In light of the debate over Traditiones Custodes, I’ve been doing some research into the history of the Church’s liturgical reform. A lot of historical claims have been made on social media about the state of the liturgy prior to the Second Vatican Council, and I’ve been digging through primary and secondary sources to understand the context and rationale that led up to the Missal of St. Paul VI.
I found this lecture by John F. Baldovin, S.J., professor of historical and liturgical theology at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry to be a helpful, if a bit lengthy, overview of the the liturgical reform movement.
He seems to be a bit more liturgically progressive than I am, but as a historical overview, I thought he provides a good and accurate summary of the history.
Image: Buzet-sur-Tarn – L’église Saint-Martin – Messe de Saint Martin 1896 – Bernard Benezet PalissyPM31002598. By Didier Descouens – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93357516
Mike Lewis is the founding managing editor of Where Peter Is. In addition to his work for the site, his writing has appeared in America Magazine, National Catholic Reporter, US Catholic, The Irish Catholic, Catholic Outlook, The Synodal Times, and other Catholic publications. He has been quoted in The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The New York Post, and other mainstream outlets on Catholic affairs. He previously co-hosted the Field Hospital podcast with Jeannie Gaffigan and The Debrief podcast. Before founding Where Peter Is, he worked in communications at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Climate Covenant. He is married with four children.
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