Mass Misunderstandings: The Mixed Legacy of the Vatican II liturgical Reforms [Paperback]

Kenneth D. Whitehead (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1587314967 | ISBN-13: 978-1587314964 | Publication Date: June 1, 2009 | Edition: 1

The first document enacted by the Second Vatican Council was its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, and the liturgical reform mandated by that document has probably had a greater impact on the average Catholic than any other action of the Council. That this liturgical reform has not in every respect been the unalloyed success hoped for by the Council Fathers, however, has only been grudgingly recognized. The liturgists and other Church officials responsible for implementing the reforms have had a vested interest in claiming success, even where there was evidence to the contrary. Nevertheless, the many and sometimes abrupt liturgical changes made were bound to affect long-established modes of worship and devotion – not to speak of the drastic move from Latin to the vernacular which came shortly after the Council, and which necessarily entailed radical change in the Church’s worship. In July 2007, Pope Benedict XVI signaled that the liturgical question needed to be revisited when he issued a motu proprio that allowed, some forty-plus years after the end of the Council, a wider celebration of the unreformed pre-Vatican-II Mass in Latin as an “extraordinary” form of the Roman rite. While the pope’s motu proprio was not a repudiation or cancellation of the Vatican II liturgical reforms — as some liturgists feared (and some traditionalists hoped) – it did indicate a sane and sensible papal recognition that liturgy must be developed organically, not “manufactured” by a “committee.” Above all, the pope recognized that the question of the liturgy must be approached realistically in the light of how the reforms have actually worked out, not of how some have imagined that they might or should have worked out. This book by Kenneth D. Whitehead, who has written extensively both on Va

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: St. Augustines Press; 1 edition (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587314967
• ISBN-13: 978-1587314964
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #504,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > History > Europe > Vatican

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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Readable, September 28, 2009

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G in Ohio - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mass Misunderstandings: The Mixed Legacy of the Vatican II liturgical Reforms (Paperback)

This excellent, readable book explains how we got the US liturgy and liturgical books of today, what the current Pope's "motu proprio" about the older form of the mass was meant to accomplish (as opposed to what some Catholics hoped or feared it was meant to accomplish), and what has happened to the committee in charge of English translations. Sure to displease ultra liberals and ultra conservatives alike, Whitehead doesn't pull punches, but never resorts to polemics. This is a book about how we got where we are, not a "blame-fest," and Whitehead is always both charitable toward intentions and candid about results. He points to a future more in line with what Vatican II actually outlined, but makes no promises about getting there soon. No one knew how to change a world-wide church all at once, he reminds us throughout the book, and a lot got done wrong. The only think I could wish for are more examples of what was/is wrong, but then it would be a less reasonable book. It's frequently funny, in a wry sort of way, and a very welcome addition to books reassessing the liturgy.