This section contains material pertaining to Catholic Liturgy, Worship and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If you must contact the Vatican to deal with abuse, then write to:
Cardinal Francis Arinze
Prefect - Congregation for Divine Worship
Piazza Pio XII, 10
Vatican City (Europe) 00120
(Recommended are the two books Mass Confusion and Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite)
| Title | Author(s) | Topics |
| The Power of the Mass | Compilation |
Good explanation of the importance of the greatest prayer, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, by Popes and Saints. |
| Is Your Mass Valid? Liturgical Abuses | Bruce Sabalaskey | The most common liturgical abuses are analyzed. Certain serious abuses actually invalidate the Mass. |
| On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist (Redemptionis Sacramentum) |
Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments |
"In order that especially in the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy the Church might duly safeguard so great a mystery in our own time as well, the Supreme Pontiff has mandated that this Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, in collaboration with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, should prepare this Instruction treating of certain matters pertaining to the discipline of the Sacrament of the Eucharist." |
| General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM 2003) for USA |
Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship
and Discipline of the Sacraments |
Contains the rules (Rubrics) for celebration of the Mass and Liturgy for the United States as approved by the Vatican. This 2003 GIRM supercedes the 1975 GIRM. |
| General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM 1975) | Pope Paul VI |
Contains the rules (Rubrics) for celebration of the Mass and Liturgy. This 1975 version has been superceded by the 2003 version of the GIRM. |
| GIRM Appendix for USA Dioceses (1975 version). | USA Bishops |
Special GIRM instructions for Dioceses in the USA only (1975 version only). |
| GIRM Official Interpretation (1975 Version) | Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship |
Query and Reply format responding to questions on interpretation of the GIRM (1975 version only). |
| Responses to Questions on Kneeling for Holy Communion |
Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments |
"The Congregation in fact is concerned at the number of similar complaints [about kneeling] that it has received in recent months from various places, and considers any refusal of Holy Communion to a member of the faithful on the basis of his or her kneeling posture to be a grave violation of one of the most basic rights of the Christian faithful..." |
| On the Use of Vernacular Languages in the Publication of the Books of the Roman Liturgy (Liturgicam Authenticam) | Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments | "The Second Vatican Council strongly desired to preserve with care the authentic Liturgy, which flows forth from the Church's living and most ancient spiritual tradition... The greatest prudence and attention is required in the preparation of liturgical books marked by sound doctrine, which are exact in wording, free from all ideological influence, and otherwise endowed with those qualities by which the sacred mysteries of salvation and the indefectible faith of the Church are efficaciously transmitted by means of human language to prayer, and worthy worship is offered to God the Most High." |
| Instruction On Music In The Liturgy (Musicam Sacram) | Sacred Congregation of Rites | "Sacred music, in those aspects which concern the liturgical renewal, was carefully considered by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. It explained its role in divine services, issued a number of principles and laws on this subject in the Constitution on the Liturgy, and devoted to it an entire chapter of the same Constitution." |
| Dance In The Liturgy | Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship | "For that reason [liturgical dance] cannot be introduced into liturgical celebrations of any kind whatever: that would be to inject into the liturgy one of the most desacralized and desacralizing elements; and so it would be equivalent to creating an atmosphere of profaneness which would easily recall to those present and to the participants in the celebration worldly places and situations." |
| The Preparation And Celebration Of The Easter Feasts (Paschales Solemnitatis) |
Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship |
"The Congregation for Divine Worship, after due consideration, thinks that it is a fitting moment to recall certain elements, doctrinal and pastoral, and various norms which have already been published concerning Holy Week." |
| Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest (Ecclesiae de Mysterio) | Pope John Paul II | "The source of the call addressed to all members of the Mystical Body to participate actively in the mission and edification of the People of God, is to be found in the mystery of the Church. The People of God participate in this call through the dynamic of an organic communion in accord with their diverse ministeries and charisms." |
| On the Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist (Dominicae Cenae) | Pope John Paul II | Encyclical explaining the importance of the priestly role regarding the Eucharistic, and "that the problems of the liturgy, and in particular of the Eucharistic Liturgy, must not be an occasion for dividing Catholics and for threatening the unity of the Church." |
| Instruction Concerning Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery (Inaestimabile Donum) | Pope John Paul II | Encyclical dealing with abuse of the Eucharistic whereby our Pope "cannot suppress concern at the varied and frequent abuses being reported from different parts of the Catholic world: the confusion of roles, especially regarding the priestly ministry and the role of the laity." |
| Mystery of Faith (Mysterium Fidei) | Pope Paul VI | "The Catholic Church has always devoutly guarded as a most precious treasure the mystery of faith, that is, the ineffable gift of the Eucharist which she received from Christ her Spouse as a pledge of His immense love, and during the Second Vatican Council in a new and solemn demonstration she professed her faith and veneration for this mystery." |
| Instruction on the orderly carrying out of the Constitution on the Liturgy (Liturgicae Instaurationes) | Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship (this implements Vatican II) |
"The liturgical reforms put into effect thus far as applications of Vatican Council II's Constitution on the Liturgy have to do primarily with the celebration of the mystery of the Eucharist. ... The repeated celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass in our worshipping communities stands as evidence that the Mass is the center of the Church's entire life, the focal point of all other activities, and that the purpose of the ritual renewal is to inspire a pastoral ministry that has the liturgy as its crown and source and that is a living out of the paschal mystery of Christ." |