Without giving a full account of the event, I thought I would note just a couple of point regarding yesterday’s installation liturgy of Archbishop William Lori as the sixteenth Archbishop of Baltimore. In particular, I noted the elements that struck me as somewhat “Reform-of-the-Reform” (RoR), alongside other elements that most definitely are not.
- Elements that struck me as somewhat RoR included the chanting of the Pater Noster and the pontifical blessing in Latin, the use of the Roman Canon, the presence of acolytes with torches and incense before the altar during the canon along with incensing during the elevations, and the chanting of the Regina cæli at the end of Mass. These were all things different from his predecessor’s installation. Also, Archbishop Lori’s vestments were a sumptuous brocade rather than the simpler vestments preferred by his predecessor (which can be seen on the concelebrants in the picture above).
- Many RoR desiderata, however, were not in view, including the use of the gregorian propers or the copious use of Latin. There was nary a fiddleback in sight and the Mass was celebrated versus populum.
- Some typically post-conciliar elements were also present, including lay women as lectors, music from the African American and Latino traditions, and communion under both species for everyone who desired it. The prayer of the faithful was also the typical multi-lingual affair led by lay people (one newly-ordained transitional deacon, dressed in clerics rather than vestments, also participated, but I suspect that this was because of his facility in Igbo rather than his diaconal status).
A couple of observations. First, the contrast of the RoR elements with the post-Conciliar elements was occasionally jarring — as when Duruflé’s Ubi Caritas was followed by the Mariachi-flavored Celebracion de Unidad. Perhaps more work needs to be done in thinking about how to blend elements from the past that we desire to recover with those things that have developed in the liturgy since the council. Second, I was aware of the sheer fact that things like the use of Latin and chant struck me as RoR. Can one favor those things while remaining a bit suspicious of the RoR package as a whole?
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