How has the Eucharistic celebration changed over time?

THESIS :
The Eucharistic celebration has evolved and
Vatican ii started.. Eucharist began from jesus
Recent changed from Vatican II
List the changes
Bring them closer and back to church and present with God
All of these impacted society in a positive way

PARAGRAPHS
Little bit of history
Weave in reasons, scripture and impact
PEOPLE HAD FORGOTTEN OPEN THE WINDOWS OF THE CHURCH

EXTRA NOTES Eucharistic celebration as in the entire mass; i.e. singing

Eucharist direct from the mass (vernacular)

The Second Vatican Council, was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church
opened under Pope John XXII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. Changes
brought about into the life of the Catholic community by the Second Vatican Council, include
areas such as ????

Pope John XXIII set the tone for council, saying that they were meet to find new and
better ways to present Church doctrine to people of the twentieth century.when

The Church set out to reform itself; rather than regarding itself as perfect and faultless,
acknowledging its sins and errors.

Sought to bring the light of Christ which is present in the Church to all people.

The Second Vatican Council continues to set the direction for the Church into the 21st
century.

Ultimate goal was the unification of Christians

Aggiornamento (italian word for updating) was John Paul's term for modernising the
Church in the light of the signs of the times. It became the guiding principle of Vatican II and
required that the Church change to meet the needs of the times, the changes taking place
outside itself.

Aggiornamento looked to the needs of the time, legitimate demands of the people and
demanded disengagement from the limitations of the past. It was the basis behind most of
the changes made by the Council.

At the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church emerged as a world Church in a
poly- centric global culture

These developments brought necessary changes in the institution, in theology and

spirituality.
An unprecedented number of changes have been implemented in the Church.

EUCHARIST
- Everything the Catholic Church believes about the Eucharist hinges on the risen Christ being
really present in the sacrament.
- A means for Catholics to gather to celebrate Jesus' presence
- The change from Latin to English, has been singled out as one of the most striking results of
the councils work.
- First and biggest was allowing the prayers to be said in the vernacular
LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY
- Over the centuries a gap has gradually developed between the clergy and the people, to the point where people
no longer thought that only clergy and religious were responsible for the life and work of the Church and that
ordinary people had no special role or responsibility.
- Vatican II renewed the understanding that the work of the Church was the responsibility of all baptised and
stressed that the clergy and laity were partners in carrying out the mission of the Church.

- They expressed that the power did not only lie in the special power of the popes and bishops but was also a
duty to be shared by all within the Church.
- Lay people now have renewed roles as lectors and Eucharistic members, play key roles in helping the pastor
direct the parish
- They also serve in ministries and leadership positions within the Church previously available to priests and
religious before the council.
- Renewal of their role as the laity is a return to how it was in the time of the apostles and the early church.
- Since Vatican II, lay people have assumed a more active role in the Church. Consider the many ministries open
to laity today: lectors and Eucharistic ministers, music ministers, teachers, social action workers, and counsellors.
Lay Catholics are still learning how to live their faith in a concrete way in our contemporary world.
- Prior to the council the Catholic Church was often described as a rigidly hierarchical organisation - Pope,
Bishops, Priests and Congregations.
- Involvement of lay people in parishes opened the door to acolytes, alter servers and the like.
- The faithful should exercise their responsibility in both the church and in society based on their baptismal faith
and commitment to Christ.

ECUNMENISM
- Instead of viewing the other Christian churches with hostility, Catholics should respect the
heritage of other churches, note their importance, and admit they possess true elements of the
one- and only Church of Christ.

How has the Eucharistic celebration changed over time?

The Eucharistic celebration has evolved over the course of time in order to conform and adapt to an everchanging world. Some of the most recent and unprecedented changes were contrived during the Second Vatican
Council- an ecumenical council opened under Pope John XXII in 1962 and closed in 1965. As a result of the
council countless changes were implemented in the Catholic Church worldwide, particularly in the areas of the
Eucharist, Leadership & Responsibility and Ecumenism. The ultimate aim of these changes was to reignite the
faith of Catholics all around the world, bringing them back to the church at a time when faith was failing as a result
of the atrocities and human rights violations incurred during WWII.

During Vatican II, the council implemented radical changes in regards to ethics relating to leadership and
responsibility in the Catholic Church. Vatican II saw the revitalisation of responsibilities and roles for laity in
parishes worldwide, encouraging them to become more actively involved in the Church by assuming duties such
as readers, lectors, and Eucharistic ministers, altar servers in the Mass. These reforms were collaboratively
created by the Council in response to recognition of the augmenting disparity that had developed between the
clergy and the people over the last century. They were intended to dispel the notion amongst the Catholic
community that the only real vocation in the Church was held by the ordained, vowed priesthood and religious,
and that solely they had the responsibility of carrying out the work and life of the Church. Vatican II renewed the
understanding that the work of the Church was the duty of all baptised and stressed that the clergy and laity were
partners in carrying out the mission of the Church as evidently stated in the Gaudium et Spes (Vatican II
document), 'the laity are encouraged to work in close union with bishops and priests in their mission'. The renewal
of the laitys role was in accordance to the notions widely accepted during the time of the apostles and the early
church, as the laity, are assigned to the apostolate by the Lord Himself. They are consecrated for the royal
priesthood and the holy people not only that they may offer spiritual sacrifices in everything they do, but also that
they may witness to Christ throughout the world (1 Peter 2:4-10). This change had a drastic impact on the
Catholic community and the Eucharistic celebration all around the world, opening new doors for devout Catholics
who wished to have a physical role in their church and reopened their eyes towards their role in accomplishing the
mission of the Church. //
The most obvious difference between the old Mass and the new Mass was that it promoted the use of the
language of the place where the mass was being celebrated (vernacular language) rather than Latin. This was
done, as Pope John Paul II put it, "so that every individual can understand and proclaim in his or her mother
tongue the wonders of God". This wasn't a total rejection of history, as some thought; in the earliest days of
Christianity liturgy would have been in the local languages of Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek. Latin became a
popular church language first in Africa, later spreading to Rome. Latin did not achieve total supremacy in the
Church until the 7th century.o be celebrated in vernacular languages rather than in Latin, and the audible praying
of the Eucharistic Prayer. Congregations could immediately relate to what, for centuries, had been concealed and
the People of God had a voice once again!

makes provision for a much wider use of the vernacular

Ecumenism refer to efforts to restore unity among the Christian Churches which had
separated from each other in different ways. Vatican II resulted in documents
outlined for Catholics which focused on the establishment of a new understanding of
the nature of the Church and of the relationship between the Catholic Church and
other Churches. The Decree of Ecumenism called on all Catholics to work for
Christian unity. As a result of Vatican II the Catholic Church has been involved at an

international and local level in a number of official dialogues with other churches e.g
Lutheran and Anglican.
which had been said in Latin, with priest facing away from the congregation, often speaking
quietly (even mumbling). It was impersonal at best, and for most, not understandable.

o be celebrated in vernacular languages rather than in Latin, and the audible praying of the
Eucharistic Prayer. Congregations could immediately relate to what, for centuries, had been
concealed and the People of God had a voice once again!