The New Liturgical Movement

Last month’s Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross marked the second anniversary of the implementation of Pope Benedict XVI’s apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum. With this letter, His Holiness allowed for a more widespread use of the Missal of 1962 (Extraordinary Form of the Mass). Those who opposed the Holy Father’s decision went so far as to claim he desired to suppress the Missal of 1970 (Ordinary Form of the Mass) or undermine the authority of Vatican II, although no pontiff could effectively do either. Rather, in allowing the widespread celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, Benedict, with a true pastoral spirit, is promoting nothing less than the recently emerging “New Liturgical Movement,” which seeks to faithfully implement the reforms that Second Vatican Council called for.

The original Liturgical Movement found its roots in the 19th and early 20th century, promoting, among other things, the recovery of authentic worship in the liturgy of the Church through, for example, a restoration of Gregorian chant as the standard for liturgical music. Scholars also considered reforming the liturgy in light of the study of then-recently discovered patristic texts, including Hippolytus’ Apostolic Tradition. The Second Vatican Council, especially in its Constitution of Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, transformed this general scholarly movement into an offi cial and explicit need for reform of the Church’s worship. Sacrosanctum Concilium stressed that the point of this reform was “that the Christian people may more certainly derive an abundance of graces from the sacred liturgy.” The forty years following the council gave rise to a completely vernacular, versus populum celebration of Mass, let alone countless illicit and invalid liturgical deformations. With the current collapse of a once life-giving Catholic culture, one must question whether the intentions of Vatican II were implemented with fidelity.

His Holiness’ allowance of the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, which has given sustenance and life to Catholic culture since the 6th century, is nothing more than an act of pastoral care for the whole Church. Certainly, reconciling with the Church the schismatic Society of St. Pius X, which rejects the reformed liturgy, is an undeniable goal of the letter. Furthermore, the motu proprio in part was written specifi – cally to give freedom to groups of the faithful who, as the Holy Father described in an accompanying letter to bishops, had a “deep, personal familiarity with the earlier Form of the liturgical celebration” as a fruit of the original Liturgical Movement. These groups could not obtain permission from their local bishops due to their fears that the celebration of the 1962 Missal would undermine the authority of Vatican II.

However, the Holy Father ultimately intends with a wider celebration of the Missal of 1962 to bring about an unofficial “reform of the reform” of a deformed Roman liturgy. In other words, Benedict seeks to restore continuity with the liturgical Tradition of the Church. Rather than relegate the matter to theoretical liturgists, Benedict seeks to restore this living Tradition by a living practice of an accurate expression of it in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. By having more of an opportunity to pray or celebrate the Mass as celebrated before the untidiness of the latter 20th century, both the laity and priests alike have an opportunity to experience fi rsthand its unique graces. The ultimate hope is that having Masses celebrated according to both the 1962 Missal and the 1970 Missal in parishes will bring about a better understanding of the need for reform of the former and a more reverent, educated, and Tradition-conscious celebration of the latter.

Why call this “reform of the reform” an authentic expression of the pastoral nature of the Council? As mentioned above, the council sought reform of the liturgy primarily so that Christians would receive greater graces from its celebration as the life-source of the Church. However, as evidenced by the collapse of Catholic culture in the late 20th century, the graces have not been fl owing as hoped. Even those who attend daily Mass, including many students at Boston College, will admit a certain lack of spiritual fulfillment from the liturgy. The problem must be in the source. Thus the allowances granted by Summorum Pontificum are aimed at the benefit of all who receive their spiritual sustenance from the liturgy of the Church.

Two years after Summorum Pontificum, numerous Catholic faithful have experienced deepened spiritual fruit from praying and celebrating both forms of the Mass. Philip Micele, A&S ’11, explains that “the reverence and beauty of the traditional Mass has helped me to remember that people are made to love God above all things,” bringing him joy and even “more enthusiasm for service than I had” upon fi rst coming to Boston College.

As the reverent celebration of both forms of the Mass continues to proliferate, including at Boston College, expect the graces of the New Liturgical Movement to flow only more freely.

Related Articles: