Great achievements of Vatican II: Liturgical music

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One of the favorite punching bags of those who don't like post-conciliar liturgy is the music. Most recent is this throwaway from Michael Sean Winters on America's blog:

Much of the music written for the post-conciliar liturgy is unbeautiful and pedestrian in the extreme.

Latin Mass? Ho-hum, majority of Catholics say

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Old-fashioned translation gets new-fangled website

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The back-to-Latin English translations of the parts of the Mass now have their own website. Launched by the U.S. bishops in anticipation of their expected approval in 2010, the faithful can now read what they'll be saying on Sunday, beginning with their response to "The Lord be with you": "And with your spirit." And that means?

Mixed messages: Liturgy across Christian churches

By Maxwell E. Johnson| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Church
The new Catholic translations of the Mass pose a stumbling block to ecumenical relations, says a Lutheran liturgy scholar.
Maxwell E. Johnson is professor of liturgy at the University of Notre Dame. This short reflection is based on his 2006 Aidan Kavanagh lecture, "The Loss of a Common Language? The End of Ecumenical-Liturgical Convergence."  See more posts by Maxwell E. Johnson

Incoming Missal

By J. Peter Nixon| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Church
Get ready for changes to your Sunday Mass.

J. Peter Nixon is a regular contributor to U.S. Catholic. 

See more posts by J. Peter Nixon

Two rites make a wrong

By Ted Rosean| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Church
We are one church and we need just one Mass, this Catholic argues-even if that one Mass is celebrated in any number of languages.
Ted Rosean is a securities broker from St. Francis Xavier Parish in Wilmette, Illinois. See more posts by Ted Rosean

Watch your steps

By Bryan Cones| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Life
Mass could use the hard dose of reality offered by those recovering from addiction. 

I go to church every Sunday with a bunch of addicts.

Well, technically, I've been going to church alongside the addicts. For the past 10 years a Narcotics Anonymous group has been meeting in the church basement during our Sunday evening liturgy. They're also not really "addicts" but in recovery-though the unflinching honesty of their gathering leads me to believe that they wouldn't shy away from such a politically incorrect term.

Bryan Cones is a writer living in Boston. See more posts by Bryan Cones

Watch your steps

By Bryan Cones| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Life
Mass could use the hard dose of reality offered by those recovering from addiction.

I go to church every Sunday with a bunch of addicts.

Well, technically, I’ve been going to church alongside the addicts. For the past 10 years a Narcotics Anonymous group has been meeting in the church basement during our Sunday evening liturgy. They’re also not really “addicts” but in recovery—though the unflinching honesty of their gathering leads me to believe that they wouldn’t shy away from such a politically incorrect term.

Bryan Cones is a writer living in Boston. See more posts by Bryan Cones

Don't go to church...

Megan Sweas| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
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If you're sick.

I've been wondering if swine flu worries were going to affect church in some way, and it seems it has. Across the country bishops are warning that if you're sick, you shouldn't go to Mass, and you definitely shouldn't receive from the cup. Parishes in Austin, Texas aren't offering the cup at all for the time being, CNS reports.