One of the buzz-phrases of Catholic theology – cited in virtually every document from the Vatican – is that the liturgy, and especially the Eucharist, is ‘the source and summit’ of the Christian life. The origins of the phrase are complex, but it enters mainstream Catholic discourse with the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy in Read more
Cîteaux with its nine-hundred-year history, its image of those most un-modern of being, monks, working with the hands, and the expectation of a unique, rather than mass-produced, flavour make it a winner. The success of the monks selling cheese on-line should not surprise us. We want our food to have a story! The mass-production of Read more
Other than sex, nothing is more heatedly debated by Catholics than the liturgy. Everyone has strong opinions based on years of personal experience. In the 1960s and ’70s, Pope Paul VI implemented revolutionary liturgical reforms laid out by the Second Vatican Council, but after his death in 1978, the Vatican put a stop to the Read more
Masses cancelled, funerals with just ten people, marriages postponed, sacramental programmes delayed, no shared chalice, and a new way to exchange the sign of peace, touchless ashes on Ash Wednesday, no ashes on Ash Wednesday are a few of the now-familiar marks of what has been termed a Liturgical Disruption. Add to them, the lengths Read more
After growing up Baptist, Nate Tinner-Williams became a Roman Catholic in December 2019. Now, after a move to New Orleans, he is planning to enter the seminary of the Josephites, an order of brothers and priests who have ministered specifically to the African-American community since 1893. In the meantime, he has devoted himself to developing Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the way most Catholics around the world are used to worshiping, having led to measures ranging from outright bans on physical gatherings to limits on the size and behaviour of congregations. The various restrictions have raised numerous theological, liturgical and spiritual questions. And the Holy See and the local Churches Read more
It is just on year since Francis offered an inculturated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for Congolese immigrants. The Mass marked the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the Congolese Catholic Chaplaincy of Rome. The Mass included traditional Congolese music and the Zaire Use of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Zaire Use). An Read more
The Worshipping Under Southern Skies 2020 conference, scheduled to be held in Auckland in early October this year, has been postponed for a year because of uncertainty over Covid-19 restrictions. The conference, which had a theme of “Weaving together Liturgy and Life”, was scheduled to be held at Auckland’s Baradene College on October 1-3, 2020. Read more
As parishes re-open to varying extents – and with a range of anti-viral measures from face-shields to people scattered by tape in near-empty benches, many clergy note that the numbers have not returned to the pre-COVID-19 level. The preferred explanation seems to be that now is still not ‘normality’ and that many are fearful about Read more
Disruptive innovation is not a common term in theological and liturgical discussions. The term comes from Clayton Christensen’s 1997 book The Innovator’s Dilemma. Christensen explains that successful companies are those that can meet not only their customers’ current needs but anticipate their future ones too. Disruptive innovators – disruptors – are more likely to displace Read more