The Formation of Altar Servers for the Current Times

Note: I would like to thank Br. Jonathan Ibarra, M.Id for his insights into this topic. Many dioceses in the United States and around the world are facing a decrease in the number of altar servers and a lack of formation of the altar … [Read more...]

Love for Liturgy, Love for the Church: An Ongoing Dialogue

Editor’s Note: Due to the high interest and lively discussion prompted by Fr. Robert McTeigue’s recent article, “What Many Priests No Longer Believe,” the following two responses have been published to offer additional viewpoints on the chal … [Read more...]

What Many Priests No Longer Believe

Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi. Loosely translated: “The norm of prayer governs the norm of belief; the norm of belief governs the norm of living.” Many priests nowadays (including myself) are asking, “What if there’s deficient lex in … [Read more...]

Altar Server Training and Ars Celebrandi after the Pandemic

Note: This article was drafted in spring 2021 and completed and submitted to Homiletic & Pastoral Review in October 2022. In the June 2022 Apostolic letter Desiderio Desideravi, Pope Francis issues the clarion call for liturgical … [Read more...]

The Patterns of Heavenly Things

Sacredness and Beauty in the Liturgy

The history of the Catholic Church has produced an extensive tradition of sacred art, especially in the fields of painting, music, and architecture. Although this tradition has expanded and diversified over time, with variations across … [Read more...]

Perhaps Another Minor Ministry

When St. Paul VI dissolved the minor orders for the Latin Church and instituted a ecclesiastical reality called “minor ministries” of acolyte and lector, he wanted laymen only to assume these ministries of the liturgy in a more ins … [Read more...]

Response to Peter Kwasniewski

On the solemnity of Corpus Christi this year (June 19), the U.S. bishops launched the “Eucharistic Revival,” a three-year endeavor aimed at rekindling Eucharistic faith and devotion among Catholics. Almost simultaneously, on June 29, Pope Fr … [Read more...]

Overview of Desiderio Desideravi

On the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2022, Pope Francis promulgated the Apostolic Letter Desiderio Desideravi.[1. Francis, Desiderio Desideravi (Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2022), … [Read more...]

Whose Rite? A Response to E. Tyler Graham

Recently, E. Tyler Graham wrote an article for this publication[1. E. Tyler Graham, “Shepherding the Flock Out of the 1962 Missal,” Homiletic and Pastoral Review, November 2021, www … [Read more...]

Called to the Reverent Stillness at Mass

Why as Catholics should we keep silence when we go to Mass? Because the King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts, Who is God Almighty, is present, truly present with us. We are entering into a “sacred space” set aside for prayer and worship, where w … [Read more...]

Eucharistic Coherence and Liturgical Parables

Who should or should not receive the Eucharist? Should anyone be denied the Eucharist? These questions have generated much controversy in recent weeks as the USCCB has debated drafting a document on this topic. The controversy seems to be … [Read more...]

Preaching Politics from the Pulpit

With the 2020 electoral campaign now behind us, candidates in close races strategize about how to garner votes among religious believers in two and four years. So, too, religious leaders will once again have to brace for political battle in … [Read more...]

The Demographics of the Extraordinary Form

Young People, Families, Sex Ratios, and Diversity

The Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce (FIUV, or Una Voce International) recently submitted to the Holy See a report on the availability of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite around the world (hereafter, “the FIUV Report”), in the pre … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – December 2020

Joseph and the Virginal Conception Question: What was Joseph’s state of mind when he knew for certain that Mary was with child? I cannot believe he doubted her purity, despite the reality before him. Answer: This is a very important q … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – November 2020

Ceremonies Explained for Servers: A Manual for Altar Servers, Acolytes, Sacristans, and Masters of Ceremonies. By Peter J. Elliott. Reviewed by Christopher Siuzdak. (skip to review) The Disabled Church: Human Difference and the Art of … [Read more...]