On October 19, the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry (STM) hosted a lecture by Fr. John Baldovin, S.J., titled “A Reform in Motion: Vatican II and the Liturgy” in the STM library auditorium. The talk was sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph from Brentwood, New York as the second lecture of their “Re-Energizing the Renewal” webinar symposium conducted to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II).
Fr. Baldovin currently serves as Professor of Historical and Liturgical Theology at the STM, and previously served on the advisory committee for the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) from 1989 to 1993 and the advisory committee for the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) from 1994 to 2002.
The lecture centered around Sacrosanctum concilium, the constitution on the Sacred Liturgy promulgated as a result of Vatican II in 1963.
Fr. Baldovin summarized what he called the “new liturgical theology” that came about as a result of Sacrosanctum concilium. He quoted the constitution in its statement that “[Christ] is present … when the Church prays and sings” (§7), as well as sections 26 and 27, which lay out the public nature of liturgical celebration in the Church, as well as the preference for “active participation of the faithful” to “a celebration that is individual and quasi-private.”
In contextualizing the historical buildup to Vatican II, Fr. Baldovin discussed what he saw as a “rigid Catholic theology” since the Council of Trent, the 16th century ecumenical council that established the Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), among other reforms. He also described a shift leading up to Vatican II among some theologians to ressourcement, a movement towards returning to ancient Church sources, namely Sacred Scripture and writings of the Church Fathers.
A consequence of this renewed interest in Scripture, Fr. Baldovin argued, then led to a reform of the Lectionary in the reformed liturgy. Fr. Baldovin noted especially Sacrosanctum concilium’s emphasis on the importance of Scripture, as well as the creation of the three-year cycle of Sunday Mass readings and two-year cycle of weekday Mass readings, noting that for the first time in Church history, there were proper readings for every day of the year.
Fr. Baldovin then overviewed the ensuing implementation of Sacrosanctum concilium. Framing its realization as the embodiment of the “entire library” of books of the revised Roman Rite, he highlighted the limited time and great speed needed to translate the originally Latin instructions and books into vernacular languages.
Fr. Baldovin cited Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, in his introduction to the first lecture in the “Re-Energizing the Renewal” series and his statement that no interpretation of Vatican II can be judged without its reception. Cardinal Cupich has notably implemented a number of restrictions on the celebration of the TLM in his Archdiocese.
Fr. Baldovin then alluded to his book Reforming the Liturgy: A Response to the Critics in answering what he sees as a growing rejection of Vatican II. Mentioning the drastic decrease in Mass attendance right after the implementation of the reformed liturgy, he rejected the argument that the decrease was a result of the reform. Rather, he suggested that the emphasis on “active participation” may have been alienated “because [people] now had to pay attention” at Mass.
Fr. Baldovin then discussed the movement he called “the reform of the reform” and Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 letter Summorum pontificum, which allowed all Roman Rite priests to celebrate the TLM, which Fr. Baldovin described as “not anything less than troubling.” He argued that the declaration “implied a rejection of the entire baptismal ecclesiology of [Vatican II]” before claiming that Pope Francis’ 2021 letter Traditionis custodes “basically overturn[ed]” Summorum pontificum, saying that since the reformed liturgy is now described as the “sole expression of the lex orandi” of the Church, the rites are now unequal.
In his conclusion, Fr. Baldovin claimed that the liturgical reforms of Vatican II have “yet been truly implemented.” He also responded to the contention that the reformed liturgy caused a loss of mystery, claiming that what was meant by this objection was not truly a loss of mystery, but a loss of reverence. In the question and answer period, he argued the problem of reverence is that some “don’t really believe God is present” in the liturgy.
He also responded to a question regarding the active participation of women and same-sex attracted persons in the liturgy by saying “we need to be a welcoming Church … not a moralistic Church.”
In a question regarding the appeal of the TLM, he noted the appeal of the “stability” and “aesthetics” of the TLM, but saw them as a barrier to active participation, as he claimed there is an ecclesiological problem of having two forms of the Roman Rite. He conceded that appeal for the TLM is “not helped by bad liturgies.”
Speaking to The Torch after the lecture, he said the way to increase reverence in the reformed liturgy is to “preach well [and] follow the rules. That’s the reform right there.” He was also optimistic for the future state of sacred music, anticipating a sort of “pendulum swing” towards the use of reverent liturgical music.
Adam is a senior from Columbus, Ohio. He previously served as Campus News and Culture Editor, and boasts the title of least cultured to ever serve as the latter. Holding a minor in Biology, he recently converted from STEM and now majors in Philosophy and Classical Studies. He currently leads Una Voce, the Latin Mass society at BC, and sings with the University Chorale of Boston College and the Chorale Chamber Singers. He enjoys Gregorian Chant, relearning the clarinet, and is an unabashed Ohio apologist.
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