Liturgical Inculturation

Book excerpt: Perhaps nothing is as important to the future of the Church as continuing to make the liturgy meaningful to those who celebrate it. Inculturation, the dynamic translation of the typical editions into the cultures of local Churches, is the key. Inculturation as a branch of liturgical study has a dauntingly wide scope. It covers the areas of history and theology, liturgical and cultural principles, process and methods, sacraments and sacramentals, Liturgy of the Hours, liturgical year, liturgical music, liturgical arts and furnishings, and such related topics as popular religiosity and catechesis. So where does the average pastor, liturgist, or student begin? With this volume the reader is introduced to the different technical terms expressing the relationship between liturgy and culture (indigenization, incarnation, contextualization, adaptation, acculturation ... ). The subsequent discussion on the question of sacramentals, popular religiosity, and liturgical catechesis explains how these disparate topics share the same basic concern of inculturation. Throughout the book the focus is on method. Method encompasses both how one may remain true to the liturgy while also considering what culture offers the liturgy or requires of it. The question of how creativity relates to inculturation is also answered. For the serious student of the liturgy, whether or not you serve a culturally diverse community, this work provides foundations, principles, and methods for creating a liturgy of the people and for the people.