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by Matthew P. Hazell (Translator), Matthew P. Hazell (Introduction by)
The Lectionary for Mass, drawn up by Group XI of the Consilium ad exsequendam, is often held up as one of the greatest achievements of the post-Vatican II liturgical reform. Yet until recently, the full details of their discussions and labors have remained unpublished, accessible only to archival researchers and specialist scholars.
The present volume offers an English translation of the Latin and French schemata of Group XI in their entirety-the first time, in fact, that the complete documentation for any of the Consilium study groups has been made available in translation. The process of the reform of the lectionary can thus be traced through the various draft orders of readings as well as the debates among the members and consultors of the Consilium. A detailed introduction contextualises the reforms within the history of the twentieth-century liturgical movement and the Second Vatican Council, while appendices contain supplementary material such as the weekday orders of readings used experimentally in certain countries during the 1960s.
By making the primary source documentation more accessible to all, this volume contributes to further critical study and exploration of the Novus Ordo lectionary and the post-Vatican II liturgical reforms more generally, as well as to ongoing discussion of how closely the work of the Consilium ad exsequendam reflects Sacrosanctum Concilium and the will of the Fathers of Vatican II.
