From f peter gojdic to bishop paul spiri (1) 17

THEOLOGOS 1/2015 | ŠTÚDIE John XXIII declared his intention to convene a council.17 All the efforts the Movement had undertaken were to serve one purpose, the active participation of the faithful in the liturgy The activities of the Liturgical Movement did not remain unnoticed in the Holy See Ever since the pontificate of Pope Pius X († 1914) a series of actions in the field of liturgical renewal had been seen A witness to this was seen in the Bishops: Omnia instaurare in Christo – Everything is renewed in Christ In 1903 a decree on the renewal of Gregorian chant was issued and in 1905 the decree regarding frequent and daily Holy Communion was issued Reforms were carried out in regard to the Roman Missal and the Breviary.18 Pope Pius XII († 1958) was not indifferent to the continued work of the Liturgical Movement He became famous for a  variety of activities regarding the renewal of the liturgy Among other things, he introduced changes to the rites of the entire Easter Triduum and modified the provisions relating to the required fast prior to receiving the Eucharist, which allowed the celebration of Mass in the evening The specifics in regard to this area were published in the encyclical Mediator Dei on 20 November 1947 The Pope included basic guidelines that were necessary to guide the renewal to the desired effect From the outset, the Pope expressed approval for the Liturgical Movement, while pointing out the good fruits it had delivered: „The majestic ceremonies of the sacrifice of the altar became better known, understood and appreciated With more widespread and more frequent reception of the sacraments, with the beauty of the liturgical prayers more fully savored, the worship of the Eucharist came to be regarded for what it really is: the fountain-head of genuine Christian devotion Bolder relief was given likewise to the fact that all the faithful make up a single and very compact body with Christ for its Head, and that the Christian community is in duty bound to participate in the liturgical rites according to their station.“19 The awareness of the faithful participating in the liturgy became greater In addition to this the pope warned against the improper understanding of the liturgical renewal and thus against exaggerated practices.20 While approving a return to the sources of the liturgy at the same time he warned against returning to the ancient customs at any cost and in this way undermine the reso17 18 19 20 For more details on the Liturgical Movement see: B NADOLSKI, Leksykon , s. 1322 – 1332 cf B KUMOR, Historia Kościoła, t 8: Czasy współczesne 1914 – 1992, Lublin 2001, s. 85 PIUS XII, Mediator Dei English translation: http://www vatican va/holy_father/ pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_20111947_mediator-dei_en html cf PIUS XII, Mediator Dei 17