CONSTITUTION
ON THE SACRED LITURGY
SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM
SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY
HIS HOLINESS
POPE PAUL VI
ON DECEMBER 4, 1963
INTRODUCTION
1. This sacred Council has several aims in view: it desires
to impart an ever increasing vigor to the Christian life of the faithful; to
adapt more suitably to the needs of our own times those institutions which are
subject to change; to foster whatever can promote union among all who believe
in Christ; to strengthen whatever can help to call the whole of mankind into
the household of the Church. The Council therefore sees particularly cogent
reasons for undertaking the reform and promotion of the liturgy.
2. For the liturgy, "through which the work of our
redemption is accomplished," (1) most of all in the divine sacrifice of
the eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in
their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature
of the true Church. It is of the essence of the Church that she be both human
and divine, visible and yet invisibly equipped, eager to act and yet intent on
contemplation, present in this world and yet not at home in it; and she is all
these things in such wise that in her the human is directed and subordinated to
the divine, the visible likewise to the invisible, action to contemplation, and
this present world to that city yet to come, which we seek (2). While the
liturgy daily builds up those who are within into a holy temple of the Lord,
into a dwelling place for God in the Spirit (3), to the mature measure of the
fullness of Christ (4), at the same time it marvelously strengthens their power
to preach Christ, and thus shows forth the Church to those who are outside as a
sign lifted up among the nations (5) under which the scattered children of God
may be gathered together (6), until there is one sheepfold and one shepherd
(7).
3. Wherefore the sacred Council judges that the following
principles concerning the promotion and reform of the liturgy should be called
to mind, and that practical norms should be established.
Among these principles and norms there are some which can
and should be applied both to the Roman rite and also to all the other rites.
The practical norms which follow, however, should be taken as applying only to
the Roman rite, except for those which, in the very nature of things, affect
other rites as well.
4. Lastly, in faithful obedience to tradition, the sacred
Council declares that holy Mother Church holds all lawfully acknowledged rites
to be of equal right and dignity; that she wishes to preserve them in the
future and to foster them in every way. The Council also desires that, where
necessary, the rites be revised carefully in the light of sound tradition, and
that they be given new vigor to meet the circumstances and needs of modern
times.
CHAPTER
I
GENERAL
PRINCIPLES FOR THE: RESTORATION AND PROMOTION OF THE SACRED LITURGY
1. The Nature of the Sacred Liturgy and Its
Importance in the Church's Life
5. God who "wills that all men be saved and come to the
knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4), "who in many and various ways
spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets" (Heb. 1:1), when the
fullness of time had come sent His Son, the Word made flesh, anointed by the
Holy Spirit, to preach the the gospel to the poor, to heal the contrite of
heart (8), to be a "bodily and spiritual medicine" (9), the Mediator
between God and man (10). For His humanity, united with the person of the Word,
was the instrument of our salvation. Therefore in Christ "the perfect
achievement of our reconciliation came forth, and the fullness of divine
worship was given to us" (11).
The wonderful works of God among the people of the Old
Testament were but a prelude to the work of Christ the Lord in redeeming
mankind and giving perfect glory to God. He achieved His task principally by
the paschal mystery of His blessed passions resurrection from the dead, and the
glorious ascension, whereby "dying, he destroyed our death and, rising, he
restored our life" (12). For it was from the side of Christ as He slept
the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth "the wondrous
sacrament of the whole Church" (13).
6. Just as Christ was sent by the Father, so also He sent
the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit. This He did that, by preaching the
gospel to every creature (14), they might proclaim that the Son of God, by His
death and resurrection, had freed us from the power of Satan (15) and from
death, and brought us into the kingdom of His Father. His purpose also was that
they might accomplish the work of salvation which they had proclaimed, by means
of sacrifice and sacraments, around which the entire liturgical life revolves.
Thus by baptism men are plunged into the paschal mystery of Christ: they die
with Him, are buried with Him, and rise with Him (16); they receive the spirit
of adoption as sons "in which we cry: Abba, Father" ( Rom. 8 :15),
and thus become true adorers whom the Father seeks (17). In like manner, as
often as they eat the supper of the Lord they proclaim the death of the Lord
until He comes (18). For that reason, on the very day of Pentecost, when the
Church appeared before the world, "those who received the word" of
Peter "were baptized." And "they continued steadfastly in the
teaching of the apostles and in the communion of the breaking of bread and in
prayers . . . praising God and being in favor with all the people" (Acts
2:41-47). From that time onwards the Church has never failed to come together
to celebrate the paschal mystery: reading those things "which were in all the
scriptures concerning him" (Luke 24:27), celebrating the eucharist in
which "the victory and triumph of his death are again made present"
(19), and at the same time giving thanks "to God for his unspeakable
gift" (2 Cor. 9:15) in Christ Jesus, "in praise of his glory"
(Eph. 1:12), through the power of the Holy Spirit.
7. To accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present
in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the
sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, "the same
now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on
the cross" (20), but especially under the eucharistic species. By His
power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really
Christ Himself who baptizes (21). He is present in His word, since it is He
Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is
present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: "Where
two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of
them" (Matt. 18:20) .
Christ indeed always associates the Church with Himself in
this great work wherein God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The
Church is His beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through Him offers
worship to the Eternal Father.
Rightly, then, the liturgy is considered as an exercise of
the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the liturgy the sanctification of the
man is signified by signs perceptible to the senses, and is effected in a way
which corresponds with each of these signs; in the liturgy the whole public
worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head
and His members.
From this it follows that every liturgical celebration,
because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which .s the
Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others; no other action of the Church
can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree.
8. In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that
heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward which
we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, a
minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle (22); we sing a hymn to the
Lord's glory with all the warriors of the heavenly army; venerating the memory
of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them; we eagerly await
the Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ, until He, our life, shall appear and we too
will appear with Him in glory (23).
9. The sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity
of the Church. Before men can come to the liturgy they must be called to faith
and to conversion: "How then are they to call upon him in whom they have
not yet believed? But how are they to believe him whom they have not heard? And
how are they to hear if no one preaches? And how are men to preach unless they
be sent?" (Rom. 10:14-15).
Therefore the Church announces the good tidings of salvation
to those who do not believe, so that all men may know the true God and Jesus
Christ whom He has sent, and may be converted from their ways, doing penance
(24). To believers also the Church must ever preach faith and penance, she must
prepare them for the sacraments, teach them to observe all that Christ has
commanded (25), and invite them to all the works of charity, piety, and the
apostolate. For all these works make it clear that Christ's faithful, though
not of this world, are to be the light of the world and to glorify the Father
before men.
10. Nevertheless the liturgy is the summit toward which the
activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which
all her power flows. For the aim and object of apostolic works is that all who
are made sons of God by faith and baptism should come together to praise God in
the midst of His Church, to take part in the sacrifice, and to eat the Lord's
supper.
The liturgy in its turn moves the faithful, filled with
"the paschal sacraments," to be "one in holiness" (26); it
prays that "they may hold fast in their lives to what they have grasped by
their faith" (27); the renewal in the eucharist of the covenant between
the Lord and man draws the faithful into the compelling love of Christ and sets
them on fire. From the liturgy, therefore, and especially from the eucharist,
as from a font, grace is poured forth upon us; and the sanctification of men in
Christ and the glorification of God, to which all other activities of the
Church are directed as toward their end, is achieved in the most efficacious possible
way.
11. But in order that the liturgy may be able to produce its
full effects, it is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper
dispositions, that their minds should be attuned to their voices, and that they
should cooperate with divine grace lest they receive it in vain (28) . Pastors
of souls must therefore realize that, when the liturgy is celebrated, something
more is required than the mere observation of the laws governing valid and
licit celebration; it is their duty also to ensure that the faithful take part
fully aware of what they are doing, actively engaged in the rite, and enriched
by its effects.
12. The spiritual life, however, is not limited solely to
participation in the liturgy. The Christian is indeed called to pray with his
brethren, but he must also enter into his chamber to pray to the Father, in
secret (29); yet more, according to the teaching of the Apostle, he should pray
without ceasing (30). We learn from the same Apostle that we must always bear
about in our body the dying of Jesus, so that the life also of Jesus may be
made manifest in our bodily frame (31). This is why we ask the Lord in the
sacrifice of the Mass that, "receiving the offering of the spiritual
victim," he may fashion us for himself "as an eternal gift"
(32).
13. Popular devotions of the Christian people are to be
highly commended, provided they accord with the laws and norms of the Church,
above all when they are ordered by the Apostolic See.
Devotions proper to individual Churches also have a special
dignity if they are undertaken by mandate of the bishops according to customs
or books lawfully approved.
But these devotions should be so drawn up that they
harmonize with the liturgical seasons, accord with the sacred liturgy, are in
some fashion derived from it, and lead the people to it, since, in fact, the
liturgy by its very nature far surpasses any of them.
II. The Promotion of Liturgical Instruction
and Active Participation
14. 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 Pet. 2:9; cf. 2:4-5), is their
right and duty by reason of their baptism.
In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy, this
full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered
before all else; for it is the primary and indispensable source from which the
faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit; and therefore pastors of
souls must zealously strive to achieve it, by means of the necessary
instruction, in all their pastoral work.
Yet it would be futile to entertain any hopes of realizing
this unless the pastors themselves, in the first place, become thoroughly
imbued with the spirit and power of the liturgy, and undertake to give
instruction about it. A prime need, therefore, is that attention be directed,
first of all, to the liturgical instruction of the clergy. Wherefore the sacred
Council has decided to enact as follows:
15. Professors who are appointed to teach liturgy in
seminaries, religious houses of study, and theological faculties must be
properly trained for their work in institutes which specialize in this subject.
16. The study of sacred liturgy is to be ranked among the
compulsory and major courses in seminaries and religions houses of studies; in
theological faculties it is to rank among the principal courses. It is to be
taught under its theological, historical, spiritual, pastoral, and juridical
aspects. Moreover, other professors, while striving to expound the mystery of
Christ and the history of salvation from the angle proper to each of their own
subjects, must nevertheless do so in a way which will clearly bring out the
connection between their subjects and the liturgy, as also the unity which
underlies all priestly training. This consideration is especially important for
professors of dogmatic, spiritual, and pastoral theology and for those of holy
scripture.
17. In seminaries and houses of religious, clerics shall be
given a liturgical formation in their spiritual life. For this they will need
proper direction, so that they may be able to understand the sacred rites and
take part in them wholeheartedly; and they will also need personally to
celebrate the sacred mysteries, as well as popular devotions which are imbued
with the spirit of the liturgy. In addition they must learn how to observe the
liturgical laws, so that life in seminaries and houses of religious may be
thoroughly influenced by the spirit of the liturgy.
18. Priests, both secular and religious, who are already
working in the Lord's vineyard are to be helped by every suitable means to
understand ever more fully what it is that they are doing when they perform
sacred rites; they are to be aided to live the liturgical life and to share it
with the faithful entrusted to their care.
19. With zeal and patience, pastors of souls must promote
the liturgical instruction of the faithful, and also their active participation
in the liturgy both internally and externally, taking into account their age
and condition, their way of life, and standard of religious culture. By so
doing, pastors will be fulfilling one of the chief duties of a faithful
dispenser of the mysteries of God; and in this matter they must lead their
flock not only in word but also by example.
20. Transmissions of the sacred rites by radio and
television shall be done with discretion and dignity, under the leadership and
direction of a suitable person appointed for this office by the bishops. This
is especially important when the service to be broadcast is the Mass.
III. The Reform of the Sacred Liturgy
21. In order that the Christian people may more certainly
derive an abundance of graces from the sacred liturgy, holy Mother Church
desires to undertake with great care a general restoration of the liturgy
itself. For the liturgy is made up of immutable elements divinely instituted,
and of elements subject to change. These not only may but ought to be changed
with the passage of time if they have suffered from the intrusion of anything
out of harmony with the inner nature of the liturgy or have become unsuited to
it.
In this restoration, both texts and rites should be drawn up
so that they express more clearly the holy things which they signify; the
Christian people, so far as possible, should be enabled to understand them with
ease and to take part in them fully, actively, and as befits a community.
Wherefore the sacred Council establishes the following
general norms:
A) General norms
22. 1. Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on
the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See and, as laws may
determine, on the bishop.
2. In virtue of power conceded by the law, the regulation of
the liturgy within certain defined limits belongs also to various kinds of
competent territorial bodies of bishops legitimately established.
3. Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may
add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.
23. That sound tradition may be retained, and yet the way
remain open to legitimate progress Careful investigation is always to be made
into each part of the liturgy which is to be revised. This investigation should
be theological, historical, and pastoral. Also the general laws governing the
structure and meaning of the liturgy must be studied in conjunction with the
experience derived from recent liturgical reforms and from the indults conceded
to various places. Finally, there must be no innovations unless the good of the
Church genuinely and certainly requires them; and care must be taken that any
new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already
existing.
As far as possible, notable differences between the rites
used in adjacent regions must be carefully avoided.
24. Sacred scripture is of the greatest importance in the
celebration of the liturgy. For it is from scripture that lessons are read and
explained in the homily, and psalms are sung; the prayers, collects, and
liturgical songs are scriptural in their inspiration and their force, and it is
from the scriptures that actions and signs derive their meaning. Thus to
achieve the restoration, progress, and adaptation of the sacred liturgy, it is
essential to promote that warm and living love for scripture to which the
venerable tradition of both eastern and western rites gives testimony.
25. The liturgical books are to be revised as soon as
possible; experts are to be employed on the task, and bishops are to be
consulted, from various parts of the world.
B) Norms drawn from the
hierarchic and communal nature of the Liturgy
26. Liturgical services are not private functions, but are
celebrations of the Church, which is the "sacrament of unity,"
namely, the holy people united and ordered under their bishops (33)
Therefore liturgical services pertain to the whole body of
the Church; they manifest it and have effects upon it; but they concern the
individual members of the Church in different ways, according to their
differing rank, office, and actual participation.
27. It is to be stressed that whenever rites, according to
their specific nature, make provision for communal celebration involving the
presence and active participation of the faithful, this way of celebrating them
is to be preferred, so far as possible, to a celebration that is individual and
quasi-private.
This applies with especial force to the celebration of Mass
and the administration of the sacraments, even though every Mass has of itself
a public and social nature.
28. In liturgical celebrations each person, minister or
layman, who has an office to perform, should do all of, but only, those parts
which pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the principles of
liturgy.
29. Servers, lectors commentators, and members of the choir
also exercise a genuine liturgical function. They ought, therefore, to
discharge their office with the sincere piety and decorum demanded by so
exalted a ministry and rightly expected of them by God's people.
Consequently they must all be deeply imbued with the spirit
of the liturgy, each in his own measure, and they must be trained to perform
their functions in a correct and orderly manner.
30. To promote active participation, the people should be
encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody,
antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes.
And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence.
31. The revision of the liturgical books must carefully
attend to the provision of rubrics also for the people's parts.
32. The liturgy makes distinctions between persons according
to their liturgical function and sacred Orders, and there are liturgical laws
providing for due honors to be given to civil authorities. Apart from these
instances, no special honors are to be paid in the liturgy to any private
persons or classes of persons, whether in the ceremonies or by external
display.
C) Norms based upon the
didactic and pastoral nature of the Liturgy
33. Although the sacred liturgy is above all things the
worship of the divine Majesty, it likewise contains much instruction for the
faithful (34). For in the liturgy God speaks to His people and Christ is still
proclaiming His gospel. And the people reply to God both by song and prayer.
Moreover, the prayers addressed to God by the priest who
presides over the assembly in the person of Christ are said in the name of the
entire holy people and of all present. And the visible signs used by the
liturgy to signify invisible divine things have been chosen by Christ or the
Church. Thus not only when things are read "which were written for our
instruction" (Rom. 15:4), but also when the Church prays or sings or acts,
the faith of those taking part is nourished and their minds are raised to God,
so that they may offer Him their rational service and more abundantly receive
His grace.
Wherefore, in the revision of the liturgy, the following
general norms should be observed:
34. The rites should be distinguished by a noble simplicity;
they should be short, clear, and unencumbered by useless repetitions; they
should be within the people's powers of comprehension, and normally should not
require much explanation.
35. That the intimate connection between words and rites may
be apparent in the liturgy:
1) In sacred celebrations there is to be more reading from
holy scripture, and it is to be more varied and suitable.
2) Because the sermon is part of the liturgical service, the
best place for it is to be indicated even in the rubrics, as far as the nature
of the rite will allow; the ministry of preaching is to be fulfilled with
exactitude and fidelity. The sermon, moreover, should draw its content mainly
from scriptural and liturgical sources, and its character should be that of a
proclamation of God's wonderful works in the history of salvation, the mystery
of Christ, ever made present and active within us, especially in the
celebration of the liturgy.
3) Instruction which is more explicitly liturgical should
also be given in a variety of ways; if necessary, short directives to be spoken
by the priest or proper minister should be provided within the rites
themselves. But they should occur only at the more suitable moments, and be in
prescribed or similar words.
4) Bible services should be encouraged, especially on the
vigils of the more solemn feasts, on some weekdays in Advent and Lent, and on
Sundays and feast days. They are particularly to be commended in places where
no priest is available; when this is so, a deacon or some other person
authorized by the bishop should preside over the celebration.
36. 1. Particular law remaining in force, the use of the
Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.
2. But since the use of the mother tongue, whether in the
Mass, the administration of the sacraments, or other parts of the liturgy,
frequently may be of great advantage to the people, the limits of its
employment may be extended. This will apply in the first place to the readings
and directives, and to some of the prayers and chants, according to the
regulations on this matter to be laid down separately in subsequent chapters.
3. These norms being observed, it is for the competent
territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, to decide
whether, and to what extent, the vernacular language is to be used; their
decrees are to be approved, that is, confirmed, by the Apostolic See. And,
whenever it seems to be called for, this authority is to consult with bishops
of neighboring regions which have the same language.
4. Translations from the Latin text into the mother tongue
intended for use in the liturgy must be approved by the competent territorial
ecclesiastical authority mentioned above.
D) Norms for adapting the
Liturgy to the culture and traditions of peoples
37. Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a
rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the
whole community; rather does she respect and foster the genius and talents of
the various races and peoples. Anything in these peoples' way of life which is
not indissolubly bound up with superstition and error she studies with sympathy
and, if possible, preserves intact. Sometimes in fact she admits such things
into the liturgy itself, so long as they harmonize with its true and authentic
spirit.
38. Provisions shall also be made, when revising the
liturgical books, for legitimate variations and adaptations to different
groups, regions, and peoples, especially in mission lands, provided that the
substantial unity of the Roman rite is preserved; and this should be borne in
mind when drawing up the rites and devising rubrics.
39. Within the limits set by the typical editions of the
liturgical books, it shall be for the competent territorial ecclesiastical
authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, to specify adaptations, especially in the
case of the administration of the sacraments, the sacramentals, processions,
liturgical language, sacred music, and the arts, but according to the fundamental
norms laid down in this Constitution.
40. In some places and circumstances, however, an even more
radical adaptation of the liturgy is needed, and this entails greater
difficulties. Wherefore:
1) The competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned
in Art. 22, 2, must, in this matter, carefully and prudently consider which
elements from the traditions and culture of individual peoples might
appropriately be admitted into divine worship. Adaptations which are judged to
be useful or necessary should when be submitted to the Apostolic See, by whose
consent they may be introduced.
2) To ensure that adaptations may be made with all the
circumspection which they demand, the Apostolic See will grant power to this
same territorial ecclesiastical authority to permit and to direct, as the case
requires, the necessary preliminary experiments over a determined period of
time among certain groups suited for the purpose.
3) Because liturgical laws often involve special
difficulties with respect to adaptation, particularly in mission lands, men who
are experts in these matters must be employed to formulate them.
E) Promotion of
Liturgical Life in Diocese and Parish
41. The bishop is to be considered as the high priest of his
flock, from whom the life in Christ of his faithful is in some way derived and
dependent.
Therefore all should hold in great esteem the liturgical
life of the diocese centered around the bishop, especially in his cathedral
church; they must be convinced that the pre-eminent manifestation of the Church
consists in the full active participation of all God's holy people in these
liturgical celebrations, especially in the same eucharist, in a single prayer,
at one altar, at which there presides the bishop surrounded by his college of
priests and by his ministers (35).
42. But because it is impossible for the bishop always and
everywhere to preside over the whole flock in his Church, he cannot do other
than establish lesser groupings of the faithful. Among these the parishes, set
up locally under a pastor who takes the place of the bishop, are the most
important: for in some manner they represent the visible Church constituted
throughout the world.
And therefore the liturgical life of the parish and its
relationship to the bishop must be fostered theoretically and practically among
the faithful and clergy; efforts also must be made to encourage a sense of
community within the parish, above all in the common celebration of the Sunday
Mass.
F) The Promotion of
Pastoral-Liturgical Action
43. Zeal for the promotion and restoration of the liturgy is
rightly held to be a sign of the providential dispositions of God in our time,
as a movement of the Holy Spirit in His Church. It is today a distinguishing
mark of the Church's life, indeed of the whole tenor of contemporary religious
thought and action.
So that this pastoral-liturgical action may become even more
vigorous in the Church, the sacred Council decrees:
44. It is desirable that the competent territorial
ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, set up a liturgical
commission, to be assisted by experts in liturgical science, sacred music, art
and pastoral practice. So far as possible the commission should be aided by
some kind of Institute for Pastoral Liturgy, consisting of persons who are eminent
in these matters, and including laymen as circumstances suggest. Under the
direction of the above-mentioned territorial ecclesiastical authority the
commission is to regulate pastoral-liturgical action throughout the territory,
and to promote studies and necessary experiments whenever there is question of
adaptations to be proposed to the Apostolic See.
45. For the same reason every diocese is to have a
commission on the sacred liturgy under the direction of the bishop, for
promoting the liturgical apostolate.
Sometimes it may be expedient that several dioceses should
form between them one single commission which will be able to promote the
liturgy by common consultation.
46. Besides the commission on the sacred liturgy, every
diocese, as far as possible, should have commissions for sacred music and
sacred art.
These three commissions must work in closest collaboration;
indeed it will often be best to fuse the three of them into one single
commission.
CHAPTER
II
THE
MOST SACRED MYSTERY OF THE EUCHARIST
47. At the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed,
our Saviour instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did
this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries
until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the
Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign
of unity, a bond of charity (36), a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten,
the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us
(37).
48. The Church, therefore, earnestly desires that Christ's
faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as
strangers or silent spectators; on the contrary, through a good understanding
of the rites and prayers they should take part in the sacred action conscious
of what they are doing, with devotion and full collaboration. They should be
instructed by God's word and be nourished at the table of the Lord's body; they
should give thanks to God; by offering the Immaculate Victim, not only through
the hands of the priest, but also with him, they should learn also to offer
themselves; through Christ the Mediator (38), they should be drawn day by day
into ever more perfect union with God and with each other, so that finally God
may be all in all.
49. For this reason the sacred Council, having in mind those
Masses which are celebrated with the assistance of the faithful, especially on
Sundays and feasts of obligation, has made the following decrees in order that
the sacrifice of the Mass, even in the ritual forms of its celebration, may
become pastorally efficacious to the fullest degree.
50. The rite of the Mass is to be revised in such a way that
the intrinsic nature and purpose of its several parts, as also the connection
between them, may be more clearly manifested, and that devout and active
participation by the faithful may be more easily achieved.
For this purpose the rites are to be simplified, due care
being taken to preserve their substance; elements which, with the passage of
time, came to be duplicated, or were added with but little advantage, are now
to be discarded; other elements which have suffered injury through accidents of
history are now to be restored to the vigor which they had in the days of the
holy Fathers, as may seem useful or necessary.
51. The treasures of the bible are to be opened up more
lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of
God's word. In this way a more representative portion of the holy scriptures
will be read to the people in the course of a prescribed number of years.
52. By means of the homily the mysteries of the faith and
the guiding principles of the Christian life are expounded from the sacred
text, during the course of the liturgical year; the homily, therefore, is to be
highly esteemed as part of the liturgy itself; in fact, at those Masses which
are celebrated with the assistance of the people on Sundays and feasts of
obligation, it should not be omitted except for a serious reason.
53. Especially on Sundays and feasts of obligation there is
to be restored, after the Gospel and the homily, "the common prayer"
or "the prayer of the faithful." By this prayer, in which the people
are to take part, intercession will be made for holy Church, for the civil
authorities, for those oppressed by various needs, for all mankind, and for the
salvation of the entire world (39).
54. In Masses which are celebrated with the people, a
suitable place may be allotted to their mother tongue. This is to apply in the first
place to the readings and "the common prayer," but also, as local
conditions may warrant, to those parts which pertain to the people, according
to tho norm laid down in Art. 36 of this Constitution.
Nevertheless steps should be taken so that the faithful may
also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of
the Mass which pertain to them.
And wherever a more extended use of the mother tongue within
the Mass appears desirable, the regulation laid down in Art. 40 of this Constitution
is to be observed.
55. That more perfect form of participation in the Mass
whereby the faithful, after the priest's communion, receive the Lord's body
from the same sacrifice, is strongly commended.
The dogmatic principles which were laid down by the Council
of Trent remaining intact (40), communion under both kinds may be granted when
the bishops think fit, not only to clerics and religious, but also to the
laity, in cases to be determined by the Apostolic See, as, for instance, to the
newly ordained in the Mass of their sacred ordination, to the newly professed
in the Mass of their religious profession, and to the newly baptized in the
Mass which follows their baptism.
56. The two parts which, in a certain sense, go to make up
the Mass, namely, the liturgy of the word and the eucharistic liturgy, are so
closely connected with each other that they form but one single act of worship.
Accordingly this sacred Synod strongly urges pastors of souls that, when
instructing the faithful, they insistently teach them to take their part in the
entire Mass, especially on Sundays and feasts of obligation.
57. 1. Concelebration, whereby the unity of the priesthood
is appropriately manifested, has remained in use to this day in the Church both
in the east and in the west. For this reason it has seemed good to the Council
to extend permission for concelebration to the following cases:
1.
a) on the Thursday of the Lord's Supper, not only at the
Mass of the Chrism, but also at the evening Mass.
b) at Masses during councils, bishops' conferences, and
synods;
c) at the Mass for the blessing of an abbot.
2. Also, with permission of the ordinary, to whom it belongs
to decide whether concelebration is opportune:
a) at conventual Mass, and at the principle Mass in churches
when the needs of the faithful do not require that all priests available should
celebrate individually;
b) at Masses celebrated at any kind of priests' meetings,
whether the priests be secular clergy or religious.
2.
1. The regulation, however, of the discipline of
con-celebration in the diocese pertains to the bishop.
2. Nevertheless, each priest shall always retain his right
to celebrate Mass individually, though not at the same time in the same church
as a concelebrated Mass, nor on Thursday of the Lord's Supper.
58. A new rite for concelebration is to be drawn up and
inserted into the Pontifical and into the Roman Missal.
CHAPTER
III
THE
OTHER SACRAMENTS AND THE SACRAMENTALS
59. The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to
build up the body of Christ, and, finally, to give worship to God; because they
are signs they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and
objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are
called "sacraments of faith." They do indeed impart grace, but, in
addition, the very act of celebrating them most effectively disposes the
faithful to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God duly, and
to practice charity.
It is therefore of the highest importance that the faithful
should easily understand the sacramental signs, and should frequent with great
eagerness those sacraments which were instituted to nourish the Christian life.
60. Holy Mother Church has, moreover, instituted
sacramentals. These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the
sacraments: they signify effects, particularly of a spiritual kind, which are
obtained through the Church's intercession. By them men are disposed to receive
the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered
holy.
61. Thus, for well-disposed members of the faithful, the
liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event in
their lives; they are given access to the stream of divine grace which flows
from the paschal mystery of the passion, death, the resurrection of Christ, the
font from which all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power. There is
hardly any proper use of material things which cannot thus be directed toward
the sanctification of men and the praise of God.
62. With the passage of time, however, there have crept into
the rites of the sacraments and sacramentals certain features which have
rendered their nature and purpose far from clear to the people of today; hence
some changes have become necessary to adapt them to the needs of our own times.
For this reason the sacred Council decrees as follows concerning their
revision.
63. Because of the use of the mother tongue in the
administration of the sacraments and sacramentals can often be of considerable
help to the people, this use is to be extended according to the following
norms:
a) The vernacular language may be used in administering the
sacraments and sacramentals, according to the norm of Art. 36.
b) In harmony with the new edition of the Roman Ritual,
particular rituals shall be prepared without delay by the competent territorial
ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, of this Constitution. These
rituals, which are to be adapted, also as regards the language employed, to the
needs of the different regions, are to be reviewed by the Apostolic See and
then introduced into the regions for which they have been prepared. But in
drawing up these rituals or particular collections of rites, the instructions
prefixed to the individual rites the Roman Ritual, whether they be pastoral and
rubrical or whether they have special social import, shall not be omitted.
64. The catechumenate for adults, comprising several
distinct steps, is to be restored and to be taken into use at the discretion of
the local ordinary. By this, means the time of the catechumenate, which is
intended as a period of suitable instruction, may be sanctified by sacred rites
to be celebrated at successive intervals of time.
65. In mission lands it is found that some of the peoples
already make use of initiation rites. Elements from these, when capable of
being adapted to Christian ritual, may be admitted along with those already
found in Christian tradition, according to the norm laid down in Art. 37-40, of
this Constitution.
66. Both the rites for the baptism of adults are to be
revised: not only the simpler rite, but also the more solemn one, which must
take into account the restored catechumenate. A special Mass "for the
conferring of baptism" is to be inserted into the Roman Missal.
67. The rite for the baptism of infants is to be revised,
and it should be adapted to the circumstance that those to be baptized are, in
fact, infants. The roles of parents and godparents, and also their duties,
should be brought out more clearly in the rite itself.
68. The baptismal rite should contain variants, to be used
at the discretion of the local ordinary, for occasions when a very large number
are to be baptized together. Moreover, a shorter rite is to be drawn up,
especially for mission lands, to be used by catechists, but also by the
faithful in general when there is danger of death, and neither priest nor
deacon is available.
69. In place of the rite called the "Order of supplying
what was omitted in the baptism of an infant," a new rite is to be drawn
up. This should manifest more fittingly and clearly that the infant, baptized
by the short rite, has already been received into the Church.
And a new rite is to be drawn up for converts who have
already been validly baptized; it should indicate that they are now admitted to
communion with the Church.
70. Except during Eastertide, baptismal water may be blessed
within the rite of baptism itself by an approved shorter formula.
71. The rite of confirmation is to be revised and the
intimate connection which this sacrament has with the whole of Christian
initiation is to be more clearly set forth; for this reason it is fitting for
candidates to renew their baptismal promises just before they are confirmed.
Confirmation may be given within the Mass when convenient;
when it is given outside the Mass, the rite that is used should be introduced
by a formula to be drawn up for this purpose.
72. The rite and formulas for the sacrament of penance are
to be revised so that they more clearly express both the nature and effect of
the sacrament.
73. "Extreme unction," which may also and more
fittingly be called "anointing of the sick," is not a sacrament for
those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as any one of the
faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting
time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.
74. In addition to the separate rites for anointing of the
sick and for viaticum, a continuous rite shall be prepared according to which
the sick man is anointed after he has made his confession and before he
receives viaticum.
75. The number of the anointings is to be adapted to the
occasion, and the prayers which belong to the rite of anointing are to be
revised so as to correspond with the varying conditions of the sick who receive
the sacrament.
76. Both the ceremonies and texts of the ordination rites
are to be revised. The address given by the bishop at the beginning of each
ordination or consecration may be in the mother tongue.
When a bishop is consecrated, the laying of hands may be
done by all the bishops present.
77. The marriage rite now found in the Roman Ritual is to be
revised and enriched in such a way that the grace of the sacrament is more
clearly signified and the duties of the spouses are taught.
"If any regions are wont to use other praiseworthy
customs and ceremonies when celebrating the sacrament of matrimony, the sacred
Synod earnestly desires that these by all means be retained" (41).
Moreover the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority
mentioned in Art. 22, 52, of this Constitution is free to draw up its own rite
suited to the usages of place and people, according to the provision of Art.
63. But the rite must always conform to the law that the priest assisting at
the marriage must ask for and obtain the consent of the contracting parties.
78. Matrimony is normally to be celebrated within the Mass,
after the reading of the gospel and the homily, and before "the prayer of
the faithful." The prayer for the bride, duly amended to remind both
spouses of their equal obligation to remain faithful to each other, may be said
in the mother tongue.
But if the sacrament of matrimony is celebrated apart from
Mass, the epistle and gospel from the nuptial Mass are to be read at the
beginning of the rite, and the blessing should always be given to the spouses.
79. The sacramentals are to undergo a revision which takes
into account the primary principle of enabling the faithful to participate
intelligently, actively, and easily; the circumstances of our own days must
also be considered. When rituals are revised, as laid down in Art. 63, new
sacramentals may also be added as the need for these becomes apparent.
Reserved blessings shall be very few; reservations shall be
in favor of bishops or ordinaries.
Let provision be made that some sacramentals, at least in
special circumstances and at the discretion of the ordinary, may be
administered by qualified lay persons.
80. The rite for the consecration of virgins at present
found in the Roman Pontifical is to be revised.
Moreover, a rite of religious profession and renewal of vows
shall be drawn up in order to achieve greater unity, sobriety, and dignity.
Apart from exceptions in particular law, this rite should be adopted by those
who make their profession or renewal of vows within the Mass.
Religious profession should preferably be made within the
Mass.
81. The rite for the burial of the dead should express more
clearly the paschal character of Christian death, and should correspond more
closely to the circumstances and traditions found in various regions. This
holds good also for the liturgical color to be used.
82. The rite for the burial of infants is to be revised, and
a special Mass for the occasion should be provided.
CHAPTER
IV
THE
DIVINE OFFICE
83. Christ Jesus, high priest of the new and eternal
covenant, taking human nature, introduced into this earthly exile that hymn
which is sung throughout all ages in the halls of heaven. He joins the entire
community of mankind to Himself, associating it with His own singing of this
canticle of divine praise.
For he continues His priestly work through the agency of His
Church, which is ceaselessly engaged in praising the Lord and interceding for
the salvation of the whole world. She does this, not only by celebrating the
eucharist, but also in other ways, especially by praying the divine office.
84. By tradition going back to early Christian times, the
divine office is devised so that the whole course of the day and night is made
holy by the praises of God. Therefore, when this wonderful song of praise is
rightly performed by priests and others who are deputed for this purpose by the
Church's ordinance, or by the faithful praying together with the priest in the
approved form, then it is truly the voice of the bride addressed to her
bridegroom; lt is the very prayer which Christ Himself, together with His body,
addresses to the Father.
85. Hence all who render this service are not only
fulfilling a duty of the Church, but also are sharing in the greatest honor of
Christ's spouse, for by offering these praises to God they are standing before
God's throne in the name of the Church their Mother.
86. Priests who are engaged in the sacred pastoral ministry
will offer the praises of the hours with greater fervor the more vividly they
realize that they must heed St. Paul's exhortation: "Pray without
ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:11). For the work in which they labor will effect
nothing and bring forth no fruit except by the power of the Lord who said:
"Without me you can do nothing" (John 15: 5). That is why the
apostles, instituting deacons, said: "We will devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4).
81. In order that the divine office may be better and more
perfectly prayed in existing circumstances, whether by priests or by other
members of the Church, the sacred Council, carrying further the restoration
already so happily begun by the Apostolic See, has seen fit to decree as
follows concerning the office of the Roman rite.
88. Because the purpose of the office is to sanctify the
day, the traditional sequence of the hours is to be restored so that once again
they may be genuinely related to the time of the day when they are prayed, as
far as this may be possible. Moreover, it will be necessary to take into
account the modern conditions in which daily life has to be lived, especially
by those who are called to labor in apostolic works.
89. Therefore, when the office is revised, these norms are
to be observed:
a) By the venerable tradition of the universal Church, Lauds
as morning prayer and Vespers as evening prayer are the two hinges on which the
daily office turns; hence they are to be considered as the chief hours and are
to be celebrated as such.
b) Compline is to be drawn up so that it will be a suitable
prayer for the end of the day.
c) The hour known as Matins, although it should retain the
character of nocturnal praise when celebrated in choir, shall be adapted so
that it may be recited at any hour of the day; it shall be made up of fewer
psalms and longer readings.
d) The hour of Prime is to be suppressed.
e) In choir the hours of Terce, Sext, and None are to be
observed. But outside choir it will be lawful to select any one of these three,
according to the respective time of the day.
90. The divine office, because it is the public prayer of
the Church, is a source of piety, and nourishment for personal prayer. And
therefore priests and all others who take part in the divine office are
earnestly exhorted in the Lord to attune their minds to their voices when
praying it. The better to achieve this, let them take steps to improve their
understanding of the liturgy and of the bible, especially of the psalms.
In revising the Roman office, its ancient and venerable
treasures are to be so adapted that all those to whom they are handed on may
more extensively and easily draw profit from them.
91. So that it may really be possible in practice to observe
the course of the hours proposed in Art. 89, the psalms are no longer to be
distributed throughout one week, but through some longer period of time.
The work of revising the psalter, already happily begun, is
to be finished as soon as possible, and is to take into account the style of
Christian Latin, the liturgical use of psalms, also when sung, and the entire
tradition of the Latin Church.
92. As regards the readings, the following shall be
observed: a) Readings from sacred scripture shall be arranged so that the
riches of God's word may be easily accessible in more abundant measure.
b) Readings excerpted from the works of the fathers,
doctors, and ecclesiastical writers shall be better selected.
c) The accounts of martyrdom or the lives of the saints are
to accord with the facts of history.
93. To whatever extent may seem desirable, the hymns are to
be restored to their original form, and whatever smacks of mythology or ill
accords with Christian piety is to be removed or changed. Also, as occasion may
arise, let other selections from the treasury of hymns be incorporated.
94. That the day may be truly sanctified, and that the hours
themselves may be recited with spiritual advantage, it is best that each of
them be prayed at a time which most closely corresponds with its true canonical
time.
95. Communities obliged to choral office are bound to
celebrate the office in choir every day in addition to the conventual Mass. In
particular:
a) Orders of canons, of monks and of nuns, and of other
regulars bound by law or constitutions to choral office must celebrate the
entire office.
b) Cathedral or collegiate chapters are bound to recite
those parts of the office imposed on them by general or particular law.
c) All members of the above communities who are in major
orders or who are solemnly professed, except for lay brothers, are bound to
recite individually those canonical hours which they do not pray in choir.
96. Clerics not bound to office in choir, if they are in
major orders, are bound to pray the entire office every day, either in common
or individually, as laid down in Art. 89.
97. Appropriate instances are to be defined by the rubrics
in which a liturgical service may be substituted for the divine office.
In particular cases, and for a just reason, ordinaries can
dispense their subjects wholly or in part from the obligation of reciting the
divine office, or may commute the obligation.
98. Members of any institute dedicated to acquiring
perfection who, according to their constitutions, are to recite any parts of
the divine office are thereby performing the public prayer of the Church.
They too perform the public prayer of the Church who, in
virtue of their constitutions, recite any short office, provided this is drawn
up after the pattern of the divine office and is duly approved.
99. Since the divine office is the voice of the Church, that
is of the whole mystical body publicly praising God, those clerics who are not
obliged to office in choir, especially priests who live together or who
assemble for any purpose, are urged to pray at least some part of the divine
office in common.
All who pray the divine office, whether in choir or in
common, should fulfill the task entrusted to them as perfectly as possible:
this refers not only to the internal devotion of their minds but also to their
external manner of celebration.
It is, moreover, fitting that the office, both in choir and
in common, be sung when possible.
100. Pastors of souls should see to it that the chief hours,
especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more
solemn feasts. And the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office,
either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually.
101. 1. In accordance with the centuries-old tradition of
the Latin rite, the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the divine
office. But in individual cases the ordinary has the power of granting the use
of a vernacular translation to those clerics for whom the use of Latin
constitutes a grave obstacle to their praying the office properly. The
vernacular version, however, must be one that is drawn up according to the provision
of Art. 36.
2. The competent superior has the power to grant the use of
the vernacular in the celebration of the divine office, even in choir, to nuns
and to members of institutes dedicated to acquiring perfection, both men who
are not clerics and women. The version, however, must be one that is approved.
3. Any cleric bound to the divine office fulfills his
obligation if he prays the office in the vernacular together with a group of
the faithful or with those mentioned in 52 above provided that the text of the
translation is approved.
CHAPTER
V
THE
LITURGICAL YEAR
102. Holy Mother Church is conscious that she must celebrate
the saving work of her divine Spouse by devoutly recalling it on certain days
throughout the course of the year. Every week, on the day which she has called
the Lord's day, she keeps the memory of the Lord's resurrection, which she also
celebrates once in the year, together with His blessed passion, in the most
solemn festival of Easter.
Within the cycle of a year, moreover, she unfolds the whole
mystery of Christ, from the incarnation and birth until the ascension, the day
of Pentecost, and the expectation of blessed hope and of the coming of the
Lord.
Recalling thus the mysteries of redemption, the Church opens
to the faithful the riches of her Lord's powers and merits, so that these are
in some way made present for all time, and the faithful are enabled to lay hold
upon them and become filled with saving grace.
103. In celebrating this annual cycle of Christ's mysteries,
holy Church honors with especial love the Blessed Mary, Mother of God, who is
joined by an inseparable bond to the saving work of her Son. In her the Church
holds up and admires the most excellent fruit of the redemption, and joyfully
contemplates, as in a faultless image, that which she herself desires and hopes
wholly to be.
104. The Church has also included in the annual cycle days
devoted to the memory of the martyrs and the other saints. Raised up to
perfection by the manifold grace of God, and already in possession of eternal
salvation, they sing God's perfect praise in heaven and offer prayers for us.
By celebrating the passage of these saints from earth to heaven the Church
proclaims the paschal mystery achieved in the saints who have suffered and been
glorified with Christ; she proposes them to the faithful as examples drawing
all to the Father through Christ, and through their merits she pleads for God's
favors.
105. Finally, in the various seasons of the year and
according to her traditional discipline, the Church completes the formation of
the faithful by means of pious practices for soul and body, by instruction,
prayer, and works of penance and of mercy.
Accordingly the sacred Council has seen fit to decree as
follows.
106. By a tradition handed down from the apostles which took
its origin from the very day of Christ's resurrection, the Church celebrates
the paschal mystery every eighth day; with good reason this, then, bears the
name of the Lord's day or Sunday. For on this day Christ's faithful are bound
to come together into one place so that; by hearing the word of God and taking
part in the eucharist, they may call to mind the passion, the resurrection and
the glorification of the Lord Jesus, and may thank God who "has begotten
them again, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto a
living hope" (1 Pet. 1:3). Hence the Lord's day is the original feast day,
and it should be proposed to the piety of the faithful and taught to them so
that it may become in fact a day of joy and of freedom from work. Other
celebrations, unless they be truly of greatest importance, shall not have
precedence over the Sunday which is the foundation and kernel of the whole
liturgical year.
107. The liturgical year is to be revised so that the
traditional customs and discipline of the sacred seasons shall be preserved or
restored to suit the conditions of modern times; their specific character is to
be retained, so that they duly nourish the piety of the faithful who celebrate
the mysteries of Christian redemption, and above all the paschal mystery. If
certain adaptations are considered necessary on account of local conditions,
they are to be made in accordance with the provisions of Art. 39 and 40.
108. The minds of the faithful must be directed primarily toward
the feasts of the Lord whereby the mysteries of salvation are celebrated in the
course of the year. Therefore, the proper of the time shall be given the
preference which is its due over the feasts of the saints, so that the entire
cycle of the mysteries of salvation may be suitably recalled.
109. The season of Lent has a twofold character: primarily
by recalling or preparing for baptism and by penance, it disposes the faithful,
who more diligently hear the word of God and devote themselves to prayer, to
celebrate the paschal mystery. This twofold character is to be brought into
greater prominence both in the liturgy and by liturgical catechesis. Hence:
a) More use is to be made of the baptismal features proper
to the Lenten liturgy; some of them, which used to flourish in bygone days, are
to be restored as may seem good.
b) The same is to apply to the penitential elements. As
regards instruction it is important to impress on the minds of the faithful not
only a social consequences of sin but also that essence of the virtue of
penance which leads to the detestation of sin as an offence against God; the
role of the Church in penitential practices is not to be passed over, and the
people must be exhorted to pray for sinners.
110. During Lent penance should not be only internal and
individual, but also external and social. The practice of penance should be
fostered in ways that are possible in our own times and in different regions,
and according to the circumstances of the faithful; it should be encouraged by
the authorities mentioned in Art. 22.
Nevertheless, let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be
celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged throughout
Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the resurrection may be attained
with uplifted and clear mind.
111. The saints have been traditionally honored in the
Church and their authentic relics and images held in veneration. For the feasts
of the saints proclaim the wonderful works of Christ in His servants, and
display to the faithful fitting examples for their imitation.
Lest the feasts of the saints should take precedence over
the feasts which commemorate the very mysteries of salvation, many of them
should be left to be celebrated by a particular Church or nation or family of
religious; only those should be extended to the universal Church which
commemorate saints who are truly of universal importance.
CHAPTER
VI
SACRED MUSIC
112. The musical tradition of the universal Church is a
treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The
main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words,
it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.
Holy Scripture, indeed, has bestowed praise upon sacred song
(42), and the same may be said of the fathers of the Church and of the Roman
pontiffs who in recent times, led by St. Pius X, have explained more precisely
the ministerial function supplied by sacred music in the service of the Lord.
Therefore sacred music is to be considered the more holy in
proportion as it is more closely connected with the liturgical action, whether
it adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of minds, or confers greater solemnity
upon the sacred rites. But the Church approves of all forms of true art having
the needed qualities, and admits them into divine worship.
Accordingly, the sacred Council, keeping to the norms and
precepts of ecclesiastical tradition and discipline, and having regard to the
purpose of sacred music, which is the glory of God and the sanctification of
the faithful, decrees as follows.
113. Liturgical worship is given a more noble form when the
divine offices are celebrated solemnly in song, with the assistance of sacred
ministers and the active participation of the people.
As regards the language to be used, the provisions of Art.
36 are to be observed; for the Mass, Art. 54; for the sacraments, Art. 63; for
the divine office. Art. 101.
114. The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and
fostered with great care. Choirs must be diligently promoted, especially in
cathedral churches; but bishops and other pastors of souls must be at pains to
ensure that, whenever the sacred action is to be celebrated with song, the
whole body of the faithful may be able to contribute that active participation
which is rightly theirs, as laid down in Art. 28 and 30.
115. Great importance is to be attached to the teaching and
practice of music in seminaries, in the novitiates and houses of study of
religious of both sexes, and also in other Catholic institutions and schools.
To impart this instruction, teachers are to be carefully trained and put in
charge of the teaching of sacred music.
It is desirable also to found higher institutes of sacred
music whenever this can be done.
Composers and singers, especially boys, must also be given a
genuine liturgical training.
116. The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially
suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be
given pride of place in liturgical services.
But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are
by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations, so long as they accord with
the spirit of the liturgical action, as laid down in Art. 30.
117. The typical edition of the books of Gregorian chant is
to be completed; and a more critical edition is to be prepared of those books
already published since the restoration by St. Pius X.
It is desirable also that an edition be prepared containing
simpler melodies, for use in small churches.
118. Religious singing by the people is to be intelligently
fostered so that in devotions and sacred exercises, as also during liturgical
services, the voices of the faithful may ring out according to the norms and
requirements of the rubrics.
119. In certain parts of the world, especially mission
lands, there are peoples who have their own musical traditions, and these play
a great part in their religious and social life. For this reason due importance
is to be attached to their music, and a suitable place is to be given to it, not
only in forming their attitude toward religion, but also in adapting worship to
their native genius, as indicated in Art. 39 and 40.
Therefore, when missionaries are being given training in
music, every effort should be made to see that they become competent in
promoting the traditional music of these peoples, both in schools and in sacred
services, as far as may be practicable.
120. In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in
high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a
wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man's
mind to God and to higher things.
But other instruments also may be admitted for use in divine
worship, with the knowledge and consent of the competent territorial authority,
as laid down in Art. 22, 52, 37, and 40. This may be done, however, only on
condition that the instruments are suitable, or can be made suitable, for
sacred use, accord with the dignity of the temple, and truly contribute to the
edification of the faithful.
121. Composers, filled with the Christian spirit, should
feel that their vocation is to cultivate sacred music and increase its store of
treasures.
Let them produce compositions which have the qualities
proper to genuine sacred music, not confining themselves to works which can be
sung only by large choirs, but providing also for the needs of small choirs and
for the active participation of the entire assembly of the faithful.
The texts intended to be sung must always be in conformity
with Catholic doctrine; indeed they should be drawn chiefly from holy scripture
and from liturgical sources.
CHAPTER
VII
SACRED
ART AND SACRED FURNISHINGS
122. Very rightly the fine arts are considered to rank among
the noblest activities of man's genius, and this applies especially to
religious art and to its highest achievement, which is sacred art. These arts,
by their very nature, are oriented toward the infinite beauty of God which they
attempt in some way to portray by the work of human hands; they achieve their
purpose of redounding to God's praise and glory in proportion as they are
directed the more exclusively to the single aim of turning men's minds devoutly
toward God.
Holy Mother Church has therefore always been the friend of
the fine arts and has ever sought their noble help, with the special aim that
all things set apart for use in divine worship should be truly worthy,
becoming, and beautiful, signs and symbols of the supernatural world, and for
this purpose she has trained artists. In fact, the Church has, with good
reason, always reserved to herself the right to pass judgment upon the arts,
deciding which of the works of artists are in accordance with faith, piety, and
cherished traditional laws, and thereby fitted for sacred use.
The Church has been particularly careful to see that sacred
furnishings should worthily and beautifully serve the dignity of worship, and
has admitted changes in materials, style, or ornamentation prompted by the
progress of the technical arts with he passage of time.
Wherefore it has pleased the Fathers to issue the following
decrees on these matters.
123. The Church has not adopted any particular style of art
as her very own; she has admitted styles from every period according to the
natural talents and circumstances of peoples, and the needs of the various
rites. Thus, in the course of the centuries, she has brought into being a
treasury of art which must be very carefully preserved. The art of our own
days, coming from every race and region, shall also be given free scope in the
Church, provided that it adorns the sacred buildings and holy rites with due
reverence and honor; thereby it is enabled to contribute its own voice to that
wonderful chorus of praise in honor of the Catholic faith sung by great men in
times gone by.
124. Ordinaries, by the encouragement and favor they show to
art which is truly sacred, should strive after noble beauty rather than mere
sumptuous display. This principle is to apply also in the matter of sacred
vestments and ornaments.
Let bishops carefully remove from the house of God and from
other sacred places those works of artists which are repugnant to faith,
morals, and Christian piety, and which offend true religious sense either by
depraved forms or by lack of artistic worth, mediocrity and pretense.
And when churches are to be built, let great care be taken
that they be suitable for the celebration of liturgical services and for the
active participation of the faithful.
125. The practice of placing sacred images in churches so
that they may be venerated by the faithful is to be maintained. Nevertheless
their number should be moderate and their relative positions should reflect
right order. For otherwise they may create confusion among the Christian people
and foster devotion of doubtful orthodoxy.
126. When passing judgment on works of art, local ordinaries
shall give a hearing to the diocesan commission on sacred art and, if needed,
also to others who are especially expert, and to the commissions referred to in
Art. 44, 45, and 46.
Ordinaries must be very careful to see that sacred
furnishings and works of value are not disposed of or dispersed; for they are
the ornaments of the house of God.
127. Bishops should have a special concern for artists, so
as to imbue them with the spirit of sacred art and of the sacred liturgy. This
they may do in person or through suitable priests who are gifted with a
knowledge and love of art.
It is also desirable that schools or academies of sacred art
should be founded in those parts of the world where they would be useful, so
that artists may be trained.
All artists who, prompted by their talents, desire to serve
God's glory in holy Church, should ever bear in mind that they are engaged in a
kind of sacred imitation of God the Creator, and are concerned with works
destined to be used in Catholic worship, to edify the faithful, and to foster
their piety and their religious formation.
128. Along with the revision of the liturgical books, as
laid down in Art. 25, there is to be an early revision of the canons and
ecclesiastical statutes which govern the provision of material things involved
in sacred worship. These laws refer especially to the worthy and well planned
construction of sacred buildings, the shape and construction of altars, the
nobility, placing, and safety of the eucharistic tabernacle, the dignity and
suitability of the baptistery, the proper ordering of sacred images,
embellishments, and vestments. Laws which seem less suited to the reformed
liturgy are to be brought into harmony with it, or else abolished; and any
which are helpful are to be retained if already in use, or introduced where
they are lacking.
According to the norm of Art. 22 of this Constitution, the
territorial bodies of bishops are empowered to adapt such things to the needs
and customs of their different regions; this applies especially to the
materials and form of sacred furnishings and vestments.
129. During their philosophical and theological studies,
clerics are to be taught about the history and development of sacred art, and
about the sound principles governing the production of its works. In
consequence they will be able to appreciate and preserve the Church's venerable
monuments, and be in a position to aid, by good advice, artists who are engaged
in producing works of art.
130. It is fitting that the use of pontificals be reserved
to those ecclesiastical persons who have episcopal rank or some particular
jurisdiction.
APPENDIX
A DECLARATION OF THE SECOND ECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF THE
VATICAN ON REVISION OF THE CALENDAR
The Second Ecumenical Sacred Council of the Vatican,
recognizing the importance of the wishes expressed by many concerning the
assignment of the feast of Easter to a fixed Sunday and concerning an
unchanging calendar, having carefully considered the effects which could result
from the introduction of a new calendar, declares as follows:
But among the various systems which are being suggested to
stabilize a perpetual calendar and to introduce it into civil life, the Church
has no objection only in the case of those systems which retain and safeguard a
seven-day week with Sunday, without the introduction of any days outside the
week, so that the succession of weeks may be left intact, unless there is
question of the most serious reasons. Concerning these the Apostolic See shall
judge.
NOTES
1. Secret of the ninth Sunday after Pentecost.
2. Cf. Heb. 13:14.
3. Cf. Eph. 2:21-22.
4. Cf. Eph. 4:13.
5. Cf. Is. 11:12.
6. Cf. John 11:52.
7. Cf. John 10:16.
8. Cf. Is. 61:1; Luke 4:18.
9. St. Ignatius of Antioch, To the Ephesians, 7, 2.
10. Cf. 1 Tim. 2:5.
11. Sacramentarium Veronese (ed. Mohlberg), n. 1265; cf.
also n. 1241, 1248.
12. Easter Preface of the Roman Missal.
13. Prayer before the second lesson for Holy Saturday, as it
was in the Roman Missal before the restoration of Holy Week.
14. Cf. Mark 16:15.
15. Cf. Acts 26:18.
16. Cf. Rom. 6:4; Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1; 2 Tim. 2:11.
17. Cf. John 4:23.
18. Cf. 1 Cor. 11:26.
19. Council of Trent, Session XIII, Decree on the Holy
Eucharist, c.5.
20. Council of Trent, Session XXII, Doctrine on the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass, c. 2.
21. Cf. St. Augustine, Tractatus in Ioannem, VI, n. 7.
22. Cf. Apoc. 21:2; Col. 3:1; Heb. 8:2.
23. Cf. Phil. 3:20; Col. 3:4.
24. Cf. John 17:3; Luke 24:27; Acts 2:38.
25. Cf. Matt. 28:20.
26. Postcommunion for both Masses of Easter Sunday.
27. Collect of the Mass for Tuesday of Easter Week.
28. Cf. 2 Cor. 6:1.
29. Cf. Matt. 6:6.
30. Cf . 1 Thess. 5:17.
31. Cf . 2 Cor. 4:10-11.
32. Secret for Monday of Pentecost Week.
33. St. Cyprian, On the Unity of the Cathotic Church, 7; cf.
Letter 66, n. 8, 3.
34. Cf. Council of Trent, Session XXII, Doctrine on the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass, c. 8.
35. Cf. St. Ignatius of Antioch, To the Smyrnians, 8; To the
Magnesians, 7; To the Philadelphians, 4.
36. Cf. St. Augustine, Tractatus in Ioannem, VI, n. 13.
37. Roman Breviary, feast of Corpus Christi, Second Vespers,
antiphon to the Magnificat.
38. Cf. St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of
John, book XI, chap. XI-XII: Migne, Patrologia Graeca, 74, 557-564.
39. Cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-2.
40. Session XXI, July 16, 1562. Doctrine on Communion under
Both Species, chap. 1-3: Condlium Tridentinum. Diariorum, Actorum, Epistolarum,
Tractatuum nova collectio ed. Soc. Goerresiana, tome VIII (Freiburg in Br.,
1919), 698-699.
41. Council of Trent, Session XXIV, November 11, 1563, On
Reform, chap. I. Cf. Roman Ritual, title VIII, chap. II, n. 6.
42. Cf. Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16