More from the Catholic culturecivilwar, the LCWR conference continues as scheduled. The Catholic Right can continue in glee poking at the conference speakers and topics. That will keep the stovetop temperature high. Maybe they’ll have a hissy like Chinese police who let their favorite Nobel Peace nominee get away. Somehow I doubt the sisters will come out with long knives if some enterprising orthodox(TM) Catholics try to capture stuff for YouTube.
I predict the LCWR crackdown will be substantially downplayed by the GOP US bishops who have another witch hunt political campaign on their hands these days. And while some are calling on the spirit of John Fisher and Thomas More to assist them in ejecting an American priesident from office, I see someone else is putting the LCWR under the banner of Mary. I wonder how the saints in heaven feel about being used as pawns in political discussions down on the planet. What’s the political anthem for the day? I hope it’s “When The Saints Go Marching Out.”
After a long break from liturgical rites, this site will turn attention to the Rite of Dedication of a Church and an Altar. We won’t go into minute detail on everything. We’ll cover the introductions, most of the rubrics, and some of the rituals. The RDCA was one of the last rites to get a Vatican II reform; the Latin original being completed in 1977. ICEL’s edition arrived but one year later. Here is the text of the decree from the CDWDS that accompanied promulgation:
The rite for the dedication of a church and an altar is rightly considered among the most solemn liturgical services. A church is the place where the Christian community is gathered to hear the word of God, to offer intercession and praise to him, and above all to celebrate the holy mysteries, and it is the place where the holy sacrament of the eucharist is kept. Thus it stands as a special kind of image of the Church itself, which is God’s temple built from living stones. And the altar of a church, around which the holy people of God gather to take part in the Lord’s sacrifice and to be refreshed at the heavenly meal, stands as a sign of Christ himself, who is the priest, the victim, and the altar of his own sacrifice.
These rites, found in the second book of the Roman Pontifical, were revised and simplified in 1961. Nevertheless it was judged necessary to revise the rites again and to adapt them to contemporary conditions in view of the purpose and the norms of the liturgical reform that Vatican II set in motion and fostered.
Pope Paul VI by his authority has approved the new Ordo dedicationis ecclesiae et altaris prepared by the Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship. He has ordered it to be published and prescribed that it replace the rites now in the second book of the Roman Pontifical.
This Congregation, by mandate of the Pope, therefore publishes this Ordo dedicationis ecclesiae et altaris. In the Latin text it will be in effect as soon as it appears; in the vernacular, it will take effect, after the translations have been confirmed and approved by the Apostolic See, on the day determined by the conferences of bishops.
Anything to the contrary notwithstanding.
From the office of the Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship, May 29, 1977, Pentecost.
I know the topic pops up frequently in conservative circles, but note the comment from Cardinal Knox in the second paragraph above, referring to “norms of the liturgical reform that Vatican II set in motion and fostered.” The council did not specify every aspect of liturgical reform. And the council itself is not the only source for authoritative developments in the liturgy.
The contents of the RDCA are divided into seven chapters:
Laying of a Foundation Stone or Commencement of Work on the Building of a Church
Dedication of a Church
Dedication of a Church Already in General Use for Sacred Celebrations
Dedication of an Altar
Blessing of a Church
Blessing of an Altar
Blessing of a Chalice and Paten
Look for a start in earnest later today, or perhaps Sunday.
Father Ev Hemann, the Iowa priest who has shared much of his final days from cancer diagnosis to death, will be remembered in funeral rites this weekend and Monday. I note he’s getting quite a bit of notice around the blogosphere, and even at the Religion News Service.
We intersected in ministry a few times in my first Iowa sojourn (1995-2002) serving on a few committees together. We also overlapped at the Iowa State Catholic Student Center: his last year there, and my first. I knew him as a dedicated campus minister and liturgical priest. Carefully crafted homilies and prayerful presiding: this is what I will remember. Plus, his trademark sociability.
Our parish will host the first of two Father Ev vigils Saturday afternoon. The pilgrimage moves to Cedar Falls for a Sunday night vigil and a Monday morning funeral. I believe final committal will be in northern Iowa, at a family site in a cemetery there.
It will be a busy day at our parish, as the 2:30 vigil will be followed by 4:45 Mass with First Communion. The vigil and its preparations will be bracketed by First Communion, and its rehearsal and other preparations. It’s rather fitting for my departed friend, that he would insert himself so notably on such a liturgical day, and that we are used to his affable and graceful presence.
Space shuttle Enterprise flies over New York City this morning. Good feature and images at Universe Today. This ship never flew in space; it was the first one built and served as a test vehicle for the program that followed.
A brief section today, suggesting a certain level of personal integration–a self-development, a knowledge of the Gospel message, and a spirited ability to communicate that message to others. When all three are in place, then I think we have authentic catechists:
238. The formation of catechists is made up of different dimensions. The deepest dimension refers to the very being of the catechist(s), to (their) human and Christian dimension. Formation, above all else, must help (them) to mature as (people), believer(s) and as apostle(s). This is what the catechist(s) must know so as to be able to fulfill (their) responsibilities well. This dimension is permeated by the double commitment to the message and to (others). It requires the catechist(s) to have a sufficient knowledge of the message that (they) transmit and of those to whom (they) transmit the message and of the social context in which they live. This then is the dimension of savoir-faire, of knowing how to transmit the message, so that it is an act of communication. The formation of the catechist tends to make of him an “educator of (others) and of the life of (others)”. (Catechesi Tradendae 22d)
about Todd Flowerday
A Roman Catholic lay person, married (since 1996), with one adopted child (since 2001). I serve in worship and spiritual life in a midwestern university parish.
about Neil
Neil has been a blogging collaborator for the past several years on Catholic Sensibility. He brings his unique experiences from theology, spirituality, and the ecumenical sphere. Pay special attention to each one of his posts.
After a long break from liturgical rites, this site will turn attention to the Rite of Dedication of a Church and an Altar. We won’t go into minute detail on everything. We’ll cover the introductions, most of the rubrics, and some of the rituals. The RDCA was one of the last rites to get a Vatican II reform; the Latin original being completed in 1977. ICEL’s edition arrived but one year later. Here is the text of the decree from the CDWDS that accompanied promulgation:
Father Ev Hemann, the Iowa priest who has shared much of his final days from cancer diagnosis to death, will be remembered in funeral rites this weekend and Monday. I note he’s getting quite a bit of notice around the blogosphere, and even at the 
A brief section today, suggesting a certain level of personal integration–a self-development, a knowledge of the Gospel message, and a spirited ability to communicate that message to others. When all three are in place, then I think we have authentic catechists:
