Sunday, August 7, 2011

Adoremus: Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy

A few years ago I was watching a re-run of "The Journey Home" on EWTN following Father Corapi's now-defunct show and Helen Hull Hitchcock was the guest.  It was then that I learned about the Adoremus Society and the Adoremus Hymnal.  I began subscribing to the newsletter shortly after that episode of TJH and have been receiving it ever since.

The most lively part of the newsletter is the readers' forum and this month's  makes the combox on some of the most radically traditional blogs look tame in comparison.  It is the mission of the Adoration Society to
" rediscover and restore the beauty, the holiness, the power of the Church's rich liturgical tradition while remaining faithful to an organic, living process of renewal. The purpose of such a renewal cannot be stated more eloquently than this statement by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger:


Christian Liturgy is cosmic Liturgy, as Saint Paul tells us in the Letter to the Philippians. It must never renounce this dignity, however attractive it may seem to work with small groups and construct homemade liturgies. What is exciting about Christian Liturgy is that it lifts us up out of our narrow sphere and lets us share in the Truth. The aim of all liturgical renewal must be to bring to light this liberating greatness.-- Feast of Faith  
( From the Adoration Society's Mission Statement)


One of this month's contributors to the Adoremus Bulletin informed the editors that there would be no need for their publication if the Novus Ordo did not exist.  Another said they were canceling their subscription, all because the editors will not condemn the Novus Ordo.  Wisely, the editors will not presume to know better than Pope Benedict XVI about the sacred liturgy.  Apparently, a gentleman sent them a letter last month informing them that he could not contribute to their organization because they "support" the Novus Ordo which, in his mind, is not a real Mass.    This month's edition included letters of support for that same gentleman.  One writer in particular certainly did not hold back:

"Long after we are all gone, the Novus Ordo will be recognized for what it was: a moment in time when the faithful tried to pull God down to their level and ushered 90% of Church into hell, under the 'spirit of Vatican II.' "



Wow.  As much as I detest guitars at Mass, hugging at the sign of peace and the attitude that the primary objective of the Holy Sacrifice is social contact, I wouldn't dare go so far.


I extracted the following statements from the lengthy response provided by the editors:


"We do find it disturbing that some otherwise serious Catholics feel free to decide for themselves what constitutes authentic Catholic liturgy, and to reject the decisions and the example of the Church's highest authority - the popes and an ecumenical council.  Can rejecting Church authority on so crucial and essential a matter as the Mass ever be a Catholic response?" (Adoremus Bulletin Vol. XVII No. 5)


Anyway, whatever Form you prefer, if you are of the mind that silence and appropriate reverence are sadly missing from our Churches, I would urge you to consider subscribing to the Adoremus Bulletin.  It is an excellent resource containing news, commentary and instruction as well as the afore-mentioned letters' section.  You can visit their site online at .http://www.adoremus.org/index.html



6 comments:

  1. It is amazing to me that I stop by here today and you have that sobering quote - which is exactly what I was thinking at Mass today - and then felt bad for thinking such a thing. But I wonder....

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  2. That was an interesting website. I pretty much agree with all your points and theirs. I do believe our liturgy is a cosmic liturgy. In fact I tend to feel the cosmic aspect of it every time I'm at mass, especially for some reason for me in the Gloria. I could not find whether Adoremus supports the vernacular. That is the one place I disagree with the traditionalists, as you know. Do they support the vernacular or do they insist on the Latin mass?

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  3. Manny, no, they do not insist on Latin. I would suspect they have a preference for it but given all the other issues in more immediate need of attention, it's not something I am aware of them insisting upon.

    How is little Matthew doing in all this heat? Having a good summer I hope.

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  4. Oh Matthew is doing well. We have air conditioning, so he's got it a lot easier than when I ever did as a kid. ;) I did take him to the park today to kick a ball around and he did wilt pretty fast...lol. Kids today have it soft. :-P Thank you for asking.

    By the way, I took a passage from the bible the other day and formed it into a poem on my blog. Little did I know it was today's first reading at mass. Check out my blog on how I wrote 1 Kings 19:11-13. I thought it came out very well.

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  5. Manny, thanks for letting me know, I will check it out tonight after work. Have a great day. Joyce

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  6. You're welcome and thanks for commenting. I wrote you a reply in case you didn't get back. Also check out my last reply to Kelly.

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Comments which reflect true Christian charity are always welcome. Comments which attack the Pope, the Church, priests or other bloggers will go in the dustbin, especially if they are anonymous. Thank you and God Bless you!