The ongoing debates on the present state and the future of the Roman Catholic worship are not confined to specialists, but are clearly of interest to a wider public, as the responses to the Sacra Liturgia UK conference, held in London in July 2016, have shown. This volume contains the proceedings of the conference and raises the question of how to bring to fruition the insights and instructions of the Second Vatican Council and its key document on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, in the life of the Church today. The initial contribution from Robert Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, calls for a fuller implementation of Sacrosanctum Concilium. Following on from this other leading figures and liturgical scholars, such as Joris Geldhof, David Fagerberg and Alcuin Reid, examine Catholic worship from a variety of perspectives, including historical, pastoral, social, cultural and artistic themes. Taken together, these chapters present another crucial step along the route of authentic liturgical renewal in the contemporary world.

The celebration of the liturgy of the Holy Eucharist is one of the central issues in the Roman Catholic Church today. To mark the "Year of the Eucharist", the Society of St. Catherine of Siena held a conference on the Eucharistic liturgy at Oxford in 2005. This book contains the energetic and fruitful reflection of the scholars present at the conference. The contributions are academically demanding yet accessible to a wider audience. The collection does not seek a solution to the current problems, rather it promotes an open discussion about the theological, philosophical and historical issues surrounding the celebration of the liturgy and its future as well as paying attention to the increasing interest in the pre-conciliar rites.

This volume offers a new, synthetic overview of the structure and ritual shape of the Roman Mass from its formative period in late antiquity to its post-Tridentine standarisation. Starting with the Last Supper and the origins of the Eucharist, Uwe Michael Lang constructs a narrative that explores the intense religious, social, and cultural transformations that shaped the Roman Mass. Lang unites classical liturgical history with insights from a variety of other disciplines that have drawn attention to the ritual performance and reception of the mass. He also presents liturgical developments within the broader historical and theological contexts that affected the celebration and experience of the sacramental rite that is still at the heart of Catholic Christianity. Aimed at scholars from a broad swathe of subjects, including religious studies, history, art history, literature, and music, Lang's volume serves as a comprehensive history of the Roman Mass over the course of a millenium.

The ongoing debates on the present state and the future of the Roman Catholic worship are not confined to specialists, but are clearly of interest to a wider public, as the responses to the Sacra Liturgia UK conference, held in London in July 2016, have shown. This volume contains the proceedings of the conference and raises the question of how to bring to fruition the insights and instructions of the Second Vatican Council and its key document on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, in the life of the Church today. The initial contribution from Robert Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, calls for a fuller implementation of Sacrosanctum Concilium. Following on from this other leading figures and liturgical scholars, such as Joris Geldhof, David Fagerberg and Alcuin Reid, examine Catholic worship from a variety of perspectives, including historical, pastoral, social, cultural and artistic themes. Taken together, these chapters present another crucial step along the route of authentic liturgical renewal in the contemporary world.

This volume offers a selection of essays from the pages of Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal, the official organ of the Society for Catholic Liturgy. The Society was founded in 1995 as a multidisciplinary association of Catholic scholars, teachers, pastors, and ecclesiastical professionals in the Anglophone world, with the aim of promoting the scholarly study and practical renewal of the sacred liturgy. This collection is inspired by the confident affirmation of the Second Vatican Council, taking its cue from an ancient prayer of the Roman Rite, that in Christ, ""the fullness of divine worship was given to us"" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 5). The contributions gathered in this single volume cover a range of topics and offer different perspectives. They are united by their grounding in the rich history of Catholic worship, by their theological awareness and reflection, and by their concern for the liturgical life of the Church today. Alcuin Reid considers the role of liturgical law in the twenty-first century and explores the theological dimensions of ars celebrandi. Ryan J. Marr relates the seminal thought of Rene Girard to contemporary discussions on the sacrificial character of the Eucharist and on liturgical reform. Uwe Michael Lang offers a fresh reading of Augustine's conception of sacrifice in City of God, Book X, a historically charged text that continues to generate interest among theologians and liturgists. Michael P. Foley sheds light on the origins of the rite of peace in the Roman tradition and discusses its significance and practice in contemporary liturgical celebrations. Madeleine Grace, C.V.I. makes a compelling case from biblical, liturgical and canonical sources to recover the spiritual benefits of Eucharistic fasting. Daniel G. Van Slyke compares and contrasts the current Order for Blessing Water Outside of Mass with its immediate predecessor. Clinton Allen Brand presents the language of the liturgical books approved for the Ordinariates according to the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus as an idiom of worship that resonates with Anglophone culture and provides an opportunity for evangelization.