Module 1 - significant event

Question 1

liturgy reforms (pre-vatican II)

Answer 1

Internal: Strong Centralisation, focus on Clericalism and Church Hierarchy
* External: Secularism

Tridentine Mass:
* Everything in Latin
* Priest conducted the liturgy facing East - community behind
* Congregation follows in private prayer - no active part

Issues:
* Very few spoke or understood Latin
* Lack of understanding & participation in scriptures, prayers & rituals
* Focus on priest rather than congregation
Outdated & irrelvant for 20th century

Question 2

liturgy reforms (post-vatican II)

Answer 2

· ‘resourcement’ - attuned to early Christian traditions while being more relevant to modern life

· Communion under both kinds’ (bread and wine)
· Vernacular language
· Prayers of the faithful
· Three Eucharistic prayers
· Proportion of the Bible read at Mass greatly increased: Before: 1% of Old Testament, 16.5% of New Testament, After: 13.5% of Old Testament, 71.5% of New Testament
· Increased number of readings at Mass
· Three-year cycle of readings for Sunday Mass
· 4-part Order of Mass replaced 2-part Order of Mass
· Priests could face their congregations
Achieved theme of renouncement

Question 3

liturgy reforms quotes

Answer 3

“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” (SC 14)
* “To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses…actions, gestures and bodily attitudes. (SC 30)
* “This sacred Council has several aims in view: it desires to impart an ever increasing vigor to the Christian life of the faithfu; to adapt more suitably to the needs of our own times”. (SC1)

Question 4

laity reforms (pre-vatican II)

Answer 4

he church was seen as a pyramidal structure, clergy occupying the apex and laity filling up the bottom.
- There was a mindset that the masses of poor ignorant laity would be lost and have no way to salvation without the clergy.
Laity we

Question 5

laity reforms (post-vatican II)

Answer 5

The church was seen as a pyramidal structure, clergy occupying the apex and laity filling up the bottom.
- There was a mindset that the masses of poor ignorant laity would be lost and have no way to salvation without the clergy.
- Laity were observers.

· A multitude of ministries has flourished in the church: at Mass, children’s ministries, catechetical and faith formation, youth ministry, various lay organizations.
· There is also a multitude of recognisable, church-related, Christian organisations serving the world in myriad fields.
· Furthermore, the laity are also active in the world in activities that contribute to the welfare of society but may not be immediately recognisable as “holy” church-related work.
· In some countries in the West, there are more qualified theologians amongst the laity than the clergy. There are many “lay” theologians too in the third world.
· It is evident that the laity are no longer “passive”, but active participants in kingly, priestly and prophetic ministries in Church and world.
· Achieved theme of aggiornamento

Question 6

laity reforms quote

Answer 6

• Apostolicam ActuosSITatTEM (AA) - decree on apostolate laity
• “Schools, colleges, and other Catholic educational institutions have the duty to develop a Catholic sense and apostolic activity in young persons.” (AA 30)
• “teachers and educators…should be equipped with pedagogical skills that are needed for impairing such education effectively” (AA 30)
• Ad Gentes (AG) - decree on the mission activity of the Church
• “lay people, too are called to active missionary work” (AG 17)
• Lumen Gentium - dogmatic constitution on the Church
• “the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity…. The holiness of the people will grow into an abundant harvest of good “ (Lumen Gentium 40)
• Gaudien et Sped - pastoral constitution
  “laymen are not only bound ot penetrate the world with Christian spirit but are also called to be witnessed to Christ in all things in the midst of human society” (GS 43

Question 7

ecumenism reform (pre-vatican II)

Answer 7

• Since the earliest divisions the Church held that:
• Schism between Christians is a sin
• Other denominations were ‘outside the church’ = they have no salvation
• Christ found one Church, not many Churches
• The Church hoped the separated bodies may come again to be reunited with
• The Church wanted to persuade other churched to return to a unity that was once broken
  Catholic attitudes: 1917 Code of Canon Law

Question 8

ecumenism reform (post-vatican II)

Answer 8

· There is an effort here to understand other Christians and make the Church’s position understandable to them.
· Recognition is made of the Church’s guilt for the division of the Church and the Church’s present shortcomings.
· The common heritage is recognized, and the Church is supposed to live up to the Christian responsibility stemming from this heritage.
· The others are recognized as Churches and church communities; it is even admitted that the Church can learn something from them.
· What separates is not glossed over, but ways are sought to overcome divisions through common dialogue, with deepened knowledge of scripture.
· Common desire for unity should be awakened in all through common prayer and through avoiding all conflict and all competition.
· Achieved the theme of ecumenism
· Separated Christians no longer consider each other as strangers, competitors or enemies rather as brothers and sisters.

Question 9

ecumenism reform quotes

Answer 9

1258 Code of Canon Law 1917:
* It is illicit for the faithful to assist or participate in non-Catholic religious functions.
* “It is unlawful for the faithful to assist in any active manner, or to take part in the sacred services of non-Catholics” (Code of Canon Law 1917)

Unatis Redintegratio (UR) - decree on ecumenism by Pope Paul VI, 1964
* “The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council” (UR 1)
* “Christ founded one Church and one Church only. Such divisions contradicts the will of Christ” (UR 1)
* “all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ’s body, and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the Catholic Church” (UR 3)
* “The council exhorts all the Catholic faithful…to take an active and intelligent part in the work of ecumenism” (UR 4)
* “It is allowable, indeed desirable that Catholic join in prayer with seperated brethren” (UR 8)

1983 Code of Canon Law
No longer absolutely forbids the cooperation of Roman Catholic Clergy with clergy of other systems of beliefs.