Category Archives: Varietates Legitimae

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 →