The second altar from Jewish Scripture that prefigures the Catholic altar is probably less familiar to most people than the bronze altar we examined in Part 1 of this series. Here in Part 2, we will focus on the “golden table” of the “Bread of the Presence.” Like the bronze altar of sacrifice, this golden […]| Adoremus
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “the Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC, 1324). Yet, when it comes to the words and actions that make up the liturgy of the Mass, most Catholics know what to do—what to say, when to sit, stand, or kneel—but not necessarily why. […]| 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
“The fourth sacrament is penance, the matter of which is, as it were, the acts of the penitent, which are divided into three parts.” This description from the Council of Florence (1439) does not define penance’s matter, full stop, but its matter “as it were”— quasi materia. This does not suggest that, alone among the […] The post From Contrition to Absolution: Form and Matter of Penance appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
Christendom College in Front Royal, VA, inaugurated classes at its new Institute for Liturgical Formation this summer, welcoming its first cohort of students to campus to study and grow in their faith over several weeks in the Shenandoah Valley. The Institute, launched earlier this year, seeks to educate and train individuals in preparing for and […] The post Christendom’s New Liturgical Institute Welcomes First Students with Summer Session appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
When we think about angels our thoughts may wander to the common depiction in art of the little naked cherubs fluttering in space and resting on clouds in a lackadaisical manner. Such artistic renderings do not, however, do justice to the angels, who play a very prominent role in our lives, and especially in the […] The post Spirits in a Liturgical World: Praying with the Angels at Mass appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) can justifiably be called a “liturgist” in the deepest sense, as his life and work consistently advanced the understanding, celebration, and practice of Christian worship. Through his exhortations to friars and the faithful, Francis fostered not only a doctrinal grasp of the Eucharistic mystery, but also a genuine and solid […] The post Francis of Assisi, Liturgist appeared first on Adoremus.| Adoremus
The altar is the heart of the church building. Indeed, the current ritual norms go so far as to say, “The altar is Christ.” But this liturgical and sacramental truth hasn’t come down to us by some papal or conciliar decree. Rather, the altar’s significance is rooted in the various altars of the Old Covenant, […]| Adoremus
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
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
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
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
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
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
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