EARLY TWO YEARS ago, in June 2013, the first Sacra Liturgia Conference was held in Rome. The event was billed as an international conference on liturgical formation, celebration, and mission in the Year of Faith. The proceedings also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Second Vatican Council. The distinguished speakers included Cardinal Llovera, Cardinal Ranjith, Archbishop Sample, Fr. Uwe Michael Lang, C.O., Dom Alcuin Reid, Prof. Tracey Rowland, and Jeffrey Tucker, among several others.
As a continuation of the discussion that began during those days in Rome, the idea for Sacra Liturgia USA was born. The conference is being co-organized by Dr. Jennifer Donelson, Director of Sacred Music at Dunwoodie and board member of SCL & CMAA, and Rev. Dr. Richard Cipolla, parish priest of St. Mary’s Church in Norwalk, CT (home of fellow blogger David Hughes).
Scheduled for June 1-4, 2015 in New York City, this conference will feature speakers of the same high caliber, including Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Cordileone, Rev. Thomas Kocik, Dr. Michael Foley, and fellow blogger Dr. Peter Kwasniewski.
A full list of speakers & topics is available here. You can also check out their Facebook page here.
Topics addressed at the conference will range from broad subjects like the relationship between liturgy and culture, Catholic identity, youth, the arts, and Catholic education to specific questions like the mid-20th-century changes to Holy Week and the post-Vatican-II reform of the calendar and lectionary. Lectures will take place at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th Street between Park & Lexington Avenues), which is conveniently located at a subway stop. All liturgies will take place at beautiful St. Catherine of Siena Church on the Upper East Side, just a few blocks from the Kaye Playhouse.
The registration deadline (May 1st) is quickly approaching. The group is generously offering a 40% discount for full-time students and seminarians, as well as full & partial registration options. I would encourage all clergy, religious, and laity with an interest in authentic liturgical renewal to consider attending Sacra Liturgia USA 2015.