FOREWORD
It often has been said that the people were not properly
prepared for the liturgical renewal of the Second Vatican
Council. That was so， of course， because neither were the
bishops， priests， and religious educators. What was most
lacking on the part of all -- and especially here in the United
States -- was a sense of history. Liturgy had been seen as a
set of immutable rubrics， divinely inspired and divinely
transmitted. The multiple sources and the many factors that
brought into being our liturgy before Vatican II were not
generally known. If only Father Loret s book had been
written in 1964 and had become a part of a mandated reading
list for all Catholics!
Father Pierre Loret， C.SS.R.， has written a history of the
Mass for everyone. That is， indeed， a brave undertaking.
Many scholars will criticize the book for being too simple
and unnuanced， some will say it does not incorporate schol-
arship since the time of Josef Jungmann (whose monumental
work appeared in German in 1948)， some will say that at
times it seems more apologetical than historical; but I am
sure all will agree that the risk had to be taken and that Father
Loret has succeeded well.
The liturgical renewal of Vatican II was well prepared by
scholars and particular groups. Intensified historical studies
and monographs had been appearing in scholarly journals
since the last century. They were written for the most part by
Benedictine n~onks， forced in the period of monastic resto-
ration in the 19th century to record the roots of their spiritual-
ity. These studies had led to practical， pastoral results in the
liturgical movements that swept Europe and the United
States before and after the Second World War. Nevertheless，
knowledge of this renewal was still limited to experts before
the Council. The Council made it the living heritage of all
Catholics.
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