Category Archives: Varietates Legitimae

Tonight we wrap up our discussion on Varietates Legitimae: 70. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments presents these rules to the episcopal conferences to govern the work of liturgical inculturation envisaged by the Second Vatican … Continue reading →

Ordinarily, the commission(s) will assist the bishop(s). The CDWDS offers many cautions on the road from experimentation to a more widespread implementation: 67. The episcopal conference will supervise the process of experimentation, (SC 40) normally with the help of the … Continue reading →

In the last post, we read of the possible consultation of bishops with their people. Even more important is the expected consultation with the CDWDS where liturgical experimentation is proposed: 66. The episcopal conference will present the proposal to the … Continue reading →

Let’s delve deeper into liturgical “modifications,” past the bishops, and especially the role of the clergy, laity, and even of non-Christians: 65. The episcopal conference will examine what has to be modified in liturgical celebrations because of the traditions and … Continue reading →

Today we’ll look at the subsection “Adaptations Envisaged By No. 40 of the Conciliar Constitution on the Liturgy.” 63. Apart from the adaptations provided for in the liturgical books, it may be that “in some places and circumstances an even … Continue reading →

How do the bishops’ conference and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS) work together? Good question. 62. When an episcopal conference prepares its own edition of liturgical books, it decides about the translations and … Continue reading →

  61. The Liturgy of the Hours has as its goal the praise of God and the sanctification by prayer of the day and all human activity. Episcopal conferences can make adaptations in the second reading of the office of … Continue reading →

Some direction on adding or suppressing liturgical feasts: 60. As regards the liturgical year, each particular church and religious family adds its own celebrations to those of the universal church, after approval by the Apostolic See. (Cf. Normae Universales de … Continue reading →

59. The blessing of persons, places or things touches the everyday life of the faithful and answers their immediate needs. They offer many possibilities for adaptation, for maintaining local customs and admitting popular usages. (SC 79, De Benedictionibus, Praenotanda Generalia, … Continue reading →

In addition to weddings, funerals are also a more common point at which the practices of non-Christian religions and cultures intersect with Church practice: 58. Among all peoples, funerals are always surrounded with special rites, often of great expressive value. … Continue reading →

Marriage, unlike Christian Initiation, is nearly universally observed culturally. And naturally, it predates the Judeo-Christian tradition. 57. In many places it is the marriage rite that calls for the greatest degree of adaptation so as not to be foreign to … Continue reading →

On the inculturation of Christian Initiation: 56. For the rites of Christian initiation, episcopal conferences are “to examine with care and prudence what can properly be admitted from the traditions and character of each people” (GICI 30.2) and “in mission … Continue reading →

The celebration of Mass is not the only arena for the concerns of inculturation. This brief section references all the other liturgical rites–rites we’ve already examined on this site. Note the leeway given the national bishops’ conference: when the rite … Continue reading →

After a sound caution about unity (not uniformity!) we encounter elements for which bishops’ conferences may offer norms. 54. For the celebration of the eucharist, the Roman Missal, “while allowing … for legitimate differences and adaptations according to the prescriptions … Continue reading →

Today we’ll begin a subsection (VL 53-61) that treats “Adaptations in the Liturgical Books.” These next discussions may help inform our next series on Liturgiam Authenticam, in which the CDWDS addresses just one topic, translation into the vernacular. In 1994, … Continue reading →