Sacrosanctum Concilium, Vatican II’s constitution on the liturgy and liturgical reform, was the first document issue by the council, a fact which has been given two interpretations. One is that liturgical reform was not regarded as particularly important, but rather, as something that could be gotten out of the way fairly easily, before the council moved on to more pressing business. The other is that the council deliberately chose to speak first about the liturgy to emphasize its importance. I believe these interpretations are in fact both true.
The document begins with a programmatic statement about the intentions of the Council as a whole, which clearly presents the project of liturgical reform as an integral part of a general renewal of the Church’s life. “This sacred Council has several aims in view: it desires to impart an ever increasing vigor to the Christian life of the faithful; to adapt more suitably to the needs of our own times those institutions which are subject to change; to foster whatever can promote union among all who believe in Christ; to strengthen whatever can help to call the whole of mankind into the household of the Church.” (Read more.)
Photos by Allison Girone
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