A Short History of the Roman Mass

by Fr. Uwe Michael Lang

Genres: Theology, Catholic, History

146 pages, Paperback

Published October 10, 2024

Reviews

[Fr. Zachary Galante · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short work is a great introduction to the history of the Catholic liturgy as most people in the West experience it today. Naturally the last 65 years have been tumultuous for the liturgy, and his writings on the contemporary situation was lacking. But all the same, the earlier chapters give a great overview of the development.

[Sarah Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the history of the liturgy, and I'd definitely recommend this book for anyone seeking to learn more! I also appreciate the way the author leaves the end of the book someone open for further development and gives a bit of practical insight into that.

[Conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tremendous overview of the development of the liturgy. This short book packs a powerful punch.

[David Szatkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ok into to the liturgy and history of the bass. But I’m not convinced by all the arguments made.

[Ben Kercheval · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a concise, readable, and even-handed account of the development of the Catholic Church's Mass, beginning with the early Church and ending amid the current, post-Vatican II liturgical debates. It's concision means it examines only the tip of a very large iceberg, which sometimes led to its account feeling simply like a string of discrete historical events whose relationship with each other is not immediately clear. This is probably unavoidable, though, in reducing a 2,000-year history into less than 150 pages, and Lang does inject some intriguing interpretative comments that have led me to want to read more of his work. He also ends with a brief, diplomatic assessment of the Church's current liturgical landscape that I found clarifying in comparison with the heated polemics that this topic often inspires. Lang's position seems most aligned with Pope Benedict XVI's notion of a "reform of the reform", beginning with a return to the broad principles of Vatican II's Sacrosanctum concilium, with an eye to gradual, organic, and even decentralized development rather than sharp breaks with tradition by decree.

[Paul Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains many interesting historical details but I found it difficult to track a thread running throughout the book. Then, Father's perspective on the New Mass is disappointing: he sees it as more or less in continuity with the past but just going too far. So, while he critiques it, it seems he believes it can be fixed.

[Br. John Mary Lauderdale OFM Cap · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic condensed history of the liturigical development of the Roman Mass. Scholarly and accessible. The final chapters are about where the Church stands since the Second Vatican Council. Has a glossary of terms in the back.