From June 1-4, 2015, an international
conference
on liturgical formation in light of the new evangelization
will be
held in New York, under the title:
SACRA LITURGIA USA 2015
CULMEN ET FONS VITÆ ET MISSIONIS ECCLESIÆ
Continuing the initiative of Sacra Liturgia 2013, organized by Bishop Dominique Rey (Fréjus-Toulon, France) in
Rome, this conference seeks to support the Church’s saving evangelistic and catechetical
mission, as well as the continued revitalization of the liturgical life of the
Church, especially in the United States.
The sacred liturgy plays a central, vital role in the
new evangelization, attracting souls to the heart of Christ and His Church. For
the baptized, the sacred liturgy resides at the heart of the Christian faith
and life — indeed it is the “source and summit of the life and mission of the
Church.” As Bishop Rey stated
at the opening of the 2013 conference in Rome, “The sacred liturgy is not a hobby for specialists. It
is central to all our endeavors as disciples of Jesus Christ. This profound
reality cannot be overemphasized. We must recognize the primacy of grace in our
Christian life and work, and we must respect the reality that in this life the
optimal encounter with Christ is in the Sacred Liturgy.”
The conference brings together a wide range of
renowned international speakers including Raymond Cardinal Burke; Archbishop
Salvatore Cordileone (San Francisco); Dom Phillip Anderson, OSB (Abbot of Clear
Creek Monastery); and Dom Alcuin Reid (Monastère Saint-Benoît, Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, France);
among others. See the appendix for a complete list of speakers and topics.
Topics addressed at the conference will range from
broad subjects like the relationship between liturgy and culture, Catholic
identity, youth, the arts, and Catholic education to specific questions like
the mid-20th-century changes to Holy Week and the post-Vatican-II reform of the
calendar and lectionary. Lectures will take place at the Kaye Playhouse at
Hunter College (68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues) which is
conveniently located at a subway stop.
The conference lectures will be augmented by working
sessions for those in Catholic higher education. Sponsored by The Cardinal
Newman Society, the sessions will facilitate a conversation about renewing the
liturgical life of Catholic colleges and universities to support the
intellectual and moral formation of students and faculty in the Faith.
At the heart of the conference are the liturgical
celebrations. There will be Solemn Vespers in the usus antiquior, a Sung
Mass in the Dominican rite, and Solemn Pontifical Masses in the usus
recentior and usus antiquior. The Solemn Pontifical Mass in the usus
antiquior on the feast of Corpus Christi, celebrated on Thursday, June 4th,
will be followed by a Eucharistic procession in the streets of New York.
Liturgies will be held at the Church of Saint Catherine of Siena (411 E 68th
Street), a beautiful Dominican parish on the Upper East Side.
With the prestigious lineup of speakers, as well as
the beautiful liturgies planned, those attending the conference will come away
with a rich experience of the intellectual heritage and liturgical life of the
Catholic faith. The serious intellectual inquiry into the sacred liturgy will
prove fruitful for both academics and laymen alike. Attendees will meet
Catholics from all over the world, and be afforded the opportunity to build
good working relationships with others of those seeking to deepen their love of
Christ through the Church’s liturgy, and to
continue their work for liturgical renewal.
Approximately 300 participants are expected.
Registrations for the whole conference will open on January 1, 2015, and
part-time registrations will be possible beginning at Easter. More information
about registration, affordable housing, and locations is available at the
conference website.
The conference is
being organized by Rev. Richard Cipolla, Ph.D., D. Phil (Oxon.) and Jennifer
Donelson, D.M.A. Media inquiries may be made to contact@sacraliturgiausa.org.
Message of
Bishop Dominique Rey
for the
announcement of Sacra Liturgia USA 2015
Toulon, France – 8th December 2014
Bishop Dominique Rey, Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, France, has
welcomed the announcement of Sacra
Liturgia USA 2015. “I am delighted at this initiative, which we began in
Rome with Sacra Liturgia 2013, and which
continues the work of fostering a greater appreciation of the fundamental role
of liturgical formation and celebration for the mission of the Church in the
twenty-first century,” he said.
“As the Second Vatican Council taught, ‘the Sacred Liturgy
is the source and summit of life and mission of the Church.’ Our first
duty is the worship of Almighty God. Thus, if unjustly we do not give the
liturgy its primary place in Christian life or if our liturgical
celebrations are somehow not as they should be, the New Evangelisation will be
impeded. The urgent work of bringing people to Christ, or of bringing them back
to the practice of their Catholic faith, will suffer. That is why we must begin
with getting right liturgical formation and celebration,” Bishop Rey continued.
“I am profoundly grateful to His Eminence, Cardinal Dolan,
for so readily welcoming Sacra Liturgia
USA 2015 to the Archdiocese of New York,” Bishop Rey said, “and to the
organisers and speakers who have already done so much to prepare what will be
an important opportunity for liturgical formation for all involved in the
Church’s ministry."
"May God bless this new Sacra
Liturgia initiative. May it bear much fruit in the United States of America,
and beyond!”