The good folks at the Society of St. Catherine of Siena were kind enough to invite me to an interesting liturgical event coming up on July 1st. While I would be delighted to go, it isn't possible, however, it seemed to me that some of our readership may be interested in the event. I know if it were at all possible, I would certainly wish to attend.
Thoee event requires an invitation however, simply so that the Society may keep track of the numbers -- I presume there may be a limit on space. If you believe you would be able to attend and would like to, please contact the Society via their webpage linked to above.
Here are the event details:
The Society of St Catherine of Siena, in collaboration with Continuum Publishers, is planning to hold a seminar and reception to launch the publication of Laurence Hemming’s latest book, Worship as a Revelation: The Past, Present and Future of Catholic Liturgy, to be published by Continuum at the end of May... [there will be a[ seminar in which the topic of the book and its implications will be debated.
This new book is the development of the 2007 Pluscarden Pentecost lectures, given by Dr Hemming in May of that year at Pluscarden Abbey in the north of Scotland to an audience of the Benedictine Community at the Abbey, university students, clergy and interested laity. The book begins with a brief account of the history of liturgical reform from 1911 to the present, before turning to consider the ways in which the liturgy itself is revelatory. Dr Hemming’s expertise as a philosopher is brought to bear on such questions as how the liturgy makes man present to God, how the present time can make manifest a perfect future, and how the divine is disclosed not only in the rite of Mass but also in the liturgy of the hours. The seminar held during the afternoon will give wide-ranging scholarly and ecumenical attention to the book’s main themes and to the questions it poses. To open the discussion, we have invited brief responses to the book. These will be given by Dr Aidan Nichols OP, Bishop Basil of Amphipolis, Margaret Barker and Dr Alcuin Reid, and there is likely to be one further response. The floor will then be open for a wide-ranging debate.
This event will be held on Tuesday, 1st July 2008, at the London Oratory, by kind arrangement of the Provost, Fr Ignatius Harrison. The seminar will meet from 4.15 to 6.15 pm (with a break for tea). This will be followed by a Missa Cantata for the feast of the Most Precious Blood in the Little Oratory at 7.00 pm, before a Reception in the small room in St Wilfred’s Hall. Copies of the book will be available there.
The NLM first spoke of this new work in October of 2007. To gain more details about Dr. Hemming's work, please see Forthcoming Liturgical Study.
