UNITED STATE CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS:

ON POPULAR DEVOTIONAL PRACTICES

Issued by USCCB, November 12, 2003

 

 

As the Second Vatican Council pointed out so clearly, the life of the Church centers on the liturgy, the official public worship of God by the Church as the Body of Christ. The liturgy includes, above all, the Eucharist and the other six sacraments, but also other actions of the Church such as the daily prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, the rites of Christian burial, and the rites for the dedication of a church or for those making religious profession. Christ himself is at work in the liturgy, so that the action of the Church, which is the Body of Christ, participates in the saving act of Christ as priest. 1 Precisely because every liturgical celebration "is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the Church," no other form of worship can take its place: a liturgical celebration "is a sacred action surpassing all others; no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree." 2

While the liturgy is "the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed" and "the font from which all her power flows," 3 it is not possible for us to fill up all of our day with participation in the liturgy. The Council pointed out that the spiritual life "is not limited solely to participation in the liturgy. . . . according to the teaching of the apostle, [the Christian] must pray without ceasing." 4 Popular devotional practices play a crucial role in helping to foster this ceaseless prayer. The faithful have always used a variety of practices as a means of permeating everyday life with prayer to God. Examples include pilgrimages, novenas, processions and celebrations in honor of Mary and the other saints, the rosary, the Angelus, the Stations of the Cross, the veneration of relics, and the use of sacramentals. Properly used, popular devotional practices do not replace the liturgical life of the Church; rather, they extend it into daily life. 5

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