the constitution on the liturgy

The Constitution on the Liturgy

from Vatican II

PastoralPlanning.com │ The Vatican II Center

Our plan today A peek at how Vatican II made

decisions

How the Constitution on the Liturgy was approved

The pastoral outcomes


Memories

EXCUSES, EXC

USES!

My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today.

Please execute him.

Please excuse Lisa for being absent.

She was sick and I had her shot.

Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days.

Yesterday he fell out ofa tree and misplaced his hip.

Please excuse Ray Friday from school.

He has very loose vowels.

Please excuse Jimmy for being

It was his father's fault.

Church history

JC Today

The FoundingPeriod

325 1517Under Constantine

The Reformation

Carolingian reformsLateran Councils

Encounter with ChristIn a small groupA life of discipleshipCatechumenateEnthusiastic faith!

Baptism with no formationLess personal faith – decided by the local rulerMore like “membership”Rapid growth in ever-larger parishesMinimum “obligations” – the threat of Hell

Religious ordersMovements among clergy & laity

ThePastoralCenter.com

Church history

JC Today

The FoundingPeriod

325

John XXIII a new vision ecumenical in spirit & scope filled with hope

1959


Pope John’s question: How could a church so completely entrenched in the

model which emerged in the 4th Century,

a model retained by both Trent and the First Vatican Council

renew itself for these times?ThePastoralCenter.com

In the words of John XXIII “Our soul was illumined by a great idea which we felt in that instant and received with indescribable

trust in the Divine Master. A word solemn and binding rose to

our lips: ‘A Council!’” ThePastoralCenter.com

Blessed John XXIII

We must shake off the imperial dust that has accumulated on the throne of St. Peter since Constantine.


Jan 25, 1959 At St Paul Outside the

Walls Pope John & 17

Cardinals After Evening Prayer…

3 little announcements: A Pastoral Synod for the

Diocese of Rome A Commission to revise

the Code of Canon Law An Ecumenical Council of

the Universal Church, with all Christians invited

as observers

Basilica San Paolo Fuori le Mura


Jan 25, 1959 “Humanly we could

have expected that the cardinals after hearing our

allocution might have crowded

around to express approval and good wishes…

Instead there was a devout and impressive silence…”ThePastoralCenter.com

Pope John’s next idea

JC Today

The FoundingPeriod

325 1517

1959John XXIIIRessourcement:

Return to the sourcesand let them teach you.

“Restoration”

How Vatican II did its work:


JC Today

The FoundingPeriod

325 1517

1959John XXIII

Aggiornamento:Read the signs of the timesand bring yourself up to date!



JC Today

The FoundingPeriod

325 1517

1958John XXIII

Doctrine develops:Allow the development or evolution of church teaching

Dei Verbum #8



JC Today

The FoundingPeriod

325 1517

Ressourcement

Aggiornamento

Doctrine develops




By the 1920s… Liturgical movement emerged

Altars facing the people Less showy liturgy overall

A new idea: return to the past A new norm: the founding era NOT the Middle Ages

Belgian Benedictine, Dom Lambert Beauduin (d 1960) 1909: called for full, active participation of laity


Pius XII Mediator Dei, 1947

Gave blessing to the liturgical movement While condemning certain “abuses” Allows that liturgy must evolve Said that in some cases vernacular was OK

In ‘51 and ‘55 he reordered Triduum Shortened fast before Communion Opened door to reform and aggiornamento


Liturgy Once the Council was announced

Work began in earnest to prepare a document for the bishops

Everyone thought this should be done early in the Council


Prep period Cardinal Gaeteno Cicognani led the process Annibale Bugnini

65 members and consultants Prepared statement by Jan 1962

Combined principles With concrete recommendations

Gaeteno was gravely ill, eventually died Cardinal Larraona named as head

Very conservative Did not like the proposed document as presented Fired Bugnini – hired Ferdinando Antonelli

Who had played no role in the prep of the schema


Prep period Word spread among the bishops

They were on guard against a right wing takeover of this and other documents

Antonelli turned out to be even handed Oct 22 (the next day)

Larraona presented the doc to the Council Antonelli spoke: liturgy needs updating

because the laity are “mute spectators” 8 chapters – pretty much in the order that

eventually got approved


The Proposed Liturgy Document Shifted from focus on bloody suffering

and death of Christ To Paschal Mystery as basis of the

Christian life Suffering, death AND resurrection Emphasized the call to holiness and the

liturgy as one means of that Article #6:

“We are plunged into the paschal mystery…”


The Proposed Liturgy document Active participation as the right and

duty of every Christian Shifting away from the priest as the center

Big shift: The parish was the center of life for

Catholics And the priest was the center of the parish


The Proposed Liturgy Document Restored focus on Liturgy of the Word Allowed for local adaptation of liturgy Greater autonomy given to local bishops Allowed for use of vernacular, while

retaining Latin Frequent reception of communion

Use of both forms Antonelli presented this briefly but

forcefully


The Response Cardinal Frings:

The last will and testament of Pius XII

General approval was voiced Cardinal Spellman wanted no vernacular in

the Mass, but allowed for it in other sacraments

3 weeks of debate in 15 sessions with 328 speeches and 297 remarks submitted in writing


The response (still Oct 22, 1962)

Ottaviani and those who opposed reform: Found it revolutionary They hadn’t checked with him or the

doctrinal commission Did not want communion under both forms

Opposed to concelebration Did not want use of the vernacular No communion in the cup And on and on…

Council procedures Latin would be the language Voting was by punch card Speakers were given 10 minutes

But had to submit ahead in writing In Latin

The Pope was not in the Hall Very few lay people & no women

were present in the beginning

Turning Points of the Council Pope John’s Opening Speech Expressed optimism about how

God is leading the Church Rejected the idea of

condemnations “We demonstrate the validity of our

teaching rather than condemning others.”

“We prefer to use the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity”


Turning Points Daily liturgy in various rites of the

Church Not all of them use Latin! Not all of them had celibacy! They didn’t all look alike or talk

alike!

But Christ was still presentThePastoralCenter.com

Turning Points The bishops interacting with each

other Since they were in Rome

already… They met the theologians in

person It was the world-church “Illegal” rooftop parties

Which followed evening lectures Including lay folks, women & men

religious, seminarians, the press, & non-Catholics


The Crowds in the Piazza Everyone knew what was

happening Prayer and singing

Veni Creator Spiritus The whole church mingled

together The world was watching The bishops knew this

It brought them togetherThePastoralCenter.com


Turning points Nov 14, 1962

They decided to take a test vote Approval would mean move forward,

No need to submit to Ottaviani’s doctrinal cmsn

Astounding to everyone No one knew the level of support 2162 in favor -- 46 opposed – 97%

The following year, the final vote: 2147-4


Consilium Fr Bugnini named leader to implement

this Constitution Implementation group called Consilium Almost immediately in 1964

Priest faced people – a community celebration with the priest as “presider,” not “celebrant”

Liturgy of the Word Vernacular crept in world wide


Consilium Profound impact on the laity

More than the eventual doc on the laity Roles in the liturgy Leading to roles in the parish Study of theology

Also profound for priests No longer the only center point of the

parish But in a new relationship to the laity


The Constitution itself Restored Liturgy of the Word (56)

Christ is present in the Word, the ministry of the Church, the community, and the bread & wine

Concelebration is restored (58) Catechumenate is restored (66) Feasts of the Lord take precedence

(Ch 5)


The Constitution itself It’s never enough to follow the

“letter of the law” making sure we are correct and proper. (11)

The principle is clear: Full Active Participation


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