Bp Morlino: "if people see beauty in our liturgy, then the New Evangelization will blossom forth and will bear abundant fruit"
Lastly, in the Year of Faith, we want to offer the world, and our brothers and sisters in the Church, beauty in the liturgy. I’m not going to write at great lengths now, because I have done so, and will do so at other times, but the liturgy should never be anything less that beautiful. The Year of Faith will be a time for all of us in our parish families to reflect on our liturgies and whether it is in fact something less than beautiful. We have a beautiful new translation, but the beauty of the translation cannot carry the liturgy all by itself. We need beautiful, charitable people celebrating in a way that is beautiful and harmonious with the new translation, so that the whole liturgy, from beginning to end, is beautiful. The Year of Faith is a time to polish up that expression of beauty in the liturgy, and we’ll have all kinds of suggestions on how to do that.
If people see beauty in the disciples of Jesus Christ, who are Catholic Christians, if we see the beauty of nature and creation — especially in the human being, and if people respect and want to speak correctly the language of creation, and if people see beauty in our liturgy, then the New Evangelization will blossom forth and will bear abundant fruit. That’s what we want to proclaim. That is the message of our New Evangelization.
from Year of Faith: Called to a New Evangelization
2 comments:
The picture is from a Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form celebrated in 2011 at St. Mary of Pine Bluff by Bishop Morlino in which diocesan staff were in attendance. It was followed by a catechesis and Q&A.
N.B. Here at St. Mary, we try to let the beauty of the liturgy speak for itself. All weekend Masses incorporate:
- Chanted dialogs, orations, and prayers in English;
- Chanted Mass Ordinary (Kyrie XVI, English Gloria, Sanctus & Agnus Dei XVIII) and Lord's Prayer (English);
- Sung proper chants at the Entrance, Offertory, and Communion processions (in English out of the Simple English Propers [pdf]);
- Simple plainsong Responsorial Psalms and Gospel Acclamations.
The Sunday 8:30 AM Mass with choir also includes usually one, sometimes two choral anthems in Latin or English from the treasury of sacred music. Every effort is made to sing choral selections pertinent to the particular Mass, season, or liturgical action.
Additionally, the 5:30 PM Tuesday, 7:30 AM Wednesday (at St. Ignatius Mount Horeb), and 7:30 AM Saturday Masses incorporate English plainsong propers and Latin/Greek Ordinary. Following these Masses is Eucharistic Exposition, chanted Liturgy of the Hours (using the Mundelein Psalter as a reference), and Benediction. Tuesday and Saturday Masses are celebrated at the high altar (as pictured above).
Join us if you are willing and able.
Aristotle,
Thank you for the added info! We need more parishes like this in our state. St. Anthony's in Milwaukee is trying hard- we need more!
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