Fifty Years of Worship Scholarship amidst the Changing Worlds of Worship (1972-2022)

• Published in: Liturgy (Washington) Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 10 - 15
• Main Author: Baldovin, John F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 02-10-2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Alexander Schmemann; Catholic Liturgical Reform; Catholicism; eucharistic prayer; inculturation; International Commission on English in the Liturgy; Liturgy; Louis-Marie Chauvet; Religious history; Scholarships & fellowships; Second Vatican Council; Theology
• ISSN: 0458-063X; 1557-3001
• DOI: 10.1080/0458063X.2022.2121094

A remarkable corpus of Roman Catholic liturgical scholarship has been produced over the past fifty years. Therefore, an essay of this scope can only hope to be selective and somewhat schematic. Anyone familiar with the liturgical movement in the Catholic Church will realize that those women and men who have been writing in these past fifty years stand on the shoulders of many pioneers in both liturgical theology and historical studies. Their work paved the way for the liturgical reforms inspired by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), which inspired even further reflection that built on the council's work. Before turning to various developments, it is important to acknowledge the fact that Roman Catholics did not produce their scholarship in a vacuum. Some of the work that preceded Vatican II was ecumenical in nature, but the council itself inspired even greater efforts at cooperation. One need only to survey the various Eucharistic liturgies of the major Western churches to appreciate how much we have learned from one another. In what follows, it should be obvious that not only Roman Catholics have made contributions in the various areas of research.