Cultural Adaptation of the Liturgy

This is a work of first class liturgical scholarship, addressing itself to the pressing pastoral need of cultural adaptation. --Rev. Charles W. Gusmer author of And You Visited Me: Sacramental Ministry to the Sick and the Dying The work of Father Anscar Chupungco on the Cultural Adaptation of the Liturgy is an indispensable work at this time when each country, and especially the ’new’ nations of the developing world, attempt to experiment with the adaptation (inculturation) of the liturgy in their own cultures. Without scientific understanding of the history and tradition, such attempts are doomed to either caprice or defeat. This book ought to become the manual of any adaptation. --Rev. Adrien Nocent, OSB Professor, Pontifical Liturgical Institute of St. Anselm, Rome In this wide-ranging study, Father Chupungco looks at the way the liturgy was adapted in various cultures in the past. For us, the Constitution on the Liturgy outlines the theological, liturgical, and cultural principles needed when the people of God adapt liturgy to our many cultures in the modern world. --Rev. Patrick Byrne National Liturgical Office, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops In an historical overview, Chupungco first establishes how cultural adaptation is a part of the Roman Church’s liturgical heritage. He goes on to articulate principles of adaptation from theological, liturgical, and cultural perspectives. His presentation is based on a blend of scholarly documentation and astute observation of current liturgical problems. The volume makes a solid contribution to both the theoretical and the practical dimensions of pastoral liturgy. --Rev. Gerald V. Lardner, SS St. John Vianney Church, Kenmore, Washington Anscar J. Chupungco, OSB, is the author of ’Liturgical Inculturation: Sacramentals, Religiosity, and Catechesis’ and ’Shaping the Easter Feast’. He is also the editor of ’Handbook for Liturgical Studies’.