In addition, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos has included a preface to this new edition, which is also found below.
NLM comments follow.
LONDON: 26TH SEPTEMBER 2008
VATICAN CARDINAL COMMENDS NEW BOOK ON OLDER RITES
Parish priests and bishops “must accept” the requests of Catholics who ask for the older (Latin) form of the Mass, a senior Vatican official has said. This is “the express will” of the Pope, “legally established,” which “must be respected by ecclesiastical superiors and local ordinaries [bishops] alike,” he insisted. Hoyos continued, stating that “all seminaries” should provide training in the old form of the Mass “as a matter of course.”
Cardinal Dario Castrillón Hoyos ―the man charged with implementing Pope Benedict’s liberalisation of the Latin Mass and other rites as celebrated before the Second Vatican Council―made these remarks in a preface to the forthcoming edition of The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described, the standard English manual on how to celebrate the older rites, released yesterday.
Hoyos commended the book―the fifteenth edition since it was first published by the English priest Dr Adrian Fortescue in 1917―edited by the London based “distinguished liturgical scholar” Dr Alcuin Reid as “a reliable tool for the preparation and celebration of the liturgical rites” that Pope Benedict has authoritatively decreed may now freely be used. The volume is due for publication by Continuum/Burns & Oates by the end of 2008.
Alcuin Reid, speaking from London, said: “The honour that the Cardinal has accorded this book underlines the importance of the older forms of the Mass and sacraments in Pope Benedict’s overall renewal of the liturgical life of the Catholic Church.” He continued, “We’re at a critical moment in the history of the liturgy, and taking away restrictions on the celebration of the older rites enables them to contribute to, and even re-inform the quality of, Catholic worship worldwide.”
Continuum’s London Publishing Director, Robin Baird-Smith, added: “We’re delighted that this title has returned to the Burns and Oates imprint, and to be publishing such an important volume at this time.”
Title: Adrian Fortescue, J.B. O’Connell & Alcuin Reid, The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described
UK & Europe: Book Link
USA: Book Link
From the new edition of the Ceremonies, here is Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos' preface:
It is a pleasure for me to present this fifteenth edition of Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described, the first edition to appear since the Motu Proprio of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, Summorum Pontificum, dated 7th July 2007, definitively clarified that the rites according to the liturgical books in use in 1962 were never abrogated and that they truly constitute a treasure that belongs to the entire Catholic Church and should be widely available to all of Christ’s faithful. It is now clear that Catholics have a juridical right to the more ancient liturgical rites, and that parish priests and bishops must accept the petitions and the requests of the faithful who ask for it. This is the express will of the Supreme Pontiff, legally established in Summorum Pontificum in a manner that must be respected by ecclesiastical superiors and local ordinaries alike. [NLM Emphasis]
The Holy Father is pleased at the generous response of many priests to his initiative in learning once again the rites and ceremonies of the Sacrifice of the Mass and of the other sacraments according to the usus antiquior so that they may serve those people who desire them. I encourage priests to do so in a spirit of pastoral generosity and love for the liturgical heritage of the Roman Rite. Seminarians, as part of their formation in the liturgy of the Church, should also become familiar with this usage of the Roman Rite not only in order to serve the People of God who request this form of Catholic worship but also in order to have a deeper appreciation of the background of the liturgical books presently in force. Hence it follows that all seminaries should provide such training as a matter of course. [NLM Emphasis]
This book, a classic guide to the celebration of the Church’s ancient Gregorian Rite in the English-speaking world, will serve priests and seminarians of the twenty-first century – just as it served so many priests of the twentieth – in their pastoral mission, which now necessarily includes familiarity with and openness to the use of the older form of the sacred liturgy. I happily commend it to the clergy, seminarians and laity as a reliable tool for the preparation and celebration of the liturgical rites authoritatively granted by the Holy Father in Summorum Pontificum.
I congratulate the distinguished liturgical scholar, Dr. Alcuin Reid, for his care and precision in ensuring that this revised edition conforms to the latest authoritative decisions with regard to these liturgical rites. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his letter which accompanied Summorum Pontificum: “In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture.” The Gregorian Rite is today a living liturgical rite which will continue its progress without losing any of its riches handed on in tradition. For as the Holy Father continued, “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.” May this book assist the Church of today and of tomorrow in realising Pope Benedict’s vision.
Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos
President
Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”
25 September 2008
There are a couple of interesting angles worth highlighting here.
The Legal/Juridical Angle, or the Angle of Obligation
One is the juridical angle. The Cardinal is making clear that, juridically, Catholics have a right to this particular expression of their liturgical inheritance and that pastors, ordinaries and superiors need to heed those rights as a form of obligation. This comes out in expressions as follows:
"...definitively clarified that the rites according to the liturgical books in use in 1962 were never abrogated."
"Catholics have a juridical right to the more ancient liturgical rites..."
"...legally established in Summorum Pontificum in a manner that must be respected by ecclesiastical superiors and local ordinaries alike."
"...should be widely available to all of Christ’s faithful"
This really intends to set out the legal rights and obligations that surround this matter -- though I think it must also be noted that this doesn't negate the need for the faithful to also be reasonable and sensible in their approach to these questions.
However, there is another important angle that the Cardinal is highlighting and this angle moves us beyond what we must merely do out of obligation, or because of "rights" and "duties", and into a deeper scope.
The Conversion of our Liturgical Heart and Mind Angle
This other angle is not about rights, duties or obligations, but really relates to a much deeper, more constructive and positive approach to the usus antiquior: namely, an appeal for the genuine pastoral care for the faithful on the one hand, and, even more importantly, an appeal for the cultivation of an inherent appreciation and valuing of our liturgical inheritance and tradition.
"The Holy Father is pleased at the generous response of many priests ... in learning once again the rites and ceremonies..."
"I encourage priests to do so in a spirit of pastoral generosity and love for the liturgical heritage of the Roman Rite."
"Seminarians, as part of their formation in the liturgy of the Church, should also become familiar with this usage of the Roman Rite not only in order to serve the People of God who request this form of Catholic worship but also in order to have a deeper appreciation of the background of the liturgical books presently in force."
In these cases then, we are speaking about a deeper response to the ancient Roman liturgy which goes beyond the surface response to law, and is inherently a type of conversion of heart and mind.
This, of course, would have a positive effect not only as regards the usus antiquior but also as regards our approach to the modern Roman liturgy and the reform of the reform.
