Recently we shared with you the Liturgy Committee’s vision for the celebration of liturgy in the parish. We continue to explore the implications of this vision statement.
When all the community participates, then the parish may truly benefit from the generous riches of our diverse cultural backgrounds and the experience of faith that spans generations.
“In setting forth its instructions for the revision of the Order of Mass, the Second Vatican Council, using the same words as did Saint Pius V in the Apostolic Constitution Quo primum, by which the Missal of Trent was promulgated in 1570, also ordered, among other things, that some rites be restored ‘to the original norm of the holy Fathers.’ From the fact that the same words are used it can be seen how both Roman Missals, although separated by four centuries, embrace one and the same tradition. Furthermore, if the inner elements of this tradition are reflected upon, it also becomes clear how outstandingly and felicitously the older Roman Missal is brought to fulfillment in the new.” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, article 6)
This year we recognised those parishioners who have lived in Wentworthville for fifty years or more. The liturgy they participated in at the time was very different to the one they celebrate today. The pre-Vatican II ritual had been relatively unchanged for nearly four hundred years.
When our Church reformed its liturgy during the twentieth century, the focus of this reform was to restore the worthy elements of the earliest liturgical celebrations of the Church. In addition to this, many of the practices that became common in the years that followed have also been retained.
As such, our liturgical celebrations draw upon the riches of two thousand years of Christian tradition. At present our Church is continuing to revise its liturgical texts, particularly the Roman Missal.
Our Church has undergone rapid change over less than fifty years. The generations in our parish community today reflect different phases of this reform. We have a challenge to draw upon the experiences of everyone. We also have a challenge to form and catechise our community to celebrate as one community the liturgy of today.
Liturgy 