Budapest is the Escape Room capital of the world. Escape rooms are popular, especially in big cities. For nearly 20 years they have been a source of entertainment and delight, as well as an effective team-building tool. The premise of this type of immersion game is this: a half-dozen people are locked in a “game […] The post Sixty Minutes in the Liturgical Escape Room: Decoding <i>Desiderio Desideravi</i>’s “stupor” and “mysterium” appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
One of the distinctive features of Roman Catholic worship is the use of incense during the Holy Mass, especially in its more solemn form. Despite the familiarity of using incense in worship—think here of the expression “smells and bells”—many Catholics still wonder: Why do we use incense in Mass? Where does it come from? What […] The post The Jewish Roots of the Catholic Altar: The Altar of Incense (Part III) appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
Most well-catechized Catholics can state with accuracy who can and should receive the sacraments with one sacrament as an exception. I often hear confusion regarding the Anointing of the Sick. In general, there are two extremes: the recipient is one for whom death is mere hours away, or the sacrament is to be given for […] The post “Is Any Among You Sick?”—The Recipient of the Anointing of the Sick appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
Pope Leo XIV on July 31 approved the decision to declare St. John Henry Newman the 38th doctor of the universal Church. The decision to confer the title upon the 19th-century English saint—a former Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism—was confirmed during the pope’s morning meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for […] The post St. John Henry Newman to Become 38th Doctor of the Church appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
The Vatican has seen a boom in requests for blessings from the new pope, with at least a 30% increase during Leo XIV’s first month, reflecting enthusiasm over the start of a new pontificate—and highlighting a traditional practice that combines devotion with fundraising for charitable works. In June, the Vatican granted 20,000 papal blessing requests—up […] The post Pope Leo XIV’s Pontificate Breaks Record for Papal Blessings appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
Word on Fire announced August 4 that a new documentary by Bishop Robert Barron is underway that will showcase the beauty of Catholic cathedrals and how they guide the faithful to the divine. In the announcement, Bishop Barron—who also serves as Bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, MN—explained that the inspiration for the documentary came after the […] The post Word on Fire Announces New Bishop Barron Documentary appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
In 2025, the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1 falls on a Saturday, with the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day) taking place on the following Sunday, November 2. The Secretariat of Divine Worship reminds all concerned about the situation regarding the correct Mass and Office to be used during November […] The post Liturgical Considerations for All Saints Day and All Souls’ Day 2025 appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
Q: What is a convalidation? A: A convalidation is an exchange of valid marital consent between parties, at least one of whom is Catholic, who are not married, but had previously attempted to marry. Q: Why is it sometimes called “blessing a marriage?” A: A convalidation is not a blessing of an existing marriage. This […] The post Rite Questions: What is Convalidation? appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
Both ancient Israel and the Christian Church have always given careful consideration to the buildings in which the faithful gather to worship God. From God’s detailed instructions to Moses in the Book of Exodus for constructing the Tabernacle, to the two-volume Instructiones Fabricae Ecclesiasticae of St. Charles Borromeo, the idea that God deserves fitting worship […] The post New Book Plumbs Foundations of Beauty in Catholic Churches appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
The saints stand as beacons of faith, courage, and unwavering devotion. Venerated across cultures and centuries, these extraordinary individuals are remembered not only for their piety, but also for the impact they had on the Church, inspiring subsequent generations of believers. To appreciate the lives, legacies, and enduring relevance of these holy figures, it is […]| Adoremus
Each year, the Church’s liturgical calendar celebrates in succession the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14, followed the next day by the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15. This liturgical juxtaposition invites the Church to contemplate the inseparable bond between the glory of the Cross and Mary’s […] The post Looking Ahead to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
Catholics need continual reminders about the three offices afforded us at our baptism, namely the offices of priest, prophet, and king. These offices are mentioned in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the context of our baptism, the anointing with sacred chrism, and our incorporation into Christ (CCC 1241). The priestly office is concerned […] The post The Mass: Solidifying Our Identity as Priest, Prophet, and King appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
“Following the example of Christ, the Church has always used bread and wine with water to celebrate the Lord’s Supper” (GIRM 319). “The words of the Savior, by which He instituted this sacrament, are the form of this sacrament; for the priest speaking in the person of Christ effects this sacrament.” From these authoritative yet […] The post Wheat, Wine, and the Word: Essentials of the Eucharist appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
Adoremus joins the Avila Institute in offering “Mystery and Mission in the Sacred Liturgy,” a series of four introductory courses on liturgical prayer and the sacraments, and taught by Adoremus Director, Christopher Carstens. The last of these four courses examines Sacramentals, the Liturgy of the Hours, and Devotions. While the celebration of the seven sacraments […] The post Online Course: Sacramentals, the Liturgy of the Hours, and Devotions appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
One of the “evergreen” features of the Adoremus Bulletin is the back-page book review. The purpose of a book review in general is twofold: 1) To relate the topic and scope of the book being reviewed and 2) to examine the claims, theories, ideas, and overall veracity of the book. Since Adoremus is a journal […] The post <i>Adoremus</i> Guidelines for Writing a Book Review appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
Purpose and Principles Adoremus Bulletin welcomes articles that contribute to the renewal of the Sacred Liturgy. Adoremus seeks to help priests celebrate the Church’s rites more authentically and the faithful to pray more intelligently and fruitfully. Articles should harmonize with the Principles of Adoremus. While not an academic publication, Adoremus seeks to publish intelligent, substantial, […]| Adoremus
Unity and Diversity in the Development of the Missal The later Middle Ages witnessed a liturgical standardization according to the model of the Roman curia, which increasingly shaped local diocesan uses. Despite such tendencies towards unification, variations in the missals of dioceses and religious orders remained and were noteworthy in certain respects: in the formal […]| Adoremus
Our goal is to honor and to foster a greater understanding of the rich liturgical traditions of the Catholic Church, and to answer the most important questions in the matters of faith.| Adoremus
In the beginning, before God spoke into the void, there was silence, the type of deeply fundamental silence that didn’t even have a counterpoint. After all, there was nothing yet created, nothing capable of making a noise. The pre-creation silence was sufficient in itself, containing the fullness of all that which was to be created. […]| Adoremus
The Vatican has seen a boom in requests for blessings from the new pope, with at least a 30% increase during Leo XIV’s first month reflecting enthusiasm over the start of a new pontificate — and highlighting a traditional practice that combines devotion with fundraising for charitable works. In June, the Vatican granted 20,000 papal […] The post Start of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate brings surge of interest in papal blessings appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday approved the decision to declare St. John Henry Newman the 38th doctor of the universal Church. The decision to confer the title upon the 19th-century English saint — a former Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism — was confirmed during the pope’s morning meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of […] The post St. John Henry Newman to be declared 38th doctor of the Church appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
James Hitchcock — a noted historian of the Catholic Church, popular author and longtime college professor — is being remembered by friends and colleagues as a man of prophetic insight who defended Church teaching and helped to make the Catholic intellectual tradition accessible for his students and readers. Hitchcock died on July 14 at age […] The post James Hitchcock, Church Historian and Register Contributor, Dies at 87 appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
The Church continues to revise and finalize translations of her liturgical books. While it is a great grace to celebrate the sacraments with worthy texts, keeping up with the changes creates confusion among pastors and faithful alike. Likewise, it is still an all-too-common occurrence that the sacraments are celebrated illicitly or even invalidly, wounding the […] The post Fundamentals of Sacramental Validity: A Series Treating Each of the Seven Sacraments appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
Prior to the Novus Ordo Missae, priests had an entire ritual for putting on vestments for Mass. Each vestment had its own short prayer, often alluding either to the vestment’s symbolic meaning and/or a moral allusion. In the Latin rite, those prayers fell into disuse though some priests have apparently recently tried to recover them. […]| Adoremus
After Mass one Sunday afternoon, my two-year-old was running around the living room saying, “Stantial with the Father! God from God; light from light!” She was very emphatic about it, albeit clueless to the meaning of the words. For something that she only hears briefly once a week, I was impressed she remembered those phrases […]| Adoremus
Few composers in history have shaped the sound of sacred music as profoundly as Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594). Known as the Princeps Musicæ, Palestrina’s intricate yet serene choral works have long been regarded as the pinnacle of late-Renaissance sacred music. His compositions, celebrated for their purity, balance, and clarity, not only defined the […]| Adoremus
In the April 9 issue of The Atlantic, Francis X. Rocca described the path many younger Catholics are taking to faith: a journey through tradition toward a transcendent faith in what lies beyond ordinary existence — angels, saints, demons, and the real, unbloody sacrifice of Jesus in the Eucharist: “Perhaps counterintuitively, this return to tradition seems to be led […]| Adoremus
The previous entry of this series discussed the Breviarium Romanum of 1568 and the Missale Romanum of 1570. These new editions were only the first steps towards an unprecedented standardization of the Latin liturgical tradition. In 1588, as part of his reform of the papal curia, Pope Sixtus V created the Sacred Congregation of Rites, […]| Adoremus
Part I The Council of Trent and the Second Vatican Council are nearly half a millennium apart, but, as Father Uwe Michael Lang points out, the liturgical focus of both highlights the importance of each. Part II The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century effected a profound religious transformation of European societies and has shaped […]| Adoremus
In the previous entry of this series, I have offered an overview of the discussions on the sacred liturgy at the Council of Trent, especially during its third and last period from January 1562 to December 1563. There was a consensus among the council fathers that a revision of liturgical books was needed, but it […]| Adoremus
As we approach the reception of a new translation of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, it is striking that this text is the least frequently used for Christian initiation. In terms of numbers, the Order of the Baptism of Children, combined with the Order of Confirmation, comes out on top. This numerical division […]| Adoremus
Old Testament priests ceremonially place their hands on the animals to be sacrificed. St. Thomas the Apostle witnesses to the Divinity of the risen Christ by exclaiming, “My Lord and my God!” The early Christian martyr St. Lawrence is roasted alive on a gridiron. The Manichean heresy threatens Catholic orthodoxy. The Ostrogoths overrun Italy. The […]| Adoremus
