Nativity Catholic Church in Burke, Virginia, launched its first monthly “sensory Mass” on August 11, drawing a full congregation to what is typically the parish’s least-attended Sunday service. The 1pm Mass, designed to accommodate neurodiverse Catholics, featured dimmed lighting, quiet hymns and a range of sensory tools to assist attendees. Volunteers in gray T-shirts greeted Read more
Recently, United States cultural celebrities addressed an open letter to Pope Francis, opposing further restrictions on the pre-conciliar liturgy. The letter, written by poet Dana Gioia, emphasised the aesthetic value and cultural significance of the liturgy according to the 1962 rite: “It would be short-sighted to deprive the next generation of artists of this source Read more
Liturgical scholar Andrea Grillo (pictured) sees liturgical traditionalism as a backward-looking ideology that has little to do with the authentic tradition of the Catholic Church. In an interview with the traditionalist blog “Messa in Latino” the professor of sacramental theology at the Benedictine University of Sant’Anselmo in Rome emphasised the importance of the liturgy for Read more
The sacred liturgy is a personal and communal encounter with God; Pope Francis marvelled as he received professors and students of the Athenaeum University of Saint Pacian of Barcelona in the Vatican on Friday. In his remarks, the Holy Father underscored the incredible value of the liturgy and recalled his, having declared this year ahead Read more
“Without liturgical reform, there is no reform of the Church,” Pope Francis said emphatically last February during an address to the plenary assembly of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. His remarks came around the 60th anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy that was issued during Read more
One of the surprises to come out of the Synod on Synodality was a call for better liturgy. The final report of the October 2023 session of the synod referred to “the widely reported need to make liturgical language more accessible to the faithful and more embodied in the diversity of cultures.” The English-speaking church Read more
Soon we’ll be celebrating Ash Wednesday, when Christmas was just 7 weeks ago. The contrasts couldn’t be more startling. Christmas being so engagingly delightful with a cute newborn baby boy, animals, angels, stars and visitors with gifts. Now as we mark Ash Wednesday we are going to have imprinted on our forehead’s ash in the Read more
Liturgical reform is crucial in the ongoing renewal of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis said this to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on Thursday. After what has been labelled as a significant address, discussion took place against the backdrop of the dicastery’s annual plenary assembly. The assembly focused Read more
The promulgation of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, stands as a pivotal moment that ushered in a new era for the Catholic Church. Sixty years hence, we can reflect on the impact of this document on New Zealand’s theological landscape and liturgical practices. Sacrosanctum Concilium is the cornerstone of Vatican II because Read more
Bad liturgy should not be happening and some practices must change. The comments come in a warning from Archbishop Roger Houngbédji O.P. of Cotonou. He has observed many “unruly” liturgical celebrations during his seven years as head of Benin’s largest Catholic diocese. Houngbédji has reminded priests, deacons, consecrated persons and laity of the archdiocese of Read more