Decree on the Bishops’ Pastoral Office in the Church. By this prayer, in which the people are to take part, intercession will be made for holy Church, for the civil authorities, for those oppressed by various needs, for all mankind, and for the salvation of the entire world (39). Cf. This they may do in person or through suitable priests who are gifted with a knowledge and love of art. 22 of this Constitution, the territorial bodies of bishops are empowered to adapt such things to the needs and customs of their different regions; this applies especially to the materials and form of sacred furnishings and vestments. By so doing, pastors will be fulfilling one of the chief duties of a faithful dispenser of the mysteries of God; and in this matter they must lead their flock not only in word but also by example. 9. At the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood. Hence: a) More use is to be made of the baptismal features proper to the Lenten liturgy; some of them, which used to flourish in bygone days, are to be restored as may seem good. 33. 50. For the liturgy is made up of immutable elements divinely instituted, and of elements subject to change. The Church has not adopted any particular style of art as her very own; she has admitted styles from every period according to the natural talents and circumstances of peoples, and the needs of the various rites. That is not in Vatican II; it is not mentioned. 54. Vatican II was opened under Pope St. John XXIII on October 11, 1962, and closed under Pope St. Paul VI on December 8, 1965. 81. 39. 40 of this Constitution is to be observed. In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, a minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle (22); we sing a hymn to the Lord's glory with all the warriors of the heavenly army; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them; we eagerly await the Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ, until He, our life, shall appear and we too will appear with Him in glory (23). The Latin texts are the normative texts of the Council, published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, in which the official acts of the Holy See are published. D) Norms for adapting the Liturgy to the culture and traditions of peoples. In accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the Latin rite, the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the divine office. 39 and 40. They do indeed impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them most effectively disposes the faithful to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God duly, and to practice charity. 12. Secret of the ninth Sunday after Pentecost. 68. 3. Therefore, when this wonderful song of praise is rightly performed by priests and others who are deputed for this purpose by the Church's ordinance, or by the faithful praying together with the priest in the approved form, then it is truly the voice of the bride addressed to her bridegroom; it is the very prayer which Christ Himself, together with His body, addresses to the Father. Approved 2,151 to 5 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964. The Council therefore sees particularly cogent reasons for undertaking the reform and promotion of the liturgy. The better to achieve this, let them take steps to improve their understanding of the liturgy and of the bible, especially of the psalms. Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions. Hence, as soon as any one of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived. To believers also the Church must ever preach faith and penance, she must prepare them for the sacraments, teach them to observe all that Christ has commanded (25), and invite them to all the works of charity, piety, and the apostolate. In order that the divine office may be better and more perfectly prayed in existing circumstances, whether by priests or by other members of the Church, the sacred Council, carrying further the restoration already so happily begun by the Apostolic See, has seen fit to decree as follows concerning the office of the Roman rite. Approved 2,110 to 39 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964. Pope John XXIII leads the opening session of the Second Vatican Council in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Oct. 11, 1962. Let them produce compositions which have the qualities proper to genuine sacred music, not confining themselves to works which can be sung only by large choirs, but providing also for the needs of small choirs and for the active participation of the entire assembly of the faithful. English  Latin, 16. By means of the homily the mysteries of the faith and the guiding principles of the Christian life are expounded from the sacred text, during the course of the liturgical year; the homily, therefore, is to be highly esteemed as part of the liturgy itself; in fact, at those Masses which are celebrated with the assistance of the people on Sundays and feasts of obligation, it should not be omitted except for a serious reason. Listed in the order in which they were promulgated: 1. Vatican II was therefore denying that the Catholic Church is the one universal Church of Christ. The sermon, moreover, should draw its content mainly from scriptural and liturgical sources, and its character should be that of a proclamation of God's wonderful works in the history of salvation, the mystery of Christ, ever made present and active within us, especially in the celebration of the liturgy. This is to apply in the first place to the readings and "the common prayer," but also, as local conditions may warrant, to those parts which pertain to the people, according to the norm laid down in Art. But in order that the liturgy may be able to produce its full effects, it is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper dispositions, that their minds should be attuned to their voices, and that they should cooperate with divine grace lest they receive it in vain (28) . 2) Because the sermon is part of the liturgical service, the best place for it is to be indicated even in the rubrics, as far as the nature of the rite will allow; the ministry of preaching is to be fulfilled with exactitude and fidelity. Let bishops carefully remove from the house of God and from other sacred places those works of artists which are repugnant to faith, morals, and Christian piety, and which offend true religious sense either by depraved forms or by lack of artistic worth, mediocrity and pretense. Christus Dominus, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church. It affirmed the right of parents to choose the type of education they want for their children, upheld the importance of Catholic schools and defended freedom of inquiry in Catholic colleges and universities. Tavard, George H. De Divina Revelatione: The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation of Vatican Council , Promulgated by Pope Paul Vi, November 18, 1965. Sometimes it may be expedient that several dioceses should form between them one single commission which will be able to promote the liturgy by common consultation. The Church is His beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the Eternal Father. 111. 64. Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community; rather does she respect and foster the genius and talents of the various races and peoples. Roman Ritual, title VIII, chap. English  Latin, CONSTITUTIONON THE SACRED LITURGYSACROSANCTUM CONCILIUMSOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BYHIS HOLINESS. Perfectae Caritatis, Decree On Renewal of Religious Life. The Promotion of Liturgical Instruction and Active Participation. 106. 1:1), when the fullness of time had come sent His Son, the Word made flesh, anointed by the Holy Spirit, to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the contrite of heart (8), to be a "bodily and spiritual medicine" (9), the Mediator between God and man (10). Translations from the Latin text into the mother tongue intended for use in the liturgy must be approved by the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned above. 2. Laws which seem less suited to the reformed liturgy are to be brought into harmony with it, or else abolished; and any which are helpful are to be retained if already in use, or introduced where they are lacking. Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity. Priests who are engaged in the sacred pastoral ministry will offer the praises of the hours with greater fervor the more vividly they realize that they must heed St. Paul's exhortation: "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 104. Major Documents of Vatican II. This principle is to apply also in the matter of sacred vestments and ornaments. English  Latin, 5. Approved 2,308 to 70 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 7 December 1965. The Function of the Blessed Virgin in the Plan of Salvation 55. American Catholic.org ) The Second Vatican Council has already made us free (Commentary by Robert … Pope John XXIII started Vatican II in 1962 and it lasted until 1965, when Pope Paul VI ended it. It provided guidelines for the personal and institutional renewal of the lives of nuns, brothers and priests belonging to religious orders. also n. 1241, 1248. 2:11. The work of revising the psalter, already happily begun, is to be finished as soon as possible, and is to take into account the style of Christian Latin, the liturgical use of psalms, also when sung, and the entire tradition of the Latin Church. 25, there is to be an early revision of the canons and ecclesiastical statutes which govern the provision of material things involved in sacred worship. Popular devotions of the Christian people are to be highly commended, provided they accord with the laws and norms of the Church, above all when they are ordered by the Apostolic See. 33. Tweet. c) The accounts of martyrdom or the lives of the saints are to accord with the facts of history. Approved 2,221 to 88 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 28 October 1965. Council of Trent, Session XXII, Doctrine on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, c. 2. The Function of the Blessed Virgin in the Plan of Salvation 55. Christ Jesus, high priest of the new and eternal covenant, taking human nature, introduced into this earthly exile that hymn which is sung throughout all ages in the halls of heaven. Cf. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. 37. (Rom. 38. For he continues His priestly work through the agency of His Church, which is ceaselessly engaged in praising the Lord and interceding for the salvation of the whole world. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation. E) Promotion of Liturgical Life in Diocese and Parish. 22, 52, 37, and 40. It is not even raised in the documents that record the formation of the Constitution on the Liturgy; it didnt come up. For this reason the sacred Council decrees as follows concerning their revision. Apart from these instances, no special honors are to be paid in the liturgy to any private persons or classes of persons, whether in the ceremonies or by external display. 1. 90. Nevertheless the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows. II, n. 6. Under the direction of the above-mentioned territorial ecclesiastical authority the commission is to regulate pastoral-liturgical action throughout the territory, and to promote studies and necessary experiments whenever there is question of adaptations to be proposed to the Apostolic See. 1. English  Latin, 6. These not only may but ought to be changed with the passage of time if they have suffered from the intrusion of anything out of harmony with the inner nature of the liturgy or have become unsuited to it. Therefore in Christ "the perfect achievement of our reconciliation came forth, and the fullness of divine worship was given to us" (11). The Vatican II Documents are essential for understanding the last 50 years’ spirited, and sometimes contentious, conversations within Catholicism. Diariorum, Actorum, Epistolarum, Tractatuum nova collectio ed. 3. Because the purpose of the office is to sanctify the day, the traditional sequence of the hours is to be restored so that once again they may be genuinely related to the time of the day when they are prayed, as far as this may be possible. St. Cyprian, On the Unity of the Cathotic Church, 7; cf. November 17 to December 7: First voting. 91. 37. The bishop is to be considered as the high priest of his flock, from whom the life in Christ of his faithful is in some way derived and dependent. There is hardly any proper use of material things which cannot thus be directed toward the sanctification of men and the praise of God. St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John, book XI, chap. And therefore priests and all others who take part in the divine office are earnestly exhorted in the Lord to attune their minds to their voices when praying it. 1. Lastly, in faithful obedience to tradition, the sacred Council declares that holy Mother Church holds all lawfully acknowledged rites to be of equal right and dignity; that she wishes to preserve them in the future and to foster them in every way. Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority. The number of the anointings is to be adapted to the occasion, and the prayers which belong to the rite of anointing are to be revised so as to correspond with the varying conditions of the sick who receive the sacrament. Or a Christmas with? Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests. Protestant observers made an important contribution. 63, new sacramentals may also be added as the need for these becomes apparent. Orientalium Ecclesiarum, Decree On the Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite. A prime need, therefore, is that attention be directed, first of all, to the liturgical instruction of the clergy. 93. 87. 26. 50 Years of the Modernist Juggernaut Vatican II: The Documents Examined Bp. The divine office, because it is the public prayer of the Church, is a source of piety, and nourishment for personal prayer. XI-XII: Migne, Patrologia Graeca, 74, 557-564. 59. It said the primary duty of priests is to proclaim the Gospel to all, approved and encouraged celibacy as a gift and recommended fair salaries. 19. 14. 29. Liturgical services are not private functions, but are celebrations of the Church, which is the "sacrament of unity," namely, the holy people united and ordered under their bishops (33). In this restoration, both texts and rites should be drawn up so that they express more clearly the holy things which they signify; the Christian people, so far as possible, should be enabled to understand them with ease and to take part in them fully, actively, and as befits a community. 42. 84. 3. 1:3). She does this, not only by celebrating the eucharist, but also in other ways, especially by praying the divine office. 110. 1962: October 22 to November 13: Debate. Ordinaries must be very careful to see that sacred furnishings and works of value are not disposed of or dispersed; for they are the ornaments of the house of God. Concelebration, whereby the unity of the priesthood is appropriately manifested, has remained in use to this day in the Church both in the east and in the west. Wherefore it has pleased the Fathers to issue the following decrees on these matters. In place of the rite called the "Order of supplying what was omitted in the baptism of an infant," a new rite is to be drawn up. There are four major documents in Vatican II, called ‘Constitutions’. 2. The rite of confirmation is to be revised and the intimate connection which this sacrament has with the whole of Christian initiation is to be more clearly set forth; for this reason it is fitting for candidates to renew their baptismal promises just before they are confirmed. Nevertheless, each priest shall always retain his right to celebrate Mass individually, though not at the same time in the same church as a concelebrated Mass, nor on Thursday of the Lord's Supper. 9:15) in Christ Jesus, "in praise of his glory" (Eph. 69. Among these principles and norms there are some which can and should be applied both to the Roman rite and also to all the other rites. Approved 2,307 to 75 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 7 December 1965. And the people reply to God both by song and prayer. Unitatis Redintegratio, Decree On Ecumenism. 1:12), through the power of the Holy Spirit. Vatican II Decrees and Declarations On this page I’ve provided outlines and links to twelve of the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Early in the game, another view emerged as a competitor to the emphasis on the council’s actual decisions. Holy Mother Church is conscious that she must celebrate the saving work of her divine Spouse by devoutly recalling it on certain days throughout the course of the year. Vatican II documents for the faithful of the Church. 35. It was preceded by the revival of Gregorian Chant in the 1800s by the Abbey of Solemnes, the renewal of the Liturgy of the Hours by Pope St. Pius X, and of the liturgies of Holy Week by Pope Pius XII. These laws refer especially to the worthy and well planned construction of sacred buildings, the shape and construction of altars, the nobility, placing, and safety of the eucharistic tabernacle, the dignity and suitability of the baptistery, the proper ordering of sacred images, embellishments, and vestments. 73. 39 and 40. And therefore the liturgical life of the parish and its relationship to the bishop must be fostered theoretically and practically among the faithful and clergy; efforts also must be made to encourage a sense of community within the parish, above all in the common celebration of the Sunday Mass. In certain parts of the world, especially mission lands, there are peoples who have their own musical traditions, and these play a great part in their religious and social life. Rightly, then, the liturgy is considered as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. 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