The Once and Future Roman Rite: Returning to the Traditional Latin Liturgy after Seventy Years of Exile

A beautiful call for the return of the Traditional Latin Liturgy. This Liturgy is calling young people to the church. The Church needs to see the importance of the Traditional Latin Liturgy.

I pray for this. Heavy reading at times but worth the effort . The church needs to return reverence to the Eucharistic Liturgy.

I had attended the Novus Ordo Liturgy my entire 42 years on earth as a Catholic. In 2020, following the global COVID lock down and the McCarrick scandal, I was prompted by Divine Providence to not only discover the Traditional Latin Mass, but have the opportunity to transition my entire family into attending it on a weekly basis for the next three and a half years. This book is a must read for Catholics who don't understand the ongoing discussion regarding the liturgical reform that followed the close of the Second Vatican Council and produced the contemporary liturgy of the present time. Dr. Peter Kwasniewski has produced a clarifying image for both current Catholics seeking answers to this perplexing topic, but also a comprehensive guide for future generations Catholics who have found solace in the Traditional Latin Mass and desire to hand that on to their future children. A conscious reader will learn things about the organic development of the liturgy over the centuries, the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Church in that process, as well as the rewriting of history by twentieth century reformers to fit a narrative that paints those critical of the changes as the cause of the current divisions in the Church rather than placing that blame on those in positions of governance at the time who actually caused it. Regardless of where one stands on this issue, it is a must read to fully understand the context and big picture of the most important debate raging in the contemporary Catholic Church today.

Not only did this book truly shift my whole paradigm as far as the authenticity of the Mass is concerned, but it should be "taught" by competent educators as a class in every parish in the land. Absolutely superb. Incredible author. This book ushered in an entire year of reading for our family ~50 books so far - as well as attending the traditional Mass exclusively - and being incredibly thankful for the grace to do so!

I, believe every Catholic & Protestant should read this ! If you don’t have reverence for the Latin mass and Roman Catholic faith ? After this you will !

Being 61 years old, I only have a vague memory of the switch from the Tredentine Latin Mass to the Novus Ordo (I remember a nun playing the guitar!). I had always assumed that the change was merely a switch from Latin to the vernacular. However, Dr Kwasniewski;s book reveals how drastic the change actually was, and the machinations of the clergy responsible for those changes. This book also helps explain why the Novus Ordo is so spiritually unfulfilling. Prayers and chants were stripped out, and those prayers that survived were diluted to become feel-good pablum; mankind;s fallen nature, the consequences of sin and the reason why the Word Became Flesh to redeem mankind were removed because those messages were thought to be "too hard" to 20th Century Catholics. Furthermore, the Novus Ordo Mass was purposefully made to mirror Protestant services. Also, certain members of the committee creating the Novus Ordo are shown to have had an arrogant contempt for the Latin Mass, as well as the hubris to think that they could create a Mass that would make Protestants become Catholics. This book really helped me in diagnosing why I was becoming spiritually dissatisfied with the Novus Ordo: it was created by committee in a misguided attempt to recreate an ancient Christian Mass; the committee members refused to acknowledge that the Tredentine Latin Mass was a codification of existing liturgy, and not created out of whole-cloth by St. Pope Pius V. Thus, the reintroduction of discarded liturgical practices (such as receiving Communion while standing with the hand) was a reversion to a practice that had already been discarded due to not being reverent enough towards the Most Holy Eucharist. Other practices (such as making the priest face the congregation) were borrowed from Protestants, and the Gregorian chant was discarded for insipid songs with discordant harmonies. It has become painfully obvious over the last 50 years that the Novus Ordo Mass has borne bad fruit. Dr. Kwasniewski repeatedly makes the point that the Novus Ordo is a valid Mass. The problem is that it was a product of a few men over the course of a few years, rather than evolving organically over some 1600 years that incorporated practices that Church Fathers were declaring to have been passed down from the Apostles. Furthermore, the committee disregarded directives set down by Vatican II (that ecumenical council voted to retain Latin and Gregorian chant). The irony is that the clergy that thought they were creating a Mass for modern man, actually created something that reflects the social ferment of the 1960s rather than something ageless. The book is obviously the product of prodigious research with lots of footnotes and a large bibliography. Also, the author;s writing style is clear and easily understandable. This outstanding book will help every Catholic to become more informed as to the reasons why the Novus Ordo must be discarded. It is long past time for the Church to go back to the Latin Mass.

Dr. Kwasniewski (NB who has consulted me over the course of writing the essays which make up this book) has written (and collected and refined) a nice series of essays in order to place the main problems facing the church in what concerns her sacred rites, as he tries to push past the somewhat stale and even boring debates that have preoccupied (English-speaking) Catholics since at least the early 2000s.

Without exaggeration, Dr. Kwenieski is very passionate and exercises vitality in the traditional Roman Rite today. His Literature, the Once and Future Roman Rites emphasizes a historical analysis and practical measures that gives us an undeniable consensus to restore thecf thru Tradition.

Excellent book. Well written and very insightful

This book is absolute perfection, written by a brilliant, humble, holy scholar Dr. Kwasniewski. The Catholic who is seeking the restoration of Holy Mother Church must read this text front to back, including the footnotes. It is thoroughly researched and well-documented, leading the Catholic back to his true tradition and love for our Savior Jesus Christ. It is at times humerous and always easy to read and understand. This erudite text will serve greatly in the rebirth of Holy Mother Church in the third millennium. It should be printed in multiple languages and disseminated throughout the world. It should be required reading for any man aspiring to the priesthood. Thank you Tan Books. Thank you, Dr. Kwasniewski. Bruce Teich, MD, FAAFP

An attractive and well-produced book that was unexpectedly edifying beyond being merely instructive. Very much well-worth the price.