kosta, I'm reasonably sure that Father did not write an exhaustive list of where Marian veneration exists in the Western tradition. FYI, she is quite present in the traditional liturgy. Not, only in the Mass, but in the Divine Office as well. Did you not notice Father's mention of a votive Mass in honor of our Our Lady's Immaculate Heart? or did that get in the way of your polemic?
While there are Catholic churches that seem to have an identity crisis, even those built in the US before, say, 1960 have statues, stained glass windows and beautiful high altars. Try entering the older churches that have been around 50+ years and you will very likely come to a different conclusion.
“While there are Catholic churches that seem to have an identity crisis, even those built in the US before, say, 1960 have statues, stained glass windows and beautiful high altars. Try entering the older churches that have been around 50+ years and you will very likely come to a different conclusion.”
Sadly, around here the high altars were removed and all the statues stored somewhere. The stained glass is still in most of the older churches though.
Kosta, the level of sincere Marian devotion prior to say, 1965 in the Latin Church was very, very high; as high as ours, I’d say. And it was a whole family thing. Catholic families got together at least once a week and prayed the rosary together. It was even played on the radio and people really did listen to it. My family listened to it! All the children were taught about their Blessed Mother. In my town there were great processions in May and October with her statue carried all over the place with the priests and thurifers and altarboys and choirboys and all the children dressed up in their best. Regular prayer cycles called novenas were always being done. It was a very different world back then, Kosta, for the Latins; rather like the end days of an Age of Faith, or so it seems when I look back on it. Vatican II changed everything and in some areas, not for the better.
I didn't imply that he did. I simply stated that the mention of the BEVM is more powerful in the litugical life then in hymns and devotionals. The liturgy is the life of the Church. Through it we learn how the Church lives. In time we begin to live the same life. If BEVM is alive in the liturgy, she will be alive in the congregation.
FYI, she is quite present in the traditional liturgy
In the traditional lituregy, yes, but how many people attend traditional liturgy nowadays? the NO liturgy mentiones her four times (two of those times are silent).
Did you not notice Father's mention of a votive Mass in honor of our Our Lady's Immaculate Heart? or did that get in the way of your polemic?
It's not a polemic. How often do you have voitve Mass in her honor? How many people attend? He is talking about lack of devotion to the BEV Mother and all I said whose fault is that? You don't need new dogmas, or new masses, the Catholic Church has all she needs and all that she defined. To imply otherwise is to say that the Church is somehow deficient.
Is there not the fullness of faith in the Church? If so, then our problems come not from what the Church knows, but what we do with that knowledge.
While there are Catholic churches that seem to have an identity crisis, even those built in the US before, say, 1960 have statues, stained glass windows and beautiful high altars. Try entering the older churches that have been around 50+ years and you will very likely come to a different conclusion,/i>
I was taling about post Vatican-II churches, ELS.