Published: 2022-12-28

Posługi świeckich w liturgii słowa podczas Mszy św. w dziejach Kościoła

Waldemar Pałęcki
Liturgia Sacra. Liturgia - Musica - Ars
Section: Liturgia
DOI https://doi.org/10.25167/ls.4831

Abstract

By its nature the liturgy requires the involvement of numerous persons in its celebration. Vatican Council II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy notes that, “In liturgical celebrations each person, minister or layman, who has an office to perform, should do all of, but only, those parts which pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the principles of liturgy” (SC 28). From the perspective of the many years since the promulgation of this conciliar constitution, this encouragement is still valid, all the more so because for many centuries the celebration of the liturgy had been clericalized and the lay faithful had become merely an audience. Pope Paul VI in his motu proprio Ministeria Quaedam, and especially Pope Francis in his motu proprio Spiritus Domini, again drew attention to the ministry of the liturgy of the word, admitting also women to this service.

The purpose of this article is to show the significance and role of persons carrying out ministries during the Liturgy of the Word at Holy Mass in terms of the history of the Church. Beginning with St. Justin, through the Fathers of the Church, the decrees of Councils and Synods, the place of lector and cantor performing their duties in the Mass is presented. It is noted that persons performing the ministry of lector in the first three centuries were primarily lay people. It was only from the time of Pope Siricius that office of lector became one of the stages of receiving higher orders. In this manner the carrying out of the function became clericalized. The office of cantor in the East also came to be included in the clerical state quite early on. The clericalization of performing these functions was sealed by the custom of establishing lectors and cantors in the form of holy orders. This state of affairs did not change until after Vatican Council II.

Citation rules

Pałęcki, W. (2022). Posługi świeckich w liturgii słowa podczas Mszy św. w dziejach Kościoła. Liturgia Sacra. Liturgia - Musica - Ars, 60(2), 29–54. https://doi.org/10.25167/ls.4831

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