The Severed Roots of American Christianity

Introibo ad altare Dei. Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meant.

The liturgy began—as it had always begun—when the priest approached the foot of the altar and recited these words. This was the prelude to the unchangeable parts of the Mass of the Catechumens. But the Mass no longer begins this way. These words are no longer spoken. Gone are the sacred Latin high liturgy, the scent of incense, and the sound of bells. The candles no longer burn before the statues of the saints—for the statues have also gone. The faithful Catholic can no longer “go to the altar of God, to God who giveth joy to my youth,” for even the altar has gone. It has been replaced by a “common table.”

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Paul Williams

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Introibo ad altare Dei. Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meant.

The liturgy began—as it had always begun—when the priest approached the foot of the altar and recited these words. This was the prelude to the unchangeable parts of the Mass of the Catechumens. But the Mass no longer begins this way. These words are no longer spoken. Gone are the sacred Latin high liturgy, the scent of incense, and the sound of bells. The candles no longer burn before the statues of the saints—for the statues have also gone. The faithful Catholic can no longer “go to the altar of God, to God who giveth joy to my youth,” for even the altar has gone. It has been replaced by a “common table.”