Many of you may be following the Sacra Liturgia conference in Rome (Jeffrey has been writing more about it). The following is an excerpt of an article by one of the scholars present at the conference.
Such a commitment should mean the regular use of the Roman Church’s mother tongue, Latin; her native music, Gregorian chant; her time-tested and unbroken customs. This is not a mere matter of taste or preference; it is a matter of internal consistency within the educational program, a matter of consistency with Catholic ideals. Why would we study the best that our Tradition has to offer—the Fathers and Doctors and mystics of the Church—but not worship in a way like unto the way they worshiped? Why would we dazzle the eyes and ears of our students with the glories of Western art and music, but not ensure for them the greatest glory of all—the Holy Mass celebrated with dignity, solemnity, and beauty? Truly the Mass must be the focal point of the daily campus life, and this it will only be when a concerted effort has been made to purify and elevate the details of its celebration.
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