Sacra Liturgia Conference: the liturgy in the internet age

(Vatican Radio) The 2013 Sacra Liturgia Conference is continuing this week in Rome.

The four-day Conference, organised by Bishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon, France, focuses on the study, promotion and renewal of the appreciation of liturgical formation and celebration, and its foundation for the mission of the Church. It’s one of many initiatives taking place during the Year of Faith, commemorating 50 years since the opening of the Second Vatican Council.

The Conference brings together a wide range of renowned speakers, including Cardinals Malcolm Ranjith and Raymond Burke, along with many other international experts on the liturgy.

Jeffrey Tucker is the new editor of the New Liturgical Movement blog. He spoke with Christopher Wells about the role of the internet in the liturgical renewal, and about the promotion of good liturgy, and in particular sacred music.

“The internet is a magical thing in some ways,” he said, “because anything that appears on it becomes malleable, it becomes universal.”

Tucker spoke about how the new means of social communication can open up the riches of sacred music. “So if you can put out there a chant, and invite people to download it, or a youtube of a chant . . . you have the perfect teaching tool, the perfect tool for distribution.” He said the internet allows sacred music to become truly universal: “So you can really achieve that notion of universality that has always been spoken about, with regard to sacred music.”

The new efforts to emphasize the importance of the liturgy and sacred music is rooted in the past, but Tucker says it is really focussed on the future: “I think our movement is not really about the past. It’s about a beautiful future, more than anything else. And I see this future unfolding every day in my work. . . . The point is that we are seeing progress in our times right now. And ready to leave the past behind, and move on to a brilliant future so that we can achieve that original goal of the 19^th century liturgical movement, and the goals of the second Vatican Council.”

Listen to the complete interview of Jeffrey Tucker with Christopher Wells: