The Breadth, Length, Height, and Depth of the Church as Worshiping Community

Sacra Liturgia 

Summer School 

5-20 July 2014

                   

                            La Garde-Freinet
                            (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)
                         83680 France

For the very first time I participated also as a lecturer at a summer school devoted to the usus antiquior: singing and praying the full Divine Office together each day, with sung and solemn celebrations of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, pilgrimage opportunities in the south of France, with academic input (my part on 2 days), book discussions, offering training in chant for those who wished (a greater part of those present), and training in liturgical ceremonies for priests, seminarians and altar boys. 

I attended from the 5th to the 10th of July at the invitation of dom Alcuin Reid and just thoroughly enjoyed my time with enthusiastic young people, for the most part, from Lithuania, Great Britain, the United States and Canada. At my request, I had my own worthy tutor in the celebration of Mass, who dedicated an hour each day for three days to me. I presided over Solemn Sunday Vespers from the faldstool for the very first time in my life.

The experience convinced me even more of the approach I've generally taken in my blog, when it comes to questions liturgical. If I had a plea for Ordinaries of dioceses and for seminary faculties, it would be to expose our future priests to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite and as best you can to the beauty of our patrimony of chant.

Half hour talks are too long for blog posts, so I will link you to another page with the snappy title of longer interventions.

The Liturgy of Today and of Tomorrow: Cooperating with Grace and Discerning the Divine Will - Archbishop Thomas E. Gullickson, Apostolic Nuncio to the Ukraine (2 parts):

Part One: Indefectibility as Process in the Church - the application of SC to date and the re-emergence of the usus antiquior should give us pause to reflect upon God's providential care for His Church - 7 July

Part Two: “Attamen Liturgia est culmen ad quod actio Ecclesiae tendit et simul fons unde omnis eius virtus emanat.” SC 10. (Nevertheless the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows.) - Choosing vs. being led and our obligations to the liturgical patrimony - 8 July

My talks were meant to encourage discussion. I hope they might be of service in the ongoing reflection of others and not be a cause of distress for any who may choose to read them.

My basic point is that we find ourselves where we are for not having found ways to shore up Catholic culture straight across the board. The culmen et simul fons needs much more than an hour a week to display its radiant beauty.