{"id":61522,"date":"2023-02-20T10:58:16","date_gmt":"2023-02-20T16:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=61522"},"modified":"2023-03-01T13:41:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T19:41:23","slug":"ad-orientem-clarifying-the-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/20\/ad-orientem-clarifying-the-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Ad Orientem: Clarifying the History"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moderator\u2019s note: Dr. Jared Staudt recently wrote (\u201cWhy is Ad Orientem worship so controversial?<\/a>\u201d in DenverCatholic) that \u201c<\/i>Churches were constructed throughout history \u2026 with the altar \u2026 oriented toward the East,\u201d and that \u201cVatican II said nothing about changing the priest\u2019s direction during Mass\u201d and \u201cthere is no official liturgical document from the 1960s that directed it.\u201d <\/i>Pray Tell is happy to reprint, with the kind permission of DenverCatholic<\/a> and Fr. Felix Medina\u2019s response to Dr. Staudt. – awr<\/i><\/p>\n

After reading Dr. Jared Staudt\u2019s article\u00a0\u201cWhy is Ad Orientem worship so controversial?\u201d<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0which appeared on this site on January 26, 2023, I more clearly understand \u201cthe necessity of an authentic liturgical formation\u201d at all levels of the Catholic Church recently emphasized by Pope Francis.1<\/sup>\u00a0I agree with Staudt when he says that the practice of having the priest face the East (ad orientem<\/em>) during Mass, with the altar touching the wall, arises \u201ccontroversy\u201d among the faithful. He wonders why it is so. Catholics could accept that, under certain cultural and historical circumstances, having everyone facing the same direction might be the only possible orientation that helped the assembly draw nearer to Christ during Mass. In this brief article, I point out why today\u2019s Catholics should not accept Staudt\u2019s arguments and reasons for such a re-orientation of the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

First, stating that the Eucharistic orientation \u201cuntil the 1960\u2019s\u201d was\u00a0ad orientem\u00a0<\/em>(\u201cthroughout the entire history of Catholic worship\u201d) is simply historically inaccurate. Staudt claims that \u201cservices facing the people arose during the Reformation,\u201d but the \u201cancient\u201d practice of the Church is\u00a0ad orientem<\/em>. Our Catholic Mass has not evolved from the Reformation, but from Christ\u2019s \u201cbreaking of the bread\u201d (Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7) at \u201cthe table\u201d (Mt 26:20; Mk 14:18; Lk 22:14. 21) used at the Last Supper. Most historians agree that \u201cwe do not know much about the specific details of the earliest eucharistic celebrations.\u201d2<\/sup>\u00a0The available historical evidence on this important aspect of the liturgy is very fragmentary and does not show one single Eucharistic orientation in the Early Church. Theodor Klauser maintains that in the ancient Roman basilicas priests always celebrated \u201cfrom behind the altar, facing the people.\u201d3<\/sup>\u00a0Andreas Jungmann claims that the oldest Roman basilicas (St. Peter\u2019s, the Lateran and St. Mary Major basilicas) were built with the apse towards the West, so that the priest may face the altar and pray the Eucharistic prayer\u00a0ad orientem\u00a0<\/em>(facing the people) at the same time. However, due to the growing devotion to the rising sun-Christ cult, that eventually meant that the faithful turned away from the altar during the Eucharistic prayer. Given the centrality of the altar for the Early Church, by the fourth century, we witness the building of churches \u201cwith the apse towards the East, in accordance with what became general custom later on,\u201d4<\/sup>\u00a0that is, everyone faced the eastward apse. Robin M. Jensen however describes many archeological examples of North African basilicas of the fourth and fifth centuries where the altar was in the main nave (in some cases at the center of the building).5<\/sup>\u00a0Joseph Ratzinger and Uwe M. Lang lay emphasis on St. Augustine\u2019s charge \u201cturn towards the Lord\u201d at the end of three of his sermons, as an invitation to the assembly to physically face East for the Eucharistic prayer.6<\/sup>\u00a0But Jensen doubts such an interpretation, since it would mean that the faithful turned \u201cnearly 135 degrees in a clockwise direction to face the right rear corner of the church building,\u201d and argues for a turning \u201ctoward a symbolic or \u2018liturgical east,\u2019 \u201cpeople should turn their hearts to the Lord and away from worldly things.\u201d7<\/sup>\u00a0By the end of the seventh century, clear evidence of a more generalized\u00a0ad orientem\u00a0<\/em>worship can be seen in the\u00a0Ordo Romanus Primus<\/em>.8<\/sup><\/p>\n

Second, it is not true that \u201cno official liturgical document from the 1960s directed\u201d celebrating the Eucharist with everyone in the assembly facing the altar, as the sign of Christ. Staudt erroneously claims that such a reform was done \u201cwithout directives of a Council or even any deliberation from authoritative bodies.\u201d He omits mentioning the history of the Liturgical Movement that originated in the 19th century and sought to restore the centrality of the liturgy in the lives of Catholics. Within the context of the Benedictine restoration in France, the new liturgical scholars discovered and edited the liturgical books of the Fathers of the Church, in which it was evident that the Christians of the Early Church participated in the liturgical actions of the Mass, and were not \u201cthere as strangers or silent spectators.\u201d9<\/sup>\u00a0The liturgical theology of this movement was especially confirmed by the Magisterium of popes St. Pius X and Pius XII, influenced the teaching of Vatican II\u2019s\u00a0Sacrosanctum Concilium<\/em>, and guided to the post-conciliar liturgical renewal. \u201cThe particular leader to have emphasized the adoption of\u00a0versus populum\u00a0<\/em>celebration was Romano Guardini\u201d10<\/sup>\u00a0(1885-1968). A leading figure in the Austrian Liturgical Movement was Pius Parsch (1884-1954), who reordered St. Gertrude\u2019s chapel in 1935 \u201cto include an altar for celebrations\u00a0versus populum.<\/em>\u201d11<\/sup>\u00a0Guardini promoted this practice among the German-speaking areas where it became quite widespread. In 1956, the reform of the liturgies of Holy Week by Pope Pius XII constituted an \u201cincipient\u201d adoption of\u00a0versus populum\u00a0<\/em>celebrations, which assured that the faithful saw the liturgical actions and participated in them during the Mass: rubrics 5 and 22 direct the priest to pray both the prayer of blessing of the palms before the Palm Sunday procession and a new prayer after it behind the table upon which the palms are placed\u00a0versus populum<\/em>;12<\/sup>\u00a0similarly, at the Easter Vigil, \u201cPius XII requires that the [baptismal] water be blessed not at the font but in the sanctuary where the faithful can see it\u201d and \u201cthe blessing is recited facing the people.\u201d13<\/sup><\/p>\n

Vatican II, much as the Tridentine reform, did not order the specific liturgical reforms, but established the principles that would guide the whole liturgical renewal process, which would later be executed by the\u00a0Consilium\u00a0<\/em>for the Implementation of the Constitution on the Liturgy: \u201cIn 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.\u201d14<\/sup>\u00a0Against what Staudt states in his article, there is an official document from the 1960\u2019s directing the new Eucharistic orientation: \u201cThe main altar should preferably be freestanding, to permit walking around it and celebration facing the people. Its location in the place of worship should be truly central so that the attention of the whole congregation naturally focuses there.\u201d15<\/sup>\u00a0Still during the time of Vatican II, the legitimate authoritative body responsible for the implementation of the teaching of a Church council inspired by the Holy Spirit prefers the central position of the altar, with the priest celebrating\u00a0versus populum<\/em>, so that the attention of all the assembly may be directed to the liturgical action. The 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal has become even more insistent on\u00a0versus populum<\/em>: \u201cThe altar should be built separate from the wall, in such a way that it is possible to walk around it easily and that Mass can be celebrated at it facing the people, which is desirable wherever possible. Moreover, the altar should occupy a place where it is truly the center toward which the attention of the whole congregation of the faithful naturally turns.\u201d16<\/sup><\/p>\n

Third, Staudt considers that the Mass\u00a0ad orientem\u00a0<\/em>possesses \u201cgreater solemnity, transcendence, mystery and a common orientation toward God,\u201d and erroneously attributes the celebration of the Mass\u00a0versus populum\u00a0<\/em>as \u201cmore human-centered rather than God-centered\u201d and \u201ca congregation-centered posture.\u201d If that was the case, why would the Congregation for Divine Worship under the authority of popes St. Paul VI, St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis declare the new Eucharistic orientation \u201cpreferable\u201d and \u201cdesirable\u201d? If the Masses celebrated\u00a0ad orientem\u00a0<\/em>lead people towards God, and the ones celebrated\u00a0versus populum\u00a0<\/em>center us on humanity, why would the norms relating to the celebration of the Mass currently in full force recommend the latter? The Congregation for Divine Worship explained this issue in the following response: \u201cWhatever may be the position of the celebrating priest, it is clear that the eucharistic sacrifice is offered to the one and triune God and that the principal, eternal, and high priest is Jesus Christ, who acts through the ministry of the priest who visibly presides as his instrument. The liturgical assembly participates in the celebration in virtue of the common priesthood of the faithful which requires the ministry of the ordained priest to be exercised in the eucharistic synaxis. The physical position, especially with respect to the communication among the various members of the assembly, must be distinguished from the interior spiritual orientation of all. It would be a grave error to imagine that the principal orientation of the sacrificial action is towards the community. If the priest celebrates\u00a0versus populum<\/em>, which is legitimate and often advisable, his spiritual attitude ought always to be\u00a0versus Deum per Iesum Christum\u00a0<\/em>(towards God through Jesus Christ), as representative of the entire Church. The Church as well, which takes concrete form in the assembly which participates, is entirely turned\u00a0versus Deum\u00a0<\/em>(towards God) as its first spiritual movement.\u201d17<\/sup><\/p>\n

Fourth, the author questions the validity and legitimacy of such a fundamental pillar of the liturgical reform requested by Vatican II, and therefore adds a great amount of confusion and misunderstanding among the Catholic faithful, by going against the expressed desire of the Holy Father in his recent Magisterium on this issue. Pope Francis has legitimately taught: \u201cthe liturgical books promulgated by the saintly Pontiffs Paul VI and John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of Vatican Council II, constitute the unique expression of the\u00a0lex orandi\u00a0<\/em>of the Roman Rite.\u201d18<\/sup>\u00a0Since the council of Trent, the final authority on liturgical matters has been reserved to the Holy See, and both the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and the last pontiffs have used their authority on the liturgy to validate Vatican II\u2019s liturgical reform. St. John Paul II teaches: \u201cthe liturgical renewal,\u201d including celebrating the Eucharist\u00a0versus populum<\/em>, \u201cis the most visible fruit of the whole work of the Council.\u201d19<\/sup><\/p>\n

Celebrating the Eucharist\u00a0ad orientem\u00a0<\/em>is certainly possible and legitimate today, but not for the reasons alleged in Staudt\u2019s article. His opinions about the history of the Eucharist and the teaching of Vatican II and its liturgical reform should be understood within the context of two major difficulties in the implementation of Vatican II\u2019s liturgical reform: appalling liturgical abuses, like priests placing themselves at the center of the Eucharist or not using the liturgical books approved by the Church;20<\/sup>\u00a0and the lack of a deeper desire in the pastors of the Church for an authentic liturgical formation of the faithful. Vatican II requested and St. John Paul II repeatedly called for such a liturgical initiation: \u201cThe most urgent task is that of the biblical and liturgical formation of the people of God, both pastors and faithful.\u201d21<\/sup>\u00a0We cannot understand the Eucharistic orientation promoted by the Church after Vatican II without the entire conciliar teaching and the biblical, patristic and liturgical movements that prepared it. The new ecclesiology taught by\u00a0Lumen Gentium\u00a0<\/em>presents the Church as \u201ca sacrament for the salvation of the world,\u201d a visible sign of Christ: \u201cReally partaking of the body of the Lord in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, we are taken up into communion with Him and with one another. \u2018Because the bread is one, we though many, are one body, all of us who partake of the one bread.\u2019\u201d22<\/sup>\u00a0In George Weigel\u2019s vision of Vatican II, the Church is presented as \u201ccommunion\u201d with \u201cChrist at the center\u201d for the evangelization of the world.23<\/sup>\u00a0Such a missionary approach to the Church as \u201ccommunio,\u201d that is, a sacrament of the Mystical Body of Christ pulls postmodern humanity out of its \u201csubjectivism,\u201d24<\/sup>\u00a0but requires a renewed orientation in which all the faithful, Head and members, are formed by Christ\u2019s Paschal mystery. In determining the position of the priest at the altar, more than the historical information, we need to consider the meaning of the Eucharist as a sacrament, as a visible sign of grace for today\u2019s Catholics. Vatican II teaches: \u201cThe purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the body of Christ, and, finally, to give worship to God; because they are signs they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called \u2018sacraments of faith.\u2019\u201d25<\/sup><\/p>\n

Vatican II has offered us the rediscovery of the liturgical signs in the life of Catholics: the bread and wine are \u201ctaken\u201d and placed on the altar; the prayer of thanksgiving by the priest over the bread and the wine; the bread is broken; the Communion. It is certainly beneficial for today\u2019s Catholics to see, immerse themselves and be transfigured by Christ\u2019s Eucharistic actions. Perhaps today, in a world flooded with artificial light, it is not so vital to turn toward the cosmic symbol of the East (i.e., the rising Sun), but \u201cit is absolutely vital that all who celebrate the Eucharist face Christ and through their participation in the sacred mysteries proclaim the Lord\u2019s death until he comes again (see 1 Co 11:26).\u201d26<\/sup><\/p>\n

\n
    \n
  1. Pope Francis, Apostolic Letter \u201cMotu Proprio\u201d\u00a0Desiderio Desideravi\u00a0<\/em>on the Liturgical Formation of the People of God (June 29, 2022), 62.<\/li>\n
  2. Neil Xavier O\u2019Donoghue,\u00a0Liturgical Orientation: The Position of the President at the Eucharist<\/em>. Joint Liturgical Studies, 83 (The Alcuin Club: London, 2017), 7. See also Pere Farnes, \u201cUna Obra Importante sobre Liturgia que Debe Leerse en su Verdadero Contexto\u201d,\u00a0Phase\u00a0<\/em>247, XLII (2002), 55-76.<\/li>\n
  3. Theodor Klauser,\u00a0A Short History of the Western Liturgy: An Account and Some Reflections<\/em>. 2nd edition (London, New York: Oxford University Press, 1970), 165.<\/li>\n
  4. Andreas Jungmann,\u00a0The Early Liturgy, to the Time of Gregory the Great<\/em>. University of Notre Dame. Liturgical Studies, V. 6 (Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1959), 138.<\/li>\n
  5. Robin M. Jensen, \u2018Recovering Ancient Ecclesiology: The Place of the Altar and the Orientation of Prayer in the Early Latin Church,\u2019\u00a0Worship\u00a0<\/em>89 (2015), 104-8.<\/li>\n
  6. See Joseph Ratzinger,\u00a0The Spirit of the Liturgy<\/em>, trans. John Saward (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000), 82-5; and Uwe M. Lang,\u00a0Turning toward the Lord: Orientation in Liturgical Prayer\u00a0<\/em>(San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2009), 51-2.<\/li>\n
  7. Jensen, \u201cRecovering Ancient Ecclesiology,\u2019 117.<\/li>\n
  8. Alan Griffiths, ed.,\u00a0Ordo Romanus Primus: Latin Text and Translations with Introductions and Notes<\/em>, Joint Liturgical Studies, 73 (Norwich, UK: Hymns Ancient and Modern, 2012), 41.<\/li>\n
  9. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy\u00a0Sacrosanctum Concilium<\/em><\/li>\n
  10. (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1963), 48. Hereafter, SC. O\u2019Donoghue,\u00a0Liturgical Orientation<\/em>, 31.<\/li>\n
  11. Alcuin Reid,\u00a0The Organic Development of the Liturgy: The Principles of Liturgical Reform and Their Relation to the Twentieth Century Liturgical Movement Prior to the Second Vatican Council\u00a0<\/em>(Farnborough, Hants.: St. Michael\u2019s Abbey Press, 2004), 111.<\/li>\n
  12. Patrick Regan,\u00a0Advent to Pentecost: Comparing the Seasons in the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Roman Rite\u00a0<\/em>(Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2012), 112.<\/li>\n
  13. Regan,\u00a0Advent to Pentecost<\/em>, 211.<\/li>\n
  14. SC<\/em>, 21.<\/li>\n
  15. Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction on Implementing the Constitution on Sacred Liturgy\u00a0Inter Oecumenici\u00a0<\/em>(September 26, 1964), 91. Latin version: \u201cPraestat ut altare maior exstruatur a pariete seiunctum, facile circumiri et in eo celebratio versus populum peragi possit\u201d.<\/li>\n
  16. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, General Instruction of the Roman Missal, No. 299.\u00a0https:\/\/www.usccb.org\/prayer-and-worship\/the-mass\/general-instruction-of-the-roman-missal\/girm-chapter<\/u><\/a>-5<\/u><\/a>\u00a0[Accessed on February 8, 2023].<\/li>\n
  17. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, \u2018Response to Questions on the New General Instruction of the Roman Missal\u2019, September 2000, quoted in Lang,\u00a0Turning toward the Lord<\/em>, 26-7.<\/li>\n
  18. Pope Francis, Letter that Accompanies the Apostolic Letter \u201cMotu Proprio\u201d\u00a0Traditionis Custodes\u00a0<\/em>(Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2021).<\/li>\n
  19. Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter\u00a0Vicesimus Quintus Annus\u00a0<\/em>(Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1988), 12; hereafter,\u00a0VQ<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  20. See\u00a0VQ<\/em>, 13; and Baldovin,\u00a0Reforming the Liturgy<\/em>, 112.<\/li>\n
  21. VQ<\/em>, 15.<\/li>\n
  22. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church\u00a0Lumen Gentium\u00a0<\/em>(Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1964), 7. Hereafter, LG.<\/li>\n
  23. George Weigel,\u00a0To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II\u00a0<\/em>(New York, NY: Basic Books, 2022), 291.<\/li>\n
  24. Weigel,\u00a0To Sanctify the World<\/em>, 286.<\/li>\n
  25. SC, 59.<\/li>\n
  26. O\u2019Donoghue,\u00a0Liturgical Orientation<\/em>, 68.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The history is ambiguous and mixed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":61523,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3117,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-scholarship-new-ws","category-vatican-ii"],"yoast_head":"\nAd Orientem: Clarifying the History - Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/20\/ad-orientem-clarifying-the-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ad Orientem: Clarifying the History - Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The history is ambiguous and mixed.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/20\/ad-orientem-clarifying-the-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-20T16:58:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-01T19:41:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Liege_Hopital_de_Baviere_chapelle07.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1036\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Other Voices\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Other Voices\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/20\\\/ad-orientem-clarifying-the-history\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/20\\\/ad-orientem-clarifying-the-history\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Other Voices\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4eec536020900714d992552a4e06f913\"},\"headline\":\"Ad Orientem: Clarifying the History\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-20T16:58:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-01T19:41:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/20\\\/ad-orientem-clarifying-the-history\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2711,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/20\\\/ad-orientem-clarifying-the-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/Liege_Hopital_de_Baviere_chapelle07.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"3_SCHOLARSHIP\",\"Vatican II\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/20\\\/ad-orientem-clarifying-the-history\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/20\\\/ad-orientem-clarifying-the-history\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ad Orientem: Clarifying the History - 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