Reform of the Reform

The history of the Liturgical Renewal fascinates me, & has ever since I was a kid.  It is a very, very convoluted thing, having it's roots as far back as the Reformation & the Council of Trent, & more recently, of course, in the documents of Vatican Council II.

My first memories of Mass were of the statues, windows, Stations, pipe organ, & high altar reredos of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta, where my dad & his twin brother were altar servers.  I loved that place, even if I had no idea what was going on at Mass.  Beauty, grandeur, majesty.  For a kid whose whole world was knights, castles, & dragons, this was awesome!

Then, we moved to the burbs, & the stone columns & pipe organ were replaced with teal carpet (seriously) & strummin' guitars.  There was a guy I thought might be a monk in a while alb with rope cincture that occasionally came to play the "organ" (I was always confused, because I couldn't figure out where the pipes were), but he was a mysterious, transitory figure.  The guitar at Mass was clearly a non-sequitur.  As a teenager, I remember thinking, "If they think that I think this is cool & appealing, they oughta think again."  I had enough of a taste of my authentic Catholic heritage to know something was off, but I didn't know what I didn't know to able to pin down exactly what.

Well, over time I found out.  Initially, it really upset me that my glorious heritage as a Catholic was denied me, when that was exactly what I was looking for!  I am much calmer about all that history now; but, I am also grateful that a kind of popular counter-movement is underway to restore a sense of the sacred to the worship of God, who deserves our very best.

This counter-movement is often called "The Reform of the Reform."  The reason for this post is to share some of the interesting ideas about that being forwarded at the Chant Cafe - HERE .

Some of y'all were already young adults during Liturgical Reform Gone Wild! of the 70's.  I am always interested in your experiences & insight.

"Become a saint!"