Adoremus Bulletin
SEPTEMBER 2020
Vatican: Baptisms Administered ‘in name of the community’ are Invalid By Hannah Brockhaus
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VATICAN CITY (CNA)—The Vatican’s doctrinal office issued August 6 a clarification on the sacrament of baptism, stating changes to the formula to emphasize community participation are not permitted. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) responded to a question about whether it would be valid to administer the sacrament of baptism saying, “We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The formula for baptism, according to the Catholic Church, is “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The CDF ruled that any baptisms administered with the formula “we baptize” are invalid and anyone for whom the sacrament was celebrated with this formula must be baptized in forma absoluta, meaning the person should be considered as not yet having received the sacrament. The Vatican said it was responding to questions on baptismal validity after recent celebrations of the sacrament of baptism used the words “In the name of the father and of the mother, of the godfather and of the godmother, of the grandparents, of the family members, of the friends, in the name of the community we baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The response was approved by Pope Francis and signed by CDF prefect Cardinal Luis Ladaria and secretary Archbishop Giacomo Morandi. A doctrinal note from the CDF Please see BAPTISM on next page
XXVI, No.2
Black and White and Read All Over: Readers Celebrate 25 Years of Adoremus Bulletin By Joseph O’Brien, Managing Editor
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doremus Bulletin is celebrating 25 years of publishing in 2020—and throughout those years, the publication has collaborated with expert writers and thinkers on the sacred liturgy and its important place in the life of the Church. But Adoremus’s editors have also always provided ample space for its most important collaborators—Adoremus readers. It was not uncommon in the past for readers’ letters to take up one or two whole pages of an issue—and while letter writing seems to have fallen out of fashion with the advent of the internet, email, and texting putting snail mail on the endangered species list, the editors at Adoremus still receive stamped-andaddressed correspondence through the U.S. Post Office from readers—as well as phone calls and emails—responding, commenting, and generally keeping in touch. If Adoremus Bulletin takes pride in its team of writers—priests and lay persons from all corners of the world—it also recognizes that no publication is any better than the readers who support it. For the last 25 years, Adoremus can proudly claim to have some of the most devoted readers in the publishing business. To honor our readership—and ensure that we’re hearing them loud and clear—the editors have invited Adoremus’s audience to tell us what they liked best about the Adoremus Bulletin—how they use what they learn in its pages in their professional lives and personal lives, and why it is maintaining its stated mission: “to rediscover and restore the beauty, the holiness, and the power of the Church’s rich liturgical tradition while remaining faithful to an organic, living process of renewal.” The response we received—from lay persons and clergy—is a testament to the faith of our readers and an encouraging sign that Adoremus has a place in the ongoing conversation about the life of faith in the modern world—with a special and ardent focus on the timeless relevance of the sacred liturgy. Collaborative Service Because the Catholic clergy have devoted their lives to providing the faithful the sacraments as an authentic encounter with Christ through the lit-
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Adoremus Bulletin SEPTEMBER 2020
AB/JESSE WEILER
News & Views
For the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy
If Adoremus Bulletin takes pride in its team of writers—priests and lay persons from all corners of the world—it also recognizes that no publication is any better than the readers who support it. For the last 25 years, Adoremus can proudly claim to have some of the most devoted readers in the publishing business.
urgy, it is not surprising that a number of clergy—deacons and priests—have counted themselves among the most avid readers of the Bulletin. Adoremus reader Deacon Paul Lim has only recently subscribed to the print edition of the publication, but he told Adoremus that he’s been a long-time reader of the Adoremus website. It was another venue, however, which proved to be the tipping point for Deacon Lim’s decision to subscribe. “I’m only on my second print issue,” he said, explaining that he decided it was time to receive the print edition during the 2020 Triduum. “I had been a listener to the Liturgy Guys podcast [with Adoremus editor, Chris Carstens, and regular Adoremus contributor, Denis McNamara] for quite a while—maybe two or three years. I just found the conversation so stimulating.” Because of the pandemic lockdown, Deacon Lim said, he was looking for more outlets to continue his education in all things liturgical—and Adoremus Bulletin fit the bill. “When I was in diaconate formation, I found myself constantly being engaged, and there was such good conversation in every direction,” he said. “Then, once you’re ordained and out in the real world, you don’t have that. It just goes away. I felt I wanted to ex-
Black and White and Read All Over… We asked—and you responded. As part of our 25th anniversary coverage, Joseph O’Brien reports on what readers have to say about Adoremus Bulletin.............................................1 The Shock of the Familiar The French call it jamais vu—seeing the familiar anew—and Christopher Carstens sees COVID as a jump-start for this reversedéjà vu when it comes to the sacraments.......3 Power to the People! Denis McNamara writes that the People of God (as the Second Vatican Council envisioned that term) find their surest bearing—en masse—as the Mystical Body.....6
plore more about the liturgy. So when I started checking out the Adoremus Bulletin, I fell in love with it. It was perfect for what I needed—to dig deeper and to know more about the sacred liturgy.” Noting his appreciation for how Adoremus presents the liturgy in a “concise way,” Deacon Lim also finds practical application within its pages. Ordained a deacon only a few months ago, on June 13, Deacon Lim, 43, told Adoremus that he is the “youngest deacon in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.” Serving three parishes in Pittsburg, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Margaret of Scotland, and Sts. Simon and Jude, he said it’s easy to see the work of a deacon become service-oriented, which is how it should be. But at the heart of his work, he said, the liturgy must take precedence. “So when Adoremus includes the practical things such as I find in the Rite Questions or something like an article on the liturgy’s connection to the domestic church—that’s neat,” he said. “As a deacon, that’s something close to me because a lot of what happens in the liturgy is brought forth into the world, especially for the deacon. A lot of people think the deacon only sits next to the priest during Mass—and he does do that—but the rest of my ministry is away Please see READERS on page 4 One Church to Another… According to Richard Budd, the domestic church can teach a thing or two—namely the proper ordering of liturgy and devotional prayer—to the universal Church.....................8 It’s Always Personal Reviewing Dietrich von Hildebrand’s Liturgy and Personality, Father Nick Blaha shows how the liturgy is the focal point of our personal (yet selfless) encounter with God..................12 News & Views ....................................................1 Readers’ Quiz......................................................3 The Rite Questions...........................................10
