Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit

08/01/2025

"It was truly an unforgettable summit, in a highly personal and intimate invitation with our Lord, that prompted and intensified my desire for salvation, including for my family, my friends and acquaintances, and for every soul. Prior to the attending the Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit, I was keenly aware that fons et culmen meant “source and summit”, of which reminds us of the teaching from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’” After attending the four-day Sacred Liturgy Summit, it was there that I was blessed to, not simply intellectually understand but, have intimately experienced fons et culmen in a profoundly personal and supernatural way, for which I will be eternally grateful."

At the heart of the Fons et Culmen Liturgy Summit was the solemn pontifical celebration of the sacred liturgy, including beautiful sacred music rendered from the Church’s treasury throughout the… Read More

07/05/2025

And a wrap-up from our last day, with a beautiful closing Mass celebrated nearby by Abbot Marc Crilly and featuring the Mass for Double Choir by Frank Martin, as well as a setting of Psalm 50/51 by Frank La Rocca, a morning Mass celebrated by Bishop Fernandes, and wonderful talks by Dino Marcantonio, Abbot Benedict Nivakoff, Frs Joshua Neu and Vincent Woo, a closing talk on Ars Celebrandi by Archbishop Cordileone, a forum discussion on liturgical formation in seminaries, and final impromptu comments by Cardinal Sarah. Thanks to all who came, and thanks especially to almighty God for all the graces he bestowed on us in our time together.

From Archbishop Cordileone's talk:

"The proper orientation of our worship is, indeed, the most fundamental principal of it all: all must be directed to the person of Jesus Christ, the one who – to use the image so dear to Pope Leo – is our bridge to the Father, reconciling us to him through his death on the Cross, which he makes present to us at each Mass. Which means: only our best for Mass, because, only our best for God!

'Doctrina, prudentia, virtus, industria, ratio': the liturgy must affect how we live our lives, our interior dispositions and external behavior (thought, word and deed). We bring the best that we have – our scientia and our ars – and we bring that to the altar of God, asking Him to sanctify it and return to us the gift of His saving truth and grace, that we may lead lives pleasing to Him and worthy of the name of His Son: “Christian.” May all that we do in this life, especially in the Church’s liturgical life, be for this one, great aspiration. Amen."

Photos courtesy Karolina Zapolska.

07/05/2025

Here are some pictures from Day 3 of the Summit! A Mass celebrated by Cdl. Seán O'Malley, vespers celebrated by Abbot Benedict Nivakoff, both with Cdl. Sarah in attendance, as well as wonderful addresses, topped off by a pizza party. Deo gratias for all these moments of joy.

From the address by Cardinal Ranjith on Benedict XVI's Thought on Participatio Actuosa:

"In short, the celebrant should realize what a great responsibility has been thrust into his hands, in spite of his fragile nature. The priest, being ever-so-grateful to the Lord, and aware always that he is not the owner of the mysteries that he celebrates, but only a humble servant, a mere guardian or instrument, must strive to devoutly and faithfully celebrate the Sacred Liturgy — in absolute fidelity to the Lord and to His Church and faithful to the norms and requirements outlined by it."

Photos courtesy Karolina Zapolska.

07/03/2025

A beautiful and full day 2 featured a solemn pontifical Mass with Cardinal Sarah as the principal celebrant, solemn pontifical Vespers with Bishop Barber as celebrant, 4 wonderful talks, and a forum on sacred music and liturgical formation.

From John Pepino's lecture about Louis Bouyer's understanding of ars celebrandi:

"The neophyte, having been initiated, can not only recollect himself in kneeling silence at the 'Oremus' and give his assent to the celebrants Collect by saying 'Amen': in the silence he can also deeply contemplate the Mystery as communicated to him in the scriptural readings. This contemplation is part of the participatio actuosa: he is praying in the Spirit, he has the 'intelligence' of the Mystery (Eph 3:3). The celebrant chants the Collect, the official prayer of the Church; and for Bouyer, 'this official formulation has no other purpose than to prompt that prayer of the heart in which the Spirit is alive. Neither has it any meaning except as "collecting" those unheard and unutterable groanings of the Spirit.' What this means in terms of the ars celebrandi is that the celebrant must leave time for inner contemplation, undisturbed by collectivist intrusion on the part of the sort of celebrant who sees in lock-step unison the model of congregational participation. Indeed, what is the end of the liturgical celebration? It is not the formation of a community, as that occurs in the sacraments of initiation in which the new Christian is incorporated into the body of Christ; for Bouyer, the subjective end of the liturgical celebration is rather 'the subjective apprehension of the mystery by Man."

07/02/2025

Deo gratias for a beautiful beginning of the Summit! After solemn pontifical vespers, we gathered for opening remarks, a talk by Cardinal Sarah, a reception, and a forum on liturgical formation in parishes.

From the Cardinal's address:

"The path from conflict to peace shown by St Paul to the Philippians is a Eucharistic one. Out of our ever-growing participation in the thanksgiving of Christ at Mass, we learn to pray with thanksgiving, and therefore, to rejoice always, for we are guarded by the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding. If our studies, and writings, and liturgical celebrations can help us and many others to become more like Christ, the Logos, then we can be certain that there is no better way to serve Mother Church today. For this is the ever-flowing source of our Christian life."

07/01/2025

A blessed feast day to all! We can't wait to welcome participants to the Summit!

06/30/2025

Things are gearing up for arrivals tomorrow! The singers are here, working on Vierne with Prof. Berry, and they were able to sing an Ecce Sacerdos Magnus for the arrival of Cardinal Sarah!

05/21/2025

We have extended our registration deadline until June 2nd! Register here:

Ad summum! Join Us at the Summit! Registration deadline: Monday, May 19, 2025 Extended to Monday, June 2 Register Now A Holy Week Gift for Priests! A donor has enabled us to offer 10 $100 discounts to priests. Once the 10 discounted registration fees are gone, we will close this coupon. You must be....

05/15/2025

Bishop Fernandes invites you to the Sacred Liturgy Summit!

"Jesus likewise issues clear directions when he institutes the Eucharist at the Last Supper. What does it mean that God commands this of us? How do we respond in obedience to God? And how can our worship be centered on God — how can it be Christocentric?

"We often speak of liturgy as work we do on behalf of others — but it's really the work of Christ on behalf of others, and we unite ourselves to this saving work of Christ. So how does that happen? And how are we fulfilling the command of God in doing this?"

COMMENTARY: The renewal of the Church begins at the altar — when we worship with awe, humility, and a heart open to mystery.

05/05/2025

"Calls from every post-conciliar pope, from Paul VI to Francis, to correct liturgical abuses and sloppiness have had practically no effect in the lived experience of Catholics in the pews. Something more needs to be done."

Archbishop Cordileone in First Things today. Read more at the link.

The memories are still vivid, even though it was a long time ago. Having been born in 1956, I’m just old enough to remember the confusing and tumultuous era...

04/24/2025

Check out this recent episode of the "Square Notes" podcast, in which Archbishop Cordileone discusses the place of the sacred liturgy in the Christian life and a life of service to the poor.

Join us at the Summit this summer, July 1–4! https://liturgysummit.org

https://squarenotes.libsyn.com/se07-ep07-is-formality-inauthentic-or-insincere-understanding-excellence-in-ars-celebrandi-in-american-catholic-parishes-with-archbishop-salvatore-j-cordileone

What does the phrase ars celebrandi really mean and what does it have to do with the spiritual lives of priests and the lay faithful? What are means of acheiving excellence in ars celebrandi? Are there special challenges that American Catholics face in entering into the sacred liturgy cele...