Sven Leo Conrad on the form of acts of worship

According to Albert Gerhards at the 12th International Congress for Christian Archaeology in Bonn in 1991, modern liturgical science is primarily concerned with the form of acts of worship.

Of course, it is not just about rites, but about an overall structure of actions and meanings in a specific time and space.

Libraries can be filled with literature on the new form of the Mass and its derivation from the Second Vatican Council. Sven Leo Conrad, an undisputed theological and practical expert on the traditional form, now undertakes the first and almost pilot-like attempt to honour the traditional form of the Mass from the perspective of the Second Vatican Council.

Over 300 pages, Conrad presents his reflections, which have matured beyond the beaten track over 20 years of teaching, under the title ‘Cult and Form’ with the modest subtitle: ‘Introduction’. His approach is indeed unique and new.

Conrad begins with a historical introduction on the Council and the Liturgical Movement as the lasting coordinates of today's liturgical form.

This is followed by an extensive section on the rite as an ecclesiality that has become a form. So here is the keyword: modern liturgical science is concerned with the form of acts of worship. Conrad identifies the meaning of the Mass in the celebration of communion, the ecclesial community. This is also the legacy of the liturgical movement and the Council. Communion is, of course, not sociological, but theological.

However, he proceeds not only theologically, but also historically, by identifying the origin of the Roman rite in the Roman episcopal rite. Ancient rituality as the place of origin of Christian rituality is also not excluded.

Finally, there is, so to speak, the test of the example: it is the equally extensive section on the entire course of the Mass, from the gradual prayer to the final Gospel. This part is almost saturated with historical, spiritual and theological insights which, despite their brevity, open up wide dimensions of reflection.

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Category: Recommended reading