SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM QUICK NOTE EXPLANATIONS
Paragraph 1: Since Sacrosanctum Concilium is the very first of the Vatican II documents, and the first product to appear after two years of work, the fathers decided to introduce the aims of the entire Council in this broad generic statement of purpose. Paragraph 2: This is the summary statement of Sacrosanctum Concilium. It is worthy of personal meditation in your prayer. Footnotes 2-7 are all taken from Sacred Scripture. Paragraph 3: The Council states that this document will put forth many specific norms along with its general principles. Most of the specific norms, however, would follow later, such as the release of the new Mass rite in late 1969. The first norms for the renewal of the Sacrament of Penance, for example, [para. 72] were not finished till the 1970’s and then adjusted in the 1990’s. Paragraph 4: The Council tried to be mindful that the Latin Roman rite, to which we belong, is the largest of two dozen rites in full communion with Rome. Each rite has its own liturgical style, and the Council is saying, in effect, “we won’t change your rites, but we hope you will reform them as we reform ours.” The Eastern Rite bishops attended Vatican II but many of their problems—including living in Islamic cultures—were not addressed. In fact, the Council’s efforts to reconcile with Jews complicated Christian relations with the Arab world. Paragraph 5: The Council emphasizes that Jesus—and our worship of him—is the fulfillment of the Promise of the Hebrew Scripture. Paragraph 6: This is another segment worthy of circling for personal meditation. Rich in New Testament references, it outlines the development of the Church and the Apostolic mission of preaching and breaking of the bread. Paragraph 7: The Council defines the liturgy as “a sacred action surpassing all others.” Paragraph 8: We are reminded that our worship looks forward to the ultimate coming of Christ in his fully revealed glory, a day when sacraments will no longer be necessary, for we shall see Him as He is. Paragraph 9: The missionary nature of the Church is explored here. The Church must energetically invite those outside of its family to hear the Word and embrace the life of Faith while at the same time energizing those in the Church toward greater “faith and penance” to fully engage in saving worship. Paragraph 10: It is here that one of the most famous quotes from the Council emerged, that the sacred liturgy is both “the source and the summit” of Christian life. All that we do as baptized persons is focused upon meeting Christ in the Eucharist, which in turn nourishes us to greater works of holiness and mission. Paragraph 11: Two key points here. First, the Council assumes that each of us prepares for Eucharist by a developed personal prayer life. Second, pastors have a responsibility to tie the personal faith of each believer into the celebration of Eucharist and the other sacraments. Paragraph 12: The Council calls for each of us to cultivate a deeply personal prayer life outside of the Sunday Eucharist. Unfortunately, this has been one of the biggest failures of the Church to date, failure to introduce systematic adult spirituality to the full Catholic population. Paragraph 13: The Council envisioned that our personal prayers and devotions would correspond to the Church’s seasonal calendar of mysteries, e.g., the Easter Season, Lent. Again, as a rule there has been no wholesale adult catechetical effort in this direction in the United States. Nor has there been any serious effort to invite Catholics to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the official daily prayer of the Church. Paragraph 14: When this text was written, virtually no priests were prepared for the changes envisioned. The Council is saying that formation of priests in the field was a high priority, for they were being asked to lead the Mass and the other sacraments in ways they had never been trained to do. This was a traumatic time, particularly for older priests. Paragraph 15: Priests teaching in seminaries were no more prepared for the changes of the Council than the rest of the Church, except for the lucky few who had studied in major European theology schools. Interestingly, today the declining number of priests in general includes fewer priests teaching in seminaries; more lay men and women with advanced degrees are taking over the responsibilities of paras. 14 and 15. Paragraph 16: Sacred theology has many branches—Scripture, History, Dogmatics, Morality, etc. The Council reminds all the of “specialists” teaching in seminaries that their course work needs to be significantly connected to the future priest’s role as leader of the Eucharist. Paragraph 17: The spiritual direction and counsel given to seminarians must be oriented toward the sacred ministry of liturgical leadership. Paragraph 18: Again, the Council shows sensitivity for priests in the field who would be facing a major overhaul of their training and their pastoral practice. Paragraph 19: The Council realized that its reforms would be fruitful only if there was an intensive adult orientation to its teaching. This, of course, did not happen in most dioceses and parishes, as the practice of adult education or adult faith formation has never caught on as an intrinsic and ongoing organism of parish life. If anything, the problem is worse today. Most adults live with an eighth grade understanding of the Catholic Faith. Paragraph 20: This paragraph could not have envisioned the internet era and streaming Masses. A sobering thought: the Catholic Church has no control over content—liturgical and otherwise—which goes forth on social media under the name “Catholic.” Paragraph 21: This is an introduction of specific instructions to follow, noting that some elements of the sacraments are unchangeable, but others are the products of ages past which no longer carry symbolic meaning today. Paragraph 22: This paragraph is a mouthful. First, it states that the ultimate authority over Church worship is the Apostolic See, i.e., the Bishop of Rome, the pope [whose signature at the end of Sacrosanctum Concilium gives the document its full teaching authority, for example.] Second, it states that this authority is shared in particular instances with individual bishops or regional bodies of bishops, such as our USCCB. Third, it states that no priest has individual authority to change the liturgy on his own authority. Suffice to say that this third directive has not always been honored in the breech. Paragraph 23: This is a very nuanced directive for those in the Church who would do the desk work of examining and revising all the Church’s worship rites. Clearly, this is a moderate and temperate mandate that calls for respect of tradition and connection with it. Changes in the rites required good historical and theological justification. Vatican II in general was not a “radical departure” from the past as some say. However, it is true that locally some reforms went further than the Church intended. Paragraph 24: It is hard to overstate the importance of this reform: a major return to Sacred Scripture in the life of the Church, particularly in the sacred liturgy. Again, very little has been done in the past six decades to systematically bring understanding of the Bible into the life of all Catholics. Paragraph 25: The Council called for speed as well as expertise in the rewriting of all the official worship texts of the Church. The full formula for the Mass was released in late 1969, six years after Sacrosanctum Concilium, while other sacramental rites appeared later. In those years of preparation, many local churches plunged ahead with improv renewals that in many instances were theologically offkey or lacking in taste, or both, leading to confusion and frustration at the local level. Paragraph 26: This is an introduction to the various offices and responsibilities of those leading and participating in the sacramental rites, particularly the Mass. Paragraph 27: The Council emphasizes that all sacraments should be celebrated as publicly as possible. Private Masses, Baptisms, etc. should be the exceptions, not the rule. Paragraph 28: A good example of this provision is the proclamation of the Gospel at Mass. If a deacon is vested in the sanctuary, he assumes the right and responsibility to proclaim the Gospel, and not the principal priest celebrant. Paragraph 29: The significance of these lay ministries of the Mass is emphasized by the need for devotion, formation, and practical training of those chosen for these offices. Paragraph 30: In the years before Vatican II, the conduct of the congregation was passive and quiet. It was customary to say the rosary or pray from a prayerbook as Mass was offered. The reformed Mass would feature verbal, song, and physical involvement. Paragraph 31: Prior to Vatican II, the official rituals contained only the instructions for ordained clergy—bishops, priests, deacons, and subdeacons. The laity, as noted above, had no pronounced responsibility except to follow the Mass with devotion. Paragraph 32: Rich benefactors do not get the front seats—unless they arrive early. Paragraph 33: The entire Mass is informative and instructive as it embodies our Faith. Paragraph 34: More is not necessarily better. Good liturgy is marked by an effective economy of words and deeds. Paragraph 35: This section makes more sense if we remember that prior to Vatican II the first half of the Mass [called “The Mass of the Catechumens”] was not considered as important as the second half beginning with the Offertory [called “The Mass of the Faithful.”] To be late for Mass before the Offertory was considered venially sinful, but to come in after the Offertory was mortally sinful, per the old catechisms. Vatican II equalized the liturgy. This paragraph underscores one of the Council’s important achievements: the declaration that in the Scriptures proclaimed at Mass and its attendant sermon, we encounter Christ as we encounter Him in the reception of Communion. This paragraph recommends “Bible services,” free-standing church events to hear the Word and offer prayers. This practice has not caught on in the United States although the “priestless rite” where a deacon or lay person distributes communion on Sunday bears a strong similarity. Paragraph 36: This is an intriguing paragraph, stating as it does that the Mass and other sacraments should continue to be celebrated in Latin, and then making provisions for parts of the Mass to be celebrated in the native tongue. Pope Paul VI began granting wholesale permissions for use of the vernacular worldwide beginning as early as 1964 while the Council was still in progress. Paragraph 37: The Council tread carefully on what to say about the extent of ritual reform to be tolerated in places far removed from European influence. It was hoping to avoid another major controversy like that of the seventeenth century when the Jesuits were accused by the Dominicans of excessively adapting the Roman Mass to Asian customs. Paragraphs 38-40: The chain of command for determinations of ritual reforms in mission territories. Paragraph 41: The bishop, as successor of the Apostles, is the supreme celebrant of the liturgy in his diocese. Paragraph 42: The Council reinforces the principle of unity at the diocesan level, at the parish level, and between the two entities. The parish is described as a small representation of the universal church and implied here is the need for parochial internal unity and community, beginning and ending around the Eucharist. Paragraph 43: The Council speaks favorably of the academic movements of reform—notably in liturgical, Scriptural, and historical studies—leading to the production of this document. The United States, not noted for theological excellence, was not actively involved in such research, which is why the nation was poorly prepared for the onslaught of changes beginning as early as 1964 [see para. 36]. Paragraph 44: It took some time for the United States, for example, to develop a broad machinery for liturgical planning, whereas nations like France and Holland many of these directives were already in play. In truth, the United States continues to have a very weak “liturgical substructure” of professionals, notably in such areas as music and architecture. Paragraphs 45 and 46: In the present day such offices, where they exist, are vehicles of routine liturgical information and the training of liturgical ministers. Paragraph 47: The Council’s stately definition of the Eucharistic Celebration, which introduces the following cluster of directives on the celebration of Mass. Paragraph 48: Concern that the members of the laity were silent witnesses to the Mass was addressed by previous popes, Pius X and Pius XII. The Council, in the strongest language possible, makes the case that all the baptized have real and active roles to play in every Mass. Paragraph 49: The Council, naturally enough, focuses upon the Sunday Eucharist as the solemn day of the Lord’s Resurrection. However, nearly all the following principles apply to daily Mass as well. Paragraph 50: The Council acknowledges that over the centuries the Roman rite of the Mass accumulated considerable baggage—right down to the colored handkerchief word on the left arm of the priest, the maniple. On the other hand, rites of greater importance—such as the Prayer of the Faithful—had fallen into disuse. Paragraph 51: A major contribution of Vatican II was the restoration of the Sacred Scripture to the full life of the Church, but nowhere more so than in the Church’s worship. This paragraph inspired the three-year cycle of Sunday readings we employ today, so that the Faithful would hear much more of the Bible for their edification and prayer. Paragraph 52: The centrality of the homily, which “unpacks the Word of God,” is emphasized in no uncertain terms. Paragraph 53: Prior to this Council teaching, the only “Prayer of the Faithful” in the Church’s liturgical year was the rite called “The Great Intercessions” on Good Friday, and four days of Litany of the Saints in the Spring. Paragraph 54: The Council repeats the earlier directive on the laity’s participation in Latin, the mother tongue of the Church. [See para. 36] Paragraph 55: The Council recommends that all receive communion hosts consecrated at the Mass they attend as a sign of the unity of the rite. Ideally, we would all receive from the same large host/loaf. It was little known that after the Council of Trent Pius V, in 1570, allowed Catholics to drink from the cup if their bishop gave permission. The practice, however, was associated with Protestant demands and was never publicly embraced for the Roman Catholic rite from the Renaissance period forward. Paragraph 56: The Council again addresses the popular notion that the Liturgy of the Word at Mass was somehow less the presence of Christ than the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Paragraphs 57 and 58: These paragraphs strongly encourage the practice of “concelebration,” or priests offering Mass together instead of separately at side altars as was common practice till the Council. It is a powerful sign of the unity of the priesthood. Para. 57 lists occasions when this old rite might be restored, but today concelebration is the rule when even just two or three priests are gathered. Paragraph 59: The rules and principles enumerated for the Mass by the Council were to be applied, wherever possible, to the celebration of all seven sacraments. Paragraph 60: The Council interjects a word on “sacramentals,” holy things and/or actions that remind us of our Christian identity. Some are quite domestic—rosaries, home holy water fonts, blessed candles, holy cards, religious art, etc. Others are more dramatic such as making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or other venerable sites. Sacramentals exist to draw our affective selves to the heart of our faith, the sacraments of the Church. Paragraph 61: By the Doctrine of the Incarnation, all of God’s creation is sacred and reflective of God’s beauty to those who see the world with the eye of Faith. The holiness of created things makes the concrete world of sacraments possible. Paragraph 62: The Council notes that with the passage of time some of the rituals of the sacraments have lost their meaning. This theme is repeated multiple times in Sacrosanctum Concilium. Paragraph 63: A bureaucratic note on how to receive Church approval for local changes. As noted above, requests from local and national dioceses began to pour in almost immediately after the release of this document in December 1963, and Pope Paul was engaged processing these requests as early as 1964. Paragraph 64: One of the major decisions of the Council was the reintroduction of the ancient rite of the catechumenate, which we practice today. [For a variety of reasons, an adult can still be baptized privately if the pastor agrees.] Many parishes today have a paid or volunteer coordinator of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults; candidates are baptized at the Easter Vigil. Paragraph 65: There are hints in this documents that missionaries were exercising pastoral imagination in how they organized their communities and the fashion in which the sacraments were celebrated, particular regarding formation for baptism. Paragraph 66: It is hard to say if the Council fathers envisioned most adult baptisms taking place individually or at the Easter Vigil. Of course, the bishops had no experience of Easter Vigil baptisms. The Latin Easter Vigil rite in use in 1962 did not include the celebration of baptism, though it did call for a blessing of baptismal water. Admittedly, paragraphs 64 and 66 would require some later reconciliation, which did happen before the new ritual for adult baptism was completed in the early 1970’s. Paragraph 67: Another major overhaul was the rite of Baptism of infants. Hard as it is to imagine, prior to Vatican II parents did not have to attend the rite; the godparents presented the infant for baptism. The Council recognized that the primary catechists of children are the parents, and the bishops called for a new rite to reflect parental spirituality and ministry. Paragraph 68: Because of the many variables surrounding the baptism of children, particularly in the missions, the Council called for planning to cover all possible circumstances. The ordinary ministers of the sacrament are priests and deacons, but in emergencies or in mission territories any lay person can baptize so long as the Trinitarian formula and the pouring of water are observed. Paragraph 69: Again, the Council expressed pastoral concern for babies baptized by nurses or parents in danger of death situations. Babies who survive may be later presented in church for the full ceremony, but there is no rebaptism. The emergency baptism is sufficient. Another major point here is that those joining the Catholic Church from other Christian Churches are not to be rebaptized. The Catholic Church recognizes all baptisms undertaken in the name of the Trinity with the pouring of water. Previously baptized individuals from other Christian churches enter the Catholic community by a profession of faith and obedience. The principle in play: valid baptism is never repeated. Paragraph 70: Baptisms performed during the Easter Season should use the water blessed at the Easter Vigil, if possible. At all other times, the water is blessed just before the baptism. Paragraph 71: Confirmation remains problematic today, particularly when the candidates were baptized at infancy. It was originally part of an initiation rite which included Baptism and First Eucharist. Over the centuries it was separated from Baptism to become a “stand alone” sacrament with multiple meanings. This paragraph takes a first step toward reuniting Confirmation with Baptism by calling for a renewal of baptismal vows at the Confirmation rite. But more theological discussion remains to be done. Paragraph 72. It is more than interesting that the Sacrament of Penance receives all of one sentence in the document. One reason is that both popes wished to avoid discussion of morality on the Council floor which would involve such delicate matters as contraception and “the pill,” a hot button topic of the day. Interestingly, after decades of experimentation, the Church has defaulted to the pre-Vatican II confessional rite for the most part. Paragraph 73: One of the most pastorally effective changes mandated by the Council is this one. Paragraph 74: Given that the new form of this sacrament went far beyond the anointing of the dying, the rites needed expansion to include sacramental confession and reception of the Eucharist for the sick who were conscious and/or chronically ill. Paragraph 75: Think of group celebrations of this sacrament in hospitals and nursing homes. Paragraph 76: The revised rites for ordination include attention to the ordination of deacons, priests, and bishops. Paragraph 77: The reform of the marriage rite involved both worship elements and legal element of Canon Law. Paragraph 78: The old rite had a lengthy blessing of the bride after the Our Father of the Mass. It has been rewritten as a blessing for both parties. Marriages between Catholics and Protestants took place in the rectory office until after World War II. Today’s practice of a mixed marriage allows the couple to be married in the church, but the celebration of Eucharist would be difficult because of interfaith communion considerations. Paragraph 79: “Reserved blessings” are those from a pope or bishop which can be delegated to a priest to administer. Paragraph 80: As you might expect, the temporary and solemn vows of religious orders members are made in the context of the community’s Mass. Paragraph 81: The rites surrounding Catholic death and burial have been considerably enhanced. One unspoken provision here is the elimination of black vestments for funerals. Purple or white are approved colors; white is the most used. Paragraph 82: This is a new and welcomed provision of the liturgical rites. Paragraph 83: The Church is described here as a community of prayer, and the next paragraphs deal with the official daily prayer of the Church, “The Divine Office” or “The Liturgy of the Hours.” Paragraph 84: The divine office dates to the earliest practices of the Church. The advent of monastic life [c. 500 A.D.] gave these prayers a structure still in use today. Paragraph 85: The enduring power of the Divine Office/Liturgy of the Hours was the realization that the Church’s prayer was being raised to God in the same words at the same times in a global unity. Paragraph 86: All priests and all religious in solemn vows are bound to some measure of engagement in the universal prayer of the Church. Paragraph 87: Recognizing that parish priests, for example, live a different lifestyle than, say, monks in a monastery, the Council authorized an examination of the current obligation so that the requirements of prayer would fall evenly upon those bound to pray the Office. Recall that at the time of the Council a priest was bound to pray the full office each day, in Latin. This was a major part of a priest’s routine. Paragraph 88: Although priests and monks were bound to pray the nine times or nine “hours” each day, they were not necessarily bound to pray the psalms in the prescribed order or at the prescribed times. The Council is calling for a restoration of praying at the proper hour, but it recognizes that this may be an impractical demand upon clergy in public ministry. The Divine Office, by the clock, began around 3 AM in monasteries and continued at three-hour intervals till Compline in the evening before retiring. Obviously, strict observance of the liturgical clock would be a hardship for parish priests, and teaching or nursing sisters, etc. Paragraph 89: The outline of a reformed Divine Office is laid out here. The highlighted prayer services are Lauds [Morning Prayer] and Vespers [Evening Prayer]. Note that Matins—a service of Scriptural and spiritual readings we call Lectio Divina today—is recommended for a time of day when it can be thoughtfully embraced by the subject. Paragraph 90: The Council encouraged priests and others who pray the office to study Scripture to gain more spiritual enrichment from the daily prayer routine. Today this advice is extended to all Catholics. Paragraph 91: In today’s Liturgy of the Hours, as the daily prayer routine is called, the 150 Psalms are spread out over a four-week cycle. The revision of the psalter spoken of here was a new translation of the Psalms then in progress. This reform was way overdue, as the Church was still using St. Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible “the Vulgate,” compiled around 400 A.D. Paragraph 92: The emphasis here is the Office of Readings. In today’s rite, there are two substantive readings: one from the Bible and one from a Church Father or saint-author such as St. Augustine. What has been dropped was the story of the saint of the day, which often could be soft on historical footing. Paragraph 93: The Council refers here to hymns of dubious quality which have crept into the Divine Office over the centuries. Paragraph 94: This paragraph seems somewhat at odds with the earlier ones. Possibly this is a reference to priests who postponed praying the office until late in the day, when they would have to rush through multiple hours all at once. Paragraph 95: The expectation is that in monasteries and cloistered communities all the hours would be prayed in common. Paragraph 96: Parish priests, for example, even though they might live alone, must pray all the hours prescribed by law. Paragraph 97: The Council recognized that the demands of priestly duties in parishes and elsewhere needed to be considered in discussions of the obligation to pray the hours. In the 1850’s, priests in the United States who heard confessions for five hours or more were exempted from the obligation to pray the hours on that day. Paragraph 98: This is a reference to committed lay organizations who devote their time to prayer and service to the Church. Paragraph 99: The Council encouraged religious communities, and even parish priests living in common, to pray at least some of the hours in common, and to sing the psalms when possible. Paragraph 100: The Council hoped that parishes would establish the practice of conducting public Vespers on Sundays and major feasts; it also recommends the praying of some of the liturgical hours [primarily Morning Prayer, the Office of Readings, or Vespers] by all baptized Catholics. Neither of these hopes came to fruition. Paragraph 101: As in other teachings, the Council calls for the Divine Office/Liturgy of the Hours to be recited or sung in Latin. But as in the rites of the sacraments themselves, the bishops left the door open for the use of the vernacular. Interestingly, permission for the vernacular was automatically granted when a priest prayed part of his office with lay faithful. This is not a common practice in the U.S. Paragraph 102: Turning to the calendar, the Council Fathers reaffirmed the solar year as an annual cycle of the mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption. Catholics then and today have some sense of this in the passage of liturgical seasons, such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, etc. Paragraph 103: Mary, the Mother of God, gets special mention here. One of the debates over Sacrosanctum Concilium was whether to add more feasts of Mary to the calendar. The majority advised against this. Paragraph 104: The Council calls attention to the number of saints’ feasts on the calendar. Later, in the reform of the Missal, some feasts were removed on the grounds that historical evidence was shaky at best. A good example: St. Christopher, whose medals and statues adorned the cars of Catholic drivers everywhere. Paragraph 105: Arching over all these individual feasts are the seasonal observances such as Lent, which is described here. Paragraph 106: The observance of every Sunday as a celebration of the Resurrection is emphasized here. Paragraph 107: The Council is calling for intensive observance of each of the Liturgical seasons, clarifying for the faithful their importance and meaning, and encouraging personal observance of the feast’s characteristics, such as the prayer-fasting-almsgiving axis of Lent. Paragraph 108: The Council is saying, nicely, that the observance of saints’ feasts should not override the observance of the Lord’s Sunday observance. Feasts like St. Joseph or St. Patrick are never observed on Sunday but rather transferred to another time. Paragraph 109: Lent gets special attention here. In truth, the Church prior to the Council was doing a rather good job pastorally in conveying the penitential spirit of this season. The Council fathers are calling for more awareness of the connection of Lent with Baptism as well as greater awareness of societal sin, such as racism. Paragraph 110: This paragraph emphasizes the previous one. It adds an exhortation for the faithful to observe the “Paschal Fast” beginning with the Holy Thursday Mass and concluding with the Easter Vigil. This practice has not caught on in the United States. Paragraph 111: The bishops here are recommending that only the saints with universal impact should be included in the universal calendar of the Missal. They allow for local observance of saints in the regions where they ministered. Paragraph 112 begins an important segment on “sacred music” in the Church. The bishops stress that church music exists primarily for the service of the sacraments, most notably the Mass, and constitutes a primary means by which the faithful engage in the holy mysteries of the altar. Paragraph 113: It is advised that the liturgy of the hours be sung whenever possible. Paragraph 114: The Council recommends that churches have choirs of quality, but they are to no way interfere or usurp with the faithful’s singing at Mass, an act which is “rightfully theirs.” A choir assists; it does not perform. Paragraph 115: The Council calls for greater attention to sacred music in the training of seminarians and religious order candidates, probably to encourage the practice of common singing of the Divine Office, among other reasons. Paragraph 116: The Council cites Gregorian Chant, the ancient Latin format of notation and song, as the preferred mode of participatory singing. At the time of Vatican II, Gregorian Chant was the norm for all sung Masses, though the faithful themselves rarely sang along with the cantor or choir. The document does not close the door on other forms of devout music, however. Paragraph 117: The official hymnal of Gregorian Chant was the Liber Usualis, a large book that was highly impractical for congregational use. The LU was being revised at that time, but the Council encouraged something of a “parish friendly” edition as well. Paragraph 118: The singing of the faithful is to be full-throated…which assumes that directors of music make it their prime duty to assist all the faithful in fruitful participation. Paragraph 119: Again, special attention is directed toward the long-standing musical customs of missionary territories. Paragraph 120: One of the more controversial teachings of the Council is the primacy of the pipe organ. In the United States many musical liturgists believed the organ was too old fashioned and jumped to the “guitar Mass” and later to other forms without proper reflection, discussion, and authoritative leadership. The best guidelines from the U.S. bishops, “Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship [2007]” was way too late to address the post-Conciliar U.S. struggles over music. For an excellent history of American Church music after the Council, see Thomas Day’s Why Catholics Can't Sing [2013 edition]. Paragraph 121: The Council fathers remind composers and music directors that the thrust of their work is the goal of “active participation of the entire assembly of the faithful.” Paragraph 122: The document shifts to “sacred art and sacred furnishings.” This introductory paragraph reaffirms that the Church supports the development of the fine arts in its sacred appointments. Paragraph 123: The Council recalls the long and remarkable history of Church art. Paragraph 124: The bishops invoke the principle of “noble simplicity.” Churches should not be cluttered with dozens of shoddy items, but rather be furnished with a few items of excellent taste. The last sentence has been sorely overlooked in the U.S., i.e., that churches be built “suitable for the celebration of liturgical services and for the active participation of the faithful.” Many churches built after the Council use the same floor plan as before the Council, the long rectangle, with limited visibility. Paragraph 125: The Council specifically limits the number of sacred images to a number that is “moderate” and their location to places that will not direct attention away from the celebration of the sacraments. Paragraph 126: The Council envisioned each bishop/diocese having an advisory commission on matters of church art and architecture. The paragraph also addresses a problem now faced in 2023: what does one do with a church that is permanently closed due to consolidation and dwindling numbers of Catholics? Paragraph 127: The Council envisioned a renaissance of Church art as part of the liturgical reform. This has not unfolded in the United States to any great extent. Paragraph 128: The bishops called for a revision of all existing codes and directives involving “material things” in the sacraments. This umbrella directive included church architecture and the placement of the tabernacle. Paragraph 129: The Council directed that seminarian be adequately trained in the history and development of sacred art. Paragraph 130: A “pontifical” is the official rite of the Mass celebrated by the pope or bishops. The ruling here states, in effect, that only an active bishop of a diocese should use this official rite. Retired or administrative bishops, evidently, were to celebrate public Mass with less fanfare. Appendix on the Revision of the Calendar Many editions of Sacrosanctum Concilium conclude with a discussion of establishing a permanent date for Easter. The fathers of the Council stated that they “would not object” to such a move if the Churches not in union with Rome also agreed. At the present time the main Christian body which does not follow Catholic practice is the Orthodox Church. Discussions have taken place into the 2000’s but a decision is nowhere in sight currently. Similarly, the Council agreed to respect a secular calendar so long as a seven-day week with Sunday was preserved and respected.
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