Post-conciliar Changes in Liturgy

The fiftieth anniversary of the proclamation of the conciliar Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy has raised a lot of interest in this document and the changes in the liturgy of the Catholic Church. The work of reform, however, was not only the result of conciliar tendencies. It was a response to the challenges that the Church had been facing since the mid-nineteenth century. In the field of liturgy many changes took place. The development of historical science, the renewal of the interest in the Bible, the rediscovery of the impact of well-celebrated liturgies on social life, new liturgical ministry, the renewal of music – all these helped to change the face of the Catholic Church liturgy. In addition to that, the mission works ad gentes developed and this resulted in more open ecumenical dialogue and various forms of piety which, in turn, contributed to the search for a more authentic religiosity. The reform was a pressing need and Sacrosanctum Concilium did not, in fact, initiate the changes, but directed them in accordance with the requirements of the Church