WORSHIP Volume 75, Number 1 January 2001

R. Kevin Seasoltz
Seventy-fifth Anniversary of Worship, pp. 2 - 5.

Summary. Kevin Seasoltz recounts the seventy-five-year history of Worship. The journal was founded in 1926 by Virgil Michel, a monk of Saint John's Abbey in Collegeville and the pioneer of the American liturgical movement. Seasoltz remarks that Father Virgil brought the European liturgical movement to the United States but gave it a distinctively American character. Father Virgil's vision was solidly grounded in the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ and a firm conviction that the liturgy belongs to the entire church, that is, all the baptized. He also knew that the liturgical, social, educational and biblical dimensions of the church's life must be carefully interrelated and that rural and national political issues must also be discussed in a liturgical context because everything that touches the life of the Mystical Body of Christ should be of concern to every worshiping Christian.

After Father Virgil's death in 1938, the editorship of Worship was assumed by Father Godfrey Diekmann. It was under his direction that the name of the journal was changed from Orate Fratres to Worship. Seasoltz indicates that the name change reflected the strong commitment of the editorial staff to the use of the vernacular in the liturgy so that all could participate actively and intelligently in the celebration of the liturgy. In 1967 responsibility for editing Worship was assumed by Fathers Aelred Tegels and Michael Marx, who decided to emphasize the importance of liturgy for ecumenical encounter and to devote the journal to more scholarly articles. Although Worship's editorial staff underwent another change in 1987, the policy has remained basically the same since 1967. The editorial policy continues to be explicitly ecumenical. Concerned with the interface of Christianity and culture, Worship seeks to reflect on the role that the various theological disciplines, as well as the arts and social sciences, play in shaping Christian worship and the lives of worshiping Christians in the world.

Seasoltz notes at the end that to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary, Worship's editorial consultants have been invited to reflect on their own experience of liturgy during the past twenty-five years and to highlight the progress that they feel has been made, while at the same time commenting on where we stand at the present time and what issues they think need to be addressed in forthcoming issues.

Rembert G. Weakland
Liturgy in the United States these Past 25 Years, pp. 5 - 12.

Summary. Rembert Weakland begins his reflection on the liturgy in the United States these past 25 years by describing the state of liturgy in 1975. The general atmosphere in 1975, says Weakland, was one regulated by competency and scholarship in liturgical matters, but also guided by pastoral sensitivity. The aim was to deepen the renewal already achieved and to fine-tune it. Weakland notes, however, that clouds were rising, because in 1975 Archbishop Bugnini was dismissed from his role as Secretary of the Congregation for Worship. Changes were in the offing, he says, but no one thought that these changes would involve an attempt of reversal of what had been attained. Weakland goes on to identify what he believes are the most significant aspects of liturgical renewal in the last twenty-five years, including translations of liturgical texts, the structure of rites, the publication of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, liturgical inculturation, the place of the homily in every liturgy, and artistic and musical elements.

The liturgical atmosphere in 2000 is very different. Weakland comments that the clouds have now covered the sky, with few rays of sunshine coming through. The one ray of hope, he says, is that the vast majority of faithful does not want to see the clock turned back. Yet, the general tenor is one that sees the renewal as over; the trend is toward a new rubricism and absolute uniformity. On the positive side, advance has been made in making the homily more effective and the quality of art in our churches has improved. Weakland then discusses five particular causes of the changes that have occurred in the past twenty-five years.

In conclusion, Weakland writes that in spite of all the difficulties mentioned, people are genuinely satisfied with the liturgy as it is and would not want to go back to the status ante. He urges that we can only pray that the concern for good liturgy will continue into the future and that we will have learned much from the experiences we shared following the Council to the end of this last century.

Gail Ramshaw
The Pit, or the Gates of Zion?
A Report on Contemporary Western Liturgical Language, pp. 12 - 19.

Summary. Gail Ramshaw observes that in the 1960s many Western Christian denominations in North America undertook to recast their liturgical language in the vernacular. Since then, churches have produced new worship resources crafted in more or less contemporary speech. Some churches seek to require use of these, and only these, newly authorized texts. In other churches, the new options have inspired libraries-full of other privately composed material. In some churches, the official publications are several decades ahead, and in others several decades behind, the preferences of the worshiping assemblies.

Ramshaw comments further that there is data to suggest that the language of the liturgy has never been so creative, so replete with traditional and contemporary imagery, and so attuned to issues of inculturation. However, there are assemblies that evidence not the slightest knowledge of nor interest in the meaning of their vocabulary. One's report on liturgical language, says Ramshaw, has a good deal to do with whether one has a the-glass-is-half-empty or the-glass-is-half-full personality disposition.

Ramshaw delineates seven issues concerning liturgical language currently alive in Western churches, including biblical translation, androcentric speech, feminist preferences, the name of God, images for God, christology, and decision-making. Borrowing from the language of Psalm 9, she concludes by saying that some Christians will judge that contemporary Western liturgical language is sunk in the pit, while others would counter that we are rejoicing at the gates of Zion. For Ramshaw, the glass is both half empty and half full. The merciful surprise is that there at the pit is the gate of Zion.

Maxwell E. Johnson
The Role of Worship in the Contemporary Study of
Christian Initiation: A Select Review of the Literature, pp. 20 - 35.

Summary. Maxwell Johnson looks at the critical and important role that Worship has played and continues to play in the study of the rites of Christian initiation. It is Johnson's conviction that the contemporary liturgical study of Christian initiation is, largely, a study of key Worship articles on the topic. Reflection on the modern rites of Christian initiation appearing in the revised liturgical books of several Christian churches today in light of their historical development and theological interpretation, in fact, has been the subject of numerous Worship articles over the past twenty-five years.

Johnson highlights some key essays appearing in Worship that continue to contribute toward renewed scholarly thinking about initiation rites today. First, he looks at those articles which have contributed to the study of Christian initiation in the early church. Next, Johnson features essays that have addressed the area of confirmation. Finally, he considers where we go from here. Johnson suggests three areas which may serve to occupy scholarly attention in the future. One, there is a need for our constant re-reading of the earliest extant liturgical sources. Two, architectural attention to baptismal space in our churches would seem to be a highly critical need today. Three, pastoral-theological scholarship on Christian initiation needs to be concerned with ecumenical conversation on initiation rites.

In conclusion, Johnson writes that for the past twenty-five years Worship has been on the forefront of liturgical scholarship on Christian initiation and that scholarship has been decidedly ecumenical in its orientation and its implications. All of this must simply continue as Worship embarks on its future.

Gordon W. Lathrop
Strong Center, Open Door:
A Vision of Continuing Liturgical Renewal, pp. 35 - 45.

Summary. Sometimes, a few words may stand as a genuine symbol for a whole movement, writes Gordon Lathrop. Pius X's famous phrase from a 1903 motu proprio functioned in this way for the twentieth-century movement for liturgical renewal in the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope's letter tells us that the indispensable source of the true Christian spirit for "all the faithful" is "active participation in the holy mysteries." Lathrop observes that the classic phrase from a Roman letter has become an ecumenical treasure, illuminating an abiding truth about "church" for us all.

Lathrop says further that there are other such brief phrases which may also be worthy to stand as symbols of the liturgical movement. He points to a text inscribed on a bell in the West Denmark Lutheran Church, which reads, "To the bath and the table,/ to the prayer and the word,/ I call every seeking soul." After reflecting on the meaning of these words, Lathrop comments that the inscription can be seen as having a remarkable continuing resonance with some important notes in the Christian scholarship and the ecumenical liturgical renewal of the late twentieth century. He also sees the text as being capable of deepening and organizing the ongoing efforts of contemporary ecumenical liturgical renewal. Lathrop describes several of the implications he believes would result if we were to take the text seriously.

In closing, Lathrop writes that placing the West Denmark text next to the "word" of Pius X is the sharing of an ecumenical treasure. In fact, he says, it may be that the bell inscription puts the concern of the famous Roman motu proprio with greater clarity and greater existential pungency. Here is a vital agenda for continuing liturgical reform.

Robert F. Taft
A Generation of Liturgy in the Academy, pp. 46 - 58.

Summary. Robert Taft offers some personal reflections on what he considers a few highlights and shadows in the academic liturgical scene today, especially, though not exclusively, in North America. He begins with the highlights. The first of these is the area of liturgical theology, which, Taft says, has been enriched in recent years by some remarkably fresh syntheses. Next, he considers three areas in North American studies with clear pastoral results. Another highlight Taft names is ecumenical and interfaith dialogue. Here, he notes the contribution of historico-critical liturgiology to moving scholarship beyond Modernism and enabling us to take a serious look at issues that still divide Christians.

Next, Taft considers the contribution to liturgical understanding of the human sciences. Taft also identifies feminist theology as an area which will have a considerable impact on liturgy and liturgical studies in the future. He goes on to note the importance of sociocultural contextualisation, as well as the analysis of the very concept and nature of liturgical reform. Historico-critical, textual, and comparative studies also continue to play an important role in liturgical renewal. Finally, Taft expresses gratitude to St. John's Abbey for supporting the work of Worship and The Liturgical Press.

Taft then looks at the shadows in the liturgical scene today, commenting on the debate over the place of liturgy within the field of theology and the present-day attempts to reverse the Vatican II-mandated liturgical renewal. He closes with a consideration of the tasks that remain. Taft believes that the work must go on, and criticism should lead the mature to self-examination. But more is needed than doing what we do and reflecting on it. Evaluative criteria for both liturgical science and praxis is needed. We need to ask, what is a good liturgy? How do we evaluate liturgy? By what criteria? Who are liturgy's guardians – and quis custodet custodes? Taft concludes that it is clear that there has to be a better way of narrowing the gap between theology and execution.

Irene Nowell
The Making of Translations: A Dilemma, pp. 58 - 68.

Summary. Irene Nowell considers a critical question: How will we produce satisfactory translations for our continuing worship? She begins with the premise that there is no such thing as a completely "literal" translation. She adds that every translation is an interpretation. So, what are translators doing? Nowell suggests that the translator must heed the sense and the meaning, must take into account the long history of the work both before its inception and in its transmission, and finally must read through his or her own human experience, striving to approach the experience of the author or composer.

Nowell proceeds to discuss the principles that guide translators in bridging the gap between the original text and the target audience and the challenges that this task presents. She then explores where translators might look for help in meeting the challenges that confront them. Here, Nowell looks first to the past and what can be learned from how our ancestors handled the two translations of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Septuagint and the Vulgate. Next, she considers the present and the need to achieve a delicate balance between preserving traditions of the past and conveying the language of the present. Finally, Nowell outlines five principles that should guide us as we prepare translations for the future.

Nowell ends where she began. Every translation is an interpretation. Any translation must of necessity be different from the original. She further comments that a successful translation will build a good bridge between the original work and the target audience so that the reader might find that "immediate wordless experience" that moved the author. That bridge is the challenge faced by every translator, and in the end the question is, "How do you say that in English?"

Nathan D. Mitchell
The Amen Corner, pp. 68 - 77.

Summary. Nathan Mitchell writes that since the time the journal Worship (formerly Orate Fratres) was launched in 1926, it has become an indispensable resource for friends of the liturgy across North America and various countries beyond. Worship has set the standard for liturgical studies that are rooted in Scripture, tradition, theology, history, and the pastoral life of God's people. Mitchell adds that for three-quarters of a century, the history of what we call the "Liturgical Movement" in North America has been recorded in the pages of Worship.

Book Reviews

The Change of Conversion and the Origin of Christendom. By Alan Kreider. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Trinity Press International 1999. Pages, xviii + 126. Paper, $11.00. ISBN 1-56338-298-9. Review by Maxwell E. Johnson, pp. 79 - 81.

The English Hymn: A Critical and Historical Study. By J. R. Watson. New York: Oxford University Press 1999. Pages, 552. Paper, $45.00. ISBN 0-19-827002-X. Review by Paul Westermeyer, pp. 81 - 82.

Seeing beyond the Word: Visual Arts and the Calvinist Tradition. Ed. by Paul Corby Finney. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company 1999. Pages, xviii + 540. Indexed. Cloth, $65.00. ISBN 0-8028-3860-X. Review by Mark A. Torgerson, pp. 82 - 84.

Liturgical Music as Ritual Symbol: A Case Study of Jacques Berthier's Taizé Music. By Judith Marie Kubicki. Leuven, Belgium: Peeters 1999. Pages, xiii + 207. Paper, $35.00. ISBN 90-429-0740-1. Review by R. Todd Ridder, S.M., pp. 84 - 86.

The Twentieth Century: A Theological Overview. Edited by Gregory Baum. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis 1999. Pages, 263. Paper, $20.00. ISBN 1-57075-282-6. Review by Robert P. Imbelli, pp. 86 - 87.

Efficacia dei Sacramenti e la «Performance» Rituale: Ripensare «ex opere operato» a patire dal antropologia culturale. "Caro Salutis Cardo," Studi 12. By Alberto Dal Maso. Padua: Edizioni Messaggero Padova 1999. Paper, Italian 43,000 lire. ISBN 88-250-0775-2. Review by Michael G. Witczak, pp. 87 - 90.

Moving Toward Emancipatory Language: A Study of Recent Hymns. By Robin Knowles Wallace. Lanham, Maryland, and London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. 1999. Pages, xii + 269. Cloth, $57.50. ISBN 0-8108-3460-8. Review by Dolores Dufner, O.S.B., pp. 90 - 92.

Sharing the Eucharist: A Theological Evaluation of the Post Conciliar Legislation. By Myriam Wijlens. With a foreword by Johannes Cardinal Willebrands. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America 2000. Pages, 396. Hardcover, $52.00. ISBN 0-7618-1560-0. Review by John M. Huels, O.S.M., pp. 92 - 94.

Lay Ministers, Lay Disciples: Evangelizing Power in the Parish. By Susan Blum Gerding and Frank DeSiano, C.S.P. New York: Paulist Press 1999. Pages, 212. Paper, $14.95. ISBN 0-8091-3896-4. Review by Edward C. Sellner, pp. 94 - 96.

Serving with Power: Reviving the Spirit of Christian Ministry. By Kortright Davis. New York: Paulist Press 1999. Pages, 208. Paper, $14.95. ISBN 0-8091-3890-5. Review by Edward C. Sellner, pp. 94 - 96.