4 December 2013 is the 50th anniversary of some of the documents of the Second Vatican Council, one of those being Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.
Sacrosanctum Concilium, one of the constitutions of the Second Vatican Council was approved by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,147 to 4 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on December 4, 1963.
One of the first issues considered by the council, and the matter that had the most immediate effect on the lives of individual Catholics, was the revision of the liturgy. The central idea was that there ought to be greater lay participation in the liturgy.
“Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy. Such participation by the Christian people as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people (1 Peter 2:9; cf. 2:4–5), is their right and duty by reason of their baptism.” Sacrosanctum Concilium 14
Fifty year’s later Bishop Brendan Leahy, Bishop of Limerick offers a reflection on Sacrosanctum Concilium – why it was such a key text then and why it remains so today.
National Centre for Liturgy Celebrating 50 years of Sacrosanctum Concilium
On Friday 22 and Saturday 23 November the National Centre for Liturgy will host a special event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium. This event will comprise a round table discussion on the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy – then and now – on Friday 22 November with speakers:
- Jan Michael Joncas
- Bishop Harold Miller
- Sister Ann Codd PVBM
- Father Peter McVerry, SJ
- Dr Frank Lawrence
The event will continue that evening with a public lecture at 7.30pm in Renehan Hall in Maynooth, Co Kildare with guest speaker Jan Michael Joncas and the response delivered by Julie Kavanagh.
Jan Michael Joncas is a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul, Minneapolis, MN, and serves as Artist in residence and Research Fellow in Catholic Studies at the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, MN.
Julie Kavanagh is the Pastoral Resource Person for the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin and a member of the Council for Liturgy of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
The event will conclude on Saturday 23 November with a Music Workshop with Jan Michael Joncas from 10am – 3.00pm.
More information and booking details for these events are available on www.liturgy-ireland.ie and a booking form and information brochure are available to download below:
- Booking form for National Centre for Lityrgy event on Sacrosanctum Concilium APPLICATION SC NOV 2013
- Information brochure SC Information Brochure
To read the full text of Sacrosanctum Concilium please click here.
