to look less like an architectural discussion and more like a rock concert, as students began to hold their digital devices high in the air like cigarette lighters.

“They would Google a picture,” Clark recalled, “and hold up the picture on their iPhones asking, ‘Can we have a communion rail that looks like this?’ ‘Can we have a dome?’ ‘Look at this bell tower!’

Everyone was sharing images. It was an amazing scene.”

One student-inspired detail in the new church, Father Matya said, that has drawn comments has been the Communion rail at the entrance to the sanctuary which is employed in all Masses at the church.

“Some of the students stand but the vast majority kneel down to receive Holy Communion,” he said. “There’s something different when you kneel to receive our Lord than when you stand. We have students who come from all over, in state and out of state, but they all embrace that devotion…. I haven’t had one student say, ‘Why are we doing this, Father?’

All the acts of devotion that were almost stripped away for a number of years – when you reintroduce the students to these same devotions they fall in love with them.”

The church is also informed by a proper Catholic anthropology, Father Matya said, a perspective its designers understood well.

“God created us with the senses, and beautiful worship should engage the senses as well. What we see, hear and smell are all important aspects of how we function as people. A church should be something aesthetically pleasing and uplifting, so that when people encounter it, their senses are going to be uplifted by it and moved by it.”

Another reaction that people have had to the building, Father Matya said, is a sort of cultural shock and awe.

“I’ve heard so many people say ‘I didn’t know it was still possible to do something like this,’” he said. “Of course it is. I think what has happened is that in the last century the Church has taken the advice of architects because they’re the professionals and architectural styles have obviously moved and shifted in the last century. But things are changing because we’re asking more questions of the architects before we build a building and not simply saying, ‘OK, if that’s the way you think we should build, that’s the way we’ll build.’”

Brick and mortar theology While the beauty and liturgical components of St. Thomas Aquinas Church are impressive, McNamara said, it was equally impressive that the project began at all.

“The fact that a Newman center could have such a campaign for such a big project and at such a high level is really an amazing thing by itself,” he said. “To have a sophisticated design, a sophisticated reengagement with the tradition, is pretty remarkable. Newman students – like most other students – don’t have money so it’s always hard for Newman centers to raise money. But they have alumni, and Father Matya asked plenty of people who had no connection to the Church to just help form Catholic culture at the university. There were people who contributed just because they loved the design or the mission.”

In addition, McNamara said, the project fully embraced what he calls “an eschatological orientation.”

“The eschaton is the time when Christ comes and all traces of the fall are removed from creation,” he said. “The Book of Revelation talks about no sin, sorrow or death, and everything is restored to glory, even better than it was in the Garden of Eden.”

Inherent to its architectural DNA, McNamara said, a well-designed Catholic church serves as an archetypal image of the eschatological vision in sacramental terms – culminating, in St. Thomas’s case, in the heavenly vision of Christ on his throne provided in the stained glass

window in the sanctuary. [See image on cover.]

“In ancient churches you’d see mosaics of Christ in glory or the new heaven and the new earth and the angels and saints,” he said. “It’s very important that people connect the heavenly component of liturgy to their worship and the buildings they worship in.”

Whether expressed in word, image, sound or other media, McNamara said, the Church’s tradition is the anchor of the faith.

“We’re used to hearing the word of God proclaimed from scripture and the same scripture is handed from one generation to the next,” he said. “And we’re used to reading and preaching scripture according to the ear, but the Gospels are also oriented to the eye. You can read the Book of Revelation or see the Book of Revelation laid out before you in the art and architecture of a church.”

Contrary to what some Christians might say about the so-called “non-biblical” elements of Catholicism, McNamara said, St. Thomas Aquinas Church is a great example of how, strictly speaking, every classically built church is a “Bible church.”

“This Lincoln Newman church is about as biblical as Bible churches get,” he said. “The book of Revelation is on display, as is the Old Testament whereby the prophets speak about how the time at the end will be like the beginning. The new Heaven will be like it was in the Garden of Eden – centered on Christ.”

Living legacy Acknowledging that he’s inherited a strong and effective Newman ministry from his predecessor Monsignor Kalin, Father Matya said that now as then students are hungry for the truth.

“My sense is that oftentimes when we first meet students they’re confused and they’re looking for someone to lead them,” he said. “They want to know.

They respond to good leadership in the Church beautifully, especially when it’s given to them in a way that’s reasonable and they can understand it and it makes sense to them. You can see this moment in their eyes, in the way they listen.

There are these moments when it clicks for them.”

Because of the many points of interest – architectural, historical and spiritual – Clark sees St. Thomas Aquinas Church as the herald for a revival in Church architecture.

The new building, he said, “has a whole new level of detail and character and quality that a church hasn’t been built in this diocese with for a hundred years.

All future projects will be looking St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel as something of the status quo. If it’s good enough for the students, it’s good enough for our home parish, which should be thinking of these elements as well.”

There are still stained glass windows and other items yet to be funded in the church and a financial debt of several million dollars to be paid down on the $25 million project. But benefactors remain generous – even current students have pledged almost $300,000 to the project. With this momentum behind the project, Father Matya is grateful that the Catholic faith has a secure future on UN-L campus.

“It’s helped me to live with an even greater sense of gratitude watching this church being completed and knowing it’s going to be there for generations of students who are going to come in the future,” he said. “This will be a place where they will foster very beautifully their encounter with God. We have debt still to pay on the building – and there will be more peace once that goes away – but already I’m seeing the way it affects students in a positive way, and that is very gratifying.”

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Adoremus Bulletin • Vol. XXI No. 2 — July 2015

Speaking of St. Thomas Aquinas Church: An Oral Commentary

The Architectural Style “Since the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center is under the patronage of Blessed John Cardinal Henry Newman, the pastor Father Robert Matya and the architects chose a Gothic architectural style, inspired by the school of English architect Augustus Pugin (1812-1852), who was probably the most famous British architect of the 19th century. Architecturally speaking, his fingerprints are all over England. He was part of a Gothic architectural revival of great magnitude, and a lot of the universities adapted this style of architecture. The Gothic Revival is also associated with the flourishing of the Oxford Movement in England in the 19th century, of which Cardinal Newman was part and which led to his conversion to Roman Catholicism, and so we thought it was a good style of architecture for a college campus, and it would also invoke the spirit of Newman.”

– Bishop James D. Conley, Bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln.

The Pendentives “In the crossing tower there are triangular shaped spaces called pendentives [a series of four constructive devices which allow a circular dome to be placed over a square room or elliptical dome over a rectangular room]. Normally, churches that have pendentives would have the four gospel writers depicted in the spaces because there are four of them. But since we already have Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the stained glass window in the sanctuary, and the bells in

the bell tower are all named after the four evangelists, we thought we might want to do something different.

There are statues of four saints who surround the main altar of St. Peter in Rome, each statue the work of Italian sculptor Giovanni Bernini (1598-1680).

The pendentives in St. Thomas Aquinas Church are painted versions of the statues of St. Helen [mother of Emperor Constantine who found the true cross], St. Veronica [who received the gift of Christ’s image on her veil after she comforted him along the Via Crucis], St. Longinus [who pierced Christ’s side with the lance and at the moment of Christ’s death testified that the man on the cross is the Son of God], and St. Andrew [the first of the Apostles chosen by Christ]). People come in and ask, ‘Who are those saints? Tell us about them.’ It invites visitors into more of the story of our faith. They’re intrigued by it. Who was St. Helen? They don’t know these stories and when they hear them they’re edified by them, because they’re beautiful.

At St. Peter’s, those four were chosen because Rome had relics of all four – the relic of the spear, the cross, the veil and the head of St. Andrew. So these images on the pendentives connect us to Rome, to the unity of the Church by having those images there, and they’re in St. Peter’s where the Holy Father is. Through these pendentives our church here in Lincoln draws the connection pretty clearly to the universal Church.”

– Father Matya, Chaplain, St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center, University of Nebraska, (Diocese of Lincoln).

The Marian Altar and Altar of Reservation “As part of the eschatological dimension of the architectural design, the altar of reservation and the altar in the Marian chapel were wooden altars which we found on a website by a private business that sal-

vages items from closed churches. They were beautifully carved, much nicer than a lot of the newly built altars available for purchase, but they were all brown and all wood, and so I tried to encourage the designers to think about how they can make them more radiant and gemlike. The Book of Revelation and other passages in scripture describe the heavenly condition as having a gemlike quality. The walls of the heavenly Jerusalem are described as being made of gems and Christ sits on a throne that is like emeralds. The designers spent quite a bit of time with an artist who gilded and put color on those altars and also on the elevated pulpit. It came out really well – it has gold and jewel tones, like sapphire blues and ruby reds. It’s not just a well-wrought wooden altar, but it’s a wellwrought wooden altar that’s brought to its glory, the kind of glory it would have in heaven.”

– Denis McNamara, Associate Director, Liturgical Institute at Mundelein Seminary, Chicago.

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The Sanctuary and Nave “The sanctuary is oriented in a way that draws your eye upwards when the liturgy is celebrated. The whole purpose of a church is the liturgy. The sacred liturgy is at the center and focal point of the church. It’s so conducive to dignified and reverent celebration of the sacraments that you just sense it when you’re standing at the altar. It even has an effect on the celebrant. That’s my favorite aspect of the church – it draws everyone up to the heavenly court, which is what’s depicted in the stained glass window: Christ seated in his throne in heaven, and we on earth are participating in a humble human way in the heavenly liturgy. So with all the saints and angels depicted in the window, it really does give a sense of what we celebrate in our sacraments– our participation in the cosmic liturgy in heaven. Everything we did in the church tried to reflect the fact that the celebration of the liturgy has to be the most beautiful and transcendent thing that we do.”

– Bishop James D. Conley, Bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln

Baptismal Font and Confessional Chapel “When you walk in, you know the sacramental nature of each space; there’s a beautiful reconciliation and baptismal chapel that developed in the early days of the plan because we only have so many linear feet onsite. So when you come in you encounter that chapel right away. The two sacraments that allow us to enter and reenter the faith – baptism and confession – are right there at the entry way. Then as soon as you turn down the center aisle – there’s no question where Christ is. He’s directly in the middle and by that we mean he’s directly in the middle in the tabernacle, in the crucifix and then in this amazing stained glass window of Christ reigning in glory on his throne with the host of heavenly angels and patron saints surrounding him. You’re reminded one more time, wherever you’re looking in St. Thomas Aquinas Church – that’s where Christ is found.”

– Kevin Clark, Architect, Clark Architectural Collaborative3.

Adoremus Bulletin • Vol. XXI No. 2 — July 2015

Implementing the Liturgical Reform of the Second Vatican Council Message of His Eminence, Robert Cardinal Sarah, to the Conference “Sacra Liturgia USA 2015” New York City, 1-4 June 2015 1. It is my pleasure to greet all of you, gathered in New York City, for the inaugural conference of Sacra Liturgia in the United State of America. In particular, I greet His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, and thank him for his interest in and support of this event underlining the essential role of liturgical formation and celebration in the life and mission of the Church.

I was very pleased to be present at the launch of the Italian and English editions of the proceedings of Sacra Liturgia 2013 in Rome last November, and congratulate Bishop Dominique Rey and all who work with him on making this happy initiative a reality, now also in the United States of America.

I greet His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, who will present the keynote address. And I greet all the bishops, priests and religious and learned lay men and women who will make presentations as well as those who will celebrate the Sacred Liturgy and preach in the coming days. Your apostolate in promoting the Sacred Liturgy is a most important one in our time: I thank you for all that you do.

2. Because the Sacred Liturgy is truly the font from which all the Church’s power flows, as the Second Vatican Council insists (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10), we must do everything we can to put the Sacred Liturgy back at the very heart of the relationship between God and man, recognizing the primacy of Almighty God in this privileged and unique forum in which we, individually and ecclesially, encounter God at work in our world.

One cannot encounter God, my brothers and sisters, without trembling, without awe, without profound respect and holy fear. This is why we must rank what Cardinal Ratzinger called “the right way of celebrating the Liturgy, inwardly and outwardly” first amongst our concerns (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, Ignatius Press, San Francisco 2000, p. 9).

3. When The Holy Father, Pope Fran-

Silent Action

Continued from Page 2

instrument in the hands of the Word.

This is the ultimate meaning of the key concept of the conciliar Constitution, participatio actuosa. For the Church, this participation consists in becoming an instrument of Christ the Priest, so as to participate in his Trinitarian mission. The Church participates actively in the liturgical work of Christ insofar as she is his instrument. In this sense, language about the “celebrating community” can carry a degree of ambiguity requiring true caution (cf. the Instruction Redemptoris sacramentum, n. 42). Participatio actuosa must not be understood, therefore, as the need to do something. On this point the teaching of the Council has often been distorted. It is a question, rather, of allowing Christ to take hold of us and to associate us with his sacrifice.

Liturgical participatio must therefore be understood as a grace from Christ who “always associates the Church with himself” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7). It is he who takes the initiative, who has primacy. The Church “calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the Eternal Father” (n. 7).

The priest must thus become this in-

cis, asked me to accept the ministry of Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, I asked: “Your Holiness, how do you want me to exercise this ministry?

What do you want me to do as Prefect of this Congregation?” The Holy Father’s reply was clear. “I want you to continue to implement the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council,” he said, “and I want you to continue the good work in the liturgy begun by Pope Benedict XVI.” My friends, I want you to help me in this task. I ask you to continue to work towards achieving the liturgical aims of the Second Vatican Council (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 1) and to work to continue the liturgical renewal promoted by Pope Benedict XVI, especially through the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacrosanctum Caritatis of 22 February 2007 and the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of 7 July 2007. I ask you to be wise like the householder in St Matthew’s Gospel, who knows when to bring out of his treasure things both new and old (cf. Mt 13:52), so that the Sacred Liturgy as it is celebrated and lived today may lose nothing of the estimable riches of the Church’s liturgical tradition, whilst always being open to legitimate development (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 23).

4. You have many days in which to consider these questions in depth. I would like to suggest two critical areas

in which authentic liturgical renewal in the twenty-first century can be furthered.

The first is by being utterly clear what Catholic liturgy is: it is the worship of Almighty God, the place where mankind encounters God alive and at work in His Church today. Please – never underestimate the importance of this. The liturgy is not some social occasion or meeting where we come first, where what is most important is that we express our identity.

No: God comes first. As Cardinal Ratzinger wrote in 2004: “If the Liturgy appears first of all as the workshop for our activity, then what is essential is being forgotten: God. For the Liturgy is not about us, but about God. Forgetting about God is the most imminent danger of our age. As against this, the Liturgy should be setting up a sign of God’s presence” (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Collected Works: The Theology of the Liturgy, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2015, p. 593).

The Church’s liturgy is given to us in tradition – it is not for us to make up the rites we celebrate or to change them to suit ourselves or our own ideas beyond the legitimate options permitted by the liturgical books. That is why we must celebrate the Sacred Liturgy faithfully, with that reverence and awe of which I spoke earlier.

5. The second area in which I ask you to give of your time and expertise is in the promotion of sound liturgical formation. The Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy went so far as to say that “it would be futile to entertain any hopes of realizing” the liturgical renewal it desired “unless the pastors themselves, in the first place, become thoroughly imbued with the spirit and power of the liturgy, and undertake to give instruction about it” (n. 14).

We cannot truly participate in the Sacred Liturgy, we cannot drink deeply from the source of the Christian life, if we have not been formed in the spirit and power of the liturgy. As our Holy Father, Pope Francis, said last year:

strument that allows Christ to shine through. As our Holy Father Pope Francis recently recalled, the celebrant is not the host of a show, he must not seek the affirmation of the assembly, standing before them as if they were called to enter into dialogue primarily with him.

To enter into the spirit of the Council means on the contrary to efface oneself, to renounce the spotlight.

Contrary to what has sometimes been maintained, it is in full conformity with the conciliar Constitution – indeed, it is entirely fitting – for everyone, priest and congregation, to turn together to the East during the penitential rite, the singing of the Gloria, the orations and the Eucharistic prayer, in order to express the desire to participate in the work of worship and redemption accomplished

by Christ. This practice could well be established in cathedrals, where liturgical life must be exemplary (cf. n. 41).

Of course it is understood that there are other parts of the Mass in which the priest, acting in persona Christi Capitis, enters into nuptial dialogue with the assembly. But this face-to-face has no other purpose than to lead to a tete-àtete with God, which, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, will become a heartto-heart. The Council thus proposes additional means to favor participation:

“acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons and songs, as well as…actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes” (no. 30).

A hasty and all-too-human reading of the Constitution has led to the conclusion that the faithful must be kept constantly busy. The contemporary Western way of thinking, shaped by technology and dazzled by the media, has wished to turn the liturgy into a lucrative production. In this spirit, many have tried to make the celebrations festive. Prompted by pastoral motives, liturgical ministers sometimes stage celebrations into which elements of worldly entertainment are introduced.

Have we not witnessed a proliferation of testimonials, acts, and applause? It is imagined that this will foster the participation of the faithful, when in fact it reduces the liturgy to a human plaything.

“Silence is not a virtue, noise is not a sin, it is true,” says Thomas Merton, “but the turmoil and confusion and constant noise of modern society [or of some African Eucharistic liturgies] are the expression of the ambiance of its greatest sins—its godlessness, its despair. A world of propaganda, of endless argument, vituperation, criticism, or simply of chatter, is a world without anything to live for.... Mass becomes racket and confusion; prayers—an ex-

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

“Much remains to be done for a correct and complete assimilation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy on the part of the baptized and by ecclesial communities. I refer in particular to a strong and organic invitation and liturgical formation of the lay faithful as well as the clergy and consecrated persons” (Message to the participants of the Roman symposium on Sacrosanctum Concilium, 18 February 2014).

I hope and I pray that the different initiatives of Sacra Liturgia can do much to meet this urgent and crucial need.

5. Dear brothers in the episcopate, dear priests, deacons and religious, dear lay men and women, your participation in this conference is a sign that you are already aware of the importance of the Sacred Liturgy in the life of the Church.

I thank you for your willingness to give of your time to study and consider this reality further. I pray that these days may increase your wisdom and knowledge, that they will help you grow in holiness and that they will make you ever more zealous in promoting authentic liturgical renewal in the Church.

I hope I will be able to join you for the new Sacra Liturgia Meeting of July 2016 in London.

Please pray for me that I may faithfully execute the service to which I have been called. May God bless you always!

Born in Guinea in 1945, Robert Cardinal Sarah was ordained a priest of the diocese of Conakry in 1969. He studied theology at the Gregorian University in Rome and Scripture at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem. He became Archbishop of Conakry in 1979, and in 1985 he was elected President of the Episcopal Conference of Guinea. He was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples

by Pope John Paul II in 2001, and then President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum by Pope Benedict XVI in October 2010. A month later he was made a cardinal.

terior or interior noise” (Thomas Merton, The Sign of Jonas [San Diego: Harcourt, Inc., 1953, 1981], passim).

We run the real risk of leaving no room for God in our celebrations, falling into the temptation of the Israelites in the desert. They sought to create a cult of worship limited to their own measure and reach, and let us not forget that they ended up prostrate before the idol of the golden calf.

The hour has come to listen to the Council. The liturgy is “above all things the worship of the divine majesty” (n.

33). It can form and teach us only insofar as it is completely ordered to divine worship and the glorification of God. The liturgy truly places us in the presence of divine transcendence. True participation means the renewal in us of that “amazement” that St. John Paul II held in such high regard (cf. Ecclesia de Eucharistia, n. 6). This sacred amazement, this joyous reverence, requires our silence before the divine majesty. We often forget that sacred silence is one of the means indicated by the Council to foster participation.

If the liturgy is the work of Christ, is it necessary for the celebrant to interject his own comments? We must remember Continued on Page 12

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Adoremus Bulletin • Vol. XXI No. 2 — July 2015

LETTERS Anticipating the new Hours translation

My heart resonated with Loretta Matulich’s letter, in the Spring 2015 issue of Adoremus.

For years, it’s been my fond hope and dream that – sooner rather than later – the Catholic Church in the United States would publish a brand-new version of the Liturgy of the Hours with a fresh, new translation, in an elegant and attractive format.

Why wait any longer? We have most of the elements at hand. Above all, we now have the beautiful, accurate and noble Grail re-translation of the Psalms, approved by the American bishops. For the Scriptural passages we now have several excellent translations available, also approved for liturgical use by the American bishops. For the translations of passages from the Church Fathers we have the excellent translations we are already using. What else? The hymns, perhaps? But that’s not a major hurdle. It can easily be handled by our church musicians.

Many of our Catholic lay men and women, as well as many of our non-Catholic friends, are also praying the Liturgy of the Hours. “Lex orandi ...”

Rev. Gino Dalpiaz, C.S. Chicago, IL

Enough translations already!

I believe the current translation of the Liturgy of the Hours should be retained. We have already had too many translations of the Bible.

John Gishpert Denver, CO

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is currently in the process of revising the translation of the Liturgy of the Hours (or Breviary). This is part of the review of the translation of all liturgical translations to assure their conformity to the requirements of the Instruction Liturgiam authenticam on liturgical translation. Even without the change in translation norms, the Liturgy of the Hours would have to be revised to take account of revisions in the Latin text since the current translation was made in the 1970’s and of new saints which have been added to the calendar since that time.

The project is complex since the Breviary contains several different classes of texts. The bishops’ plan, approved at their November 2012 general meeting, calls for some texts to be revised and others to be left as they are. It was estimated at that time that the project would require three to five years.

Some of the necessary revisions are already complete. The Conception Abbey revision of the Grail Psalms has been approved for use in both the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.

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The Breviary also contains collects identical to those used at Mass, so these texts from the new Missal translation will be used in the revised Liturgy of the Hours as well.

Most recently a new translation of the Old and New Testament canticles by Conception Abbey was presented for a vote of the bishops at their June 2015 meeting in St. Louis. According to the report on the meeting on the USCCB web site: “The new translation renders the texts of the Old and New Testament Canticles in a style similar to the Revised Grail Psalms, with emphasis on sprung rhythms and faithful translation. The Canticles will help establish a unified style and meter among the texts included in the future revision of the Liturgy of the Hours”( www.usccb.org/news/2015/15092.cfm).

The vote in favor was one short of the required two-thirds approval, but bishops who were not present at the meeting will have an opportunity to vote by mail, so it is likely that the translation will receive the necessary two-thirds vote.

Some texts such as the General Instruction and the patristic readings in the Office of Readings are to be left as they are now. Some texts only need slight adjustments to correspond, for example, to revisions in the New American Bible or the rubrics or terminology in the Missal.

Still other texts, such as the hymns, have yet to be translated (see “The hymns the Church calls her own” by Adam Bartlett on page 4 of the present issue for details). The term “hymns” here refers to the often ancient texts of sacred songs given in the Latin editio typical of the Liturgy of the Hours. In the translation now in use these were not included and more modern hymns were used. In the revision, the prescribed Latin hymns will be provided in English translation. These are to be supplied by ICEL. Draft translations must be reviewed, perhaps by the bishops; then the amended texts have to be formally approved.

Then the texts must receive recognitio from the Holy See. This protracted process is, no doubt, rather frustrating to those who are eager for an improved translation, but it is designed to ensure that proper care is taken to produce a translation that is accurate and beautiful, since it will be used for many years to come. – Susan Benofy

Welcome back, Adoremus!

Thank you for the publication of Adoremus. God bless you!

Bernadine Penn Hanover, PA

God bless you and your efforts to bring Adoremus back to all of us who have appreciated it

R E A D E R S ’ F O RU M over the years.

Joan Donohue Kennebunk, ME

Thank you to all who have expressed gratitude and best wishes for the past work and continued publication of the Adoremus Bulletin. We are blessed to keep serving the Church’s liturgical work in this way. Please keep the prayers coming!

Adoremus Bulletin in France

To the staff of the Adoremus Bulletin: It was with the greatest joy that I received – so unexpectedly – the new Adoremus Bulletin! Many thanks!

May God be praised for the grace and blessings He has recently sent to us!

I thank you, too, for the many years of service Adoremus has given to Holy Mother Church and her Sacred Liturgy.

Though I am a monk of Fontgombault I am an American (born and raised in the Catholic neighborhood of Milwaukee) and have in my heart a great concern for the Church in my home country. I am so very appreciative for all you have done and continue to do.

I am humbled to know that I am unable to help you financially, and I am certain international mail must be very expensive. May my most sincere daily prayers be of some assistance to you.

All Adoremus Bulletins are eventually sent to our guesthouse library where they are read by our many Englishspeaking guests. So the valuable Bulletins do get many readers here in central France.

May God continue to bless you in your most-valued and noble work.

With most-sincere gratitude, In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Brother Thomas More Fontgombault Abbey, France

Adoremus has a longstanding policy of gladly sending the Bulletin to all, even if one is unable to donate. This is especially true for religious and seminarians, who are doing such important work for the Church. (And, as your note indicates, often religious and seminarians are able to share the Bulletin with others, thus making this a very effective way to make this resource available to many people.)

Over the years several Adoremus readers have indicated that they would like to sponsor Adoremus memberships for religious and seminarians. This financial support has made it possible for us to keep sending the Bulletin to those who have indicated they cannot donate but want to keep receiving it.

We hope that others will continue in this practice. We are grateful for your prayers, and keep you in ours.

In Paradisum deducant te Angeli: in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere aeternam habeas requiem.

Lucy Carroll, 1946-2015

Dr. Lucy Ellen Carroll, who for many years had contributed articles and her cartoons, “Churchmouse Squeaks,” a regular feature at Adoremus, passed away on Friday, June 19, 2015, in Abington, Penn.

The following is an excerpt from Lucy’s obituary, which appeared in The Bucks Country Courier Times: “Born in New York City in October of 1946, she was the daughter of the late Edward Joseph Carroll and Lucy Sophie (Czapszys) Carroll. She earned music degrees from Temple University, Trenton State College, and Combs College of Music, with additional study at St. Pius X College of Liturgical Music and Westminster Choir College.

“She was the Organist and Choir Director at the Philadelphia Carmelite Monastery from 2001 to 2015….

“Dr. Carroll was head of choral music and theatre at William Tennent High School, Warminster, for 25 years; for seven years she also served as Music Coordinator for the Centennial Schools. She also taught at Cabrini College and Combs College of Music. She was most recently an adjunct associate professor at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, N.J. “Her articles on music appeared in such publications as the Journal of the American Choral Directors Association, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Journal, the Adoremus Bulletin, and others. Her Churchmouse Squeaks cartoons appeared regularly in the Adoremus Bulletin.

“She is survived by her brother, Edward Carroll of Oregon, his wife, Ruth Williams Carroll, and their daughter, Sarah Anne.

“Her funeral Mass was held on Friday, June 26, in the chapel at Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine, Doylestown, Penn.

“Donations to the Lucy S. Carroll Scholarship Fund at Villa Joseph Marie High School, 1180 Holland Rd., Southampton, PA 18966

would be appreciated.”

The staff and friends of Dr. Carroll are saddened to hear of her death. Lucy sent this very touching Churchmouse Squeaks cartoon on the occasion of Helen Hull Hitchcock’s death. Modified slightly, we are reprinting it here in her memory.

Questions of Faith

Baptismal Godparents and Proxies?

Does a godparent at a baptism need to be actually present at the sacramental rite? Are “proxies” still used in cases where the godparent is unable to attend?

In the 1917 Code of Canon Law there was explicit provision for a godparent to be represented by a proxy (Canon 765), while the 1925 Instruction by the Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments gives further direction about their use. Normally, the Instruction says, it is the godparent who appoints the proxy, which is done in writing and before witnesses.

In the baptismal register, the names of the godparent and of the proxy are entered. The current (1983) Code’s section on baptismal sponsors (given in Canons 872-874) makes no mention of the sponsor acting through a proxy. However, the Canon Law Society of America, in their commentary on the 1983 Code argues: “Although the canon says nothing about a sponsor’s presence through a proxy, this silence is not to be understood as barring the use of a proxy to stand in for an absent sponsor” (p. 1061).

Particular dioceses may have local directives governing the use of proxies, so local norms ought to be consulted.

Editor’s Note: Adoremus Bulletin will be publishing questions from readers on the faith especially as they pertain to liturgy and the sacraments. If you have a question, please send queries by email to editor@adoremus.org or by snail mail to PO Box 385, La Crosse, WI, 54602-4004.

Adoremus Bulletin • Vol. XXI No. 2 — July 2015

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When we can see God reflected in all that exists, our hearts are moved to praise the Lord for all his creatures and to worship him in union with them. This sentiment finds magnificent expression in the hymn of Saint Francis of Assisi: Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day and through whom you give us light.

And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears a likeness of you, Most High.

Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven you formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through whom you give sustenance to your creatures.

Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you light the night, and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

-from Laudato Si (n.87), Encyclical of Pope Francis

Cardinal Sarah

Continued from Page 9

that when the Missal authorizes commentary, this must not become a worldly, human discourse, a more or less subtle pronouncement on current events, or a banal greeting to those present, but rather a very brief exhortation to enter into the mystery (cf. General Introduction of the Roman Missal, n. 50).

As for the homily, it too is a liturgical act which has its own rules. The participatio actuosa in the work of Christ presupposes that one leaves behind the profane world in order to enter into “sacred action surpassing all others” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 7). In fact, “we claim somewhat arrogantly to remain in the human sphere so as to enter into the divine” (Robert Sarah, God or Nothing, Ignatius Press, Chapter IV).

In this sense it is deplorable that the sanctuary in our churches is not strictly reserved for divine worship, that people enter it in worldly garb, that the sacred space is not clearly delineated by the

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architecture. And since, as the Council teaches, Christ is present in his word when it is proclaimed, it is equally harmful when readers are not dressed in a way that shows they are pronouncing not human words, but the Word of God. The liturgy is a fundamentally mystical and contemplative reality, and thus beyond the reach of our human action; even participatio is a grace from God. It presupposes on our part openness to the mystery being celebrated. For this reason the Constitution encourages full understanding of the rites (cf. n. 34) and at the same time prescribes that “the faithful...be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them” (n. 54).

In reality, an understanding of the rites is not achieved by human reason left to itself, as if it could grasp everything, understand everything, master everything.

An understanding of the sacred rites is the fruit of the sensus fidei, which exercises living faith through symbol and understands more by affinity than by concept. Such understanding presupposes that one draws near to the mystery

with humility.

But will we have the courage to follow the Council all the way to this point? Yet it is only such a reading, illumined by faith, which constitutes the foundation for evangelization. Indeed, “the liturgy... shows forth the Church to those who are outside as a sign lifted up among the nations, under which the scattered children of God may be gathered together” (n. 2).

It must cease to be a place of disobedience to the prescriptions of the Church.

More specifically, the liturgy cannot be an occasion for divisions among Christians. Dialectical readings of Sacrosanctum Concilium, or the hermeneutics of rupture in one sense or another, are not the fruit of a spirit of faith. The Council did not intend to break from the liturgical forms inherited from tradition – indeed, it desired to deepen them.

The Constitution establishes that “any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing” (n. 23).

In this sense, it is necessary that those who celebrate according to the usus antiquior do so without a spirit of opposi-

tion, and thus in the spirit of Sacrosanctum Concilium. By the same token, it would be a mistake to consider the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite as deriving from a different theology than that of the reformed liturgy. And one could hope that a future edition of the Missal might include the penitential rite and the offertory of the usus antiquior, so as to underscore the fact that the two liturgical forms shed light one upon the other, in continuity and without opposition.

If we live in this spirit, the liturgy will cease to be the locus of rivalries and criticisms, and we will be brought at last to participate actively in that liturgy “which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, a minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle” (no. 8).

The original text, entitled “Silenziosa azione del cuore,” appeared in Italian in the June 12 edition of L’Osservatore Romano. Translation provided by Christopher Ruff.