Monday, February 12, 2007
The Spread of the Roman Rite
Dr. Daniel Van Slyke, Associate Professor of Church History at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, returned to OLGS on 10th Feb to deliver the second installment (of three) of a block course on the history of the liturgy.
An example of one of Dr. van Slyke’s insights involved the increased use of the Roman Rite after Trent. Many historians believe that the Roman Rite spread throughout Europe after the Council due its imposition by the Pope St. Pius V. Yet, Trent ruled that any liturgical tradition, which was at least 200 years old, could remain in force. Since most local traditions (e.g., the Sarum and Bobbio Rites in England and the Rite of Lyons in France) fit into this category, they were not suppressed by Rome. According to Dr. Van Slyke, a major factor for the spreading of the Roman Rite was the invention of the printing press. Since it did not make sense for printers to reproduce missals that would only be used by a few hundred priests in a particular area, they latched onto the Roman Missal and by doing so made it readily available. Meanwhile, the only way to maintain regional traditions would be for copyists to reproduce local missals by hand. If the area had the financial wherewithal to maintain its traditions as the Church in Milan had, then it survived after Trent. In other areas, bishops simply found it easier to adopt the Roman Rite by purchasing a printed copy of the Roman Missal.
An example of one of Dr. van Slyke’s insights involved the increased use of the Roman Rite after Trent. Many historians believe that the Roman Rite spread throughout Europe after the Council due its imposition by the Pope St. Pius V. Yet, Trent ruled that any liturgical tradition, which was at least 200 years old, could remain in force. Since most local traditions (e.g., the Sarum and Bobbio Rites in England and the Rite of Lyons in France) fit into this category, they were not suppressed by Rome. According to Dr. Van Slyke, a major factor for the spreading of the Roman Rite was the invention of the printing press. Since it did not make sense for printers to reproduce missals that would only be used by a few hundred priests in a particular area, they latched onto the Roman Missal and by doing so made it readily available. Meanwhile, the only way to maintain regional traditions would be for copyists to reproduce local missals by hand. If the area had the financial wherewithal to maintain its traditions as the Church in Milan had, then it survived after Trent. In other areas, bishops simply found it easier to adopt the Roman Rite by purchasing a printed copy of the Roman Missal.
Labels: Fraternity of St. Peter, Liturgy, News
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
