A Catholic Statement: The Constitution On The Sacred Liturgy Part I

On December 4, 1964, when Pope Paul VI promulgated the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, he spoke of worship as "the first [issue] to be examined and the first, too, in a sense, by reason of its intrinsic value and its importance in the life of the church. " The influence of this, the most important document on worship in the twentieth century, has been felt around the world and in virtually every part of the body of Christ. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Introduction 1. This Sacred Council has several aims in view: it desires to impart an ever increasing vigor to the Christian life of the faithful; to adapt more suitably to the needs of our own times those institutions that are subject to change; to foster whatever can promote union among all who believe in Christ; to strengthen whatever can help to call the whole of humanity into the household of the Church. The council therefore sees particularly cogent reasons for undertaking the reform and promotion of the liturgy. …