Liturgy and liturgical formation in the Society of Jesus
By Bruce Morrill SJ | President – Jungmann Society
Responding to the call for “serious and vital liturgical formation”
In his 2022 apostolic letter, Desiderio Desideravi, Pope Francis articulated anew the Second Vatican Council’s teaching on the liturgy as the source and summit of the church’s life, “the primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14). Realization of the Council’s mandate for the reform and renewal of the liturgy, the Pope explains, faces persistent counterforces, both sociocultural and ecclesial. And so, Francis has pressed for “serious and vital liturgical formation” of the people of God, that all might “recover the capacity to live completely the liturgical action” (DD, 27).
Meeting for its tenth biennial congress from 1-6 July in Cebu,
Philippines, the International Jungmann Society for Jesuits and the Liturgy
took up the Holy Father’s call. The publication of his apostolic letter in June
2022 coincided with a request by Fr. Mark Ravizza, General Counselor for
Formation, following from our previous congress which had just concluded that same
month in Rome. “Could the Jungmann Society”, Fr. Ravizza asked, “support
renewal of liturgical formation in the Society of Jesus, especially with a view
to contributing resources, such as educational videos, to the new website for
formation his office has developed?” The leadership council of the Jungmann
Society readily accepted the challenge, conceiving a two-congress plan: first,
to lay out the issues and needs in 2024 and, then, develop the means for
supporting liturgical formation in 2026.
Dr. Josefina Manabat, Congress Plenary Speaker, with Frs. Eduardo Fernández and Bruce Morrill.
Cebu Congress 2024: Liturgy and Liturgical Formation in the Society of Jesus
Forty-five Jesuits from seventeen Provinces across the globe—priests and
scholastics, formators, liturgical scholars, pastoral liturgists—convened at the
Cebu Center for Ignatian Spirituality, hosted by the Philippines Province and
Fr. Jose Quilongquilong, President of the Center. In his opening address to the
congress, PresidentJérôme
Guingand articulated strengths and weaknesses in the contemporary Jesuit
relationship with the Church’s liturgy, ad
intra and ad extra, arguing that
liturgical formation in the Society must start from the reality of the Society
and the Church. His address was followed by the congress plenary speaker, Professor
Josefina Manabat, SLD (Graduate School of Liturgy, San Beda University), titled
“Pope Francis’s Desiderio Desideraviand
Liturgical Formation in the Society of Jesus.” Over the next two days, the
participants discussed in depth, through plenary sessions and small groups, presentations
of four dimensions of Jesuit liturgical life today: ‘Liturgy in Jesuit Communities’
by Fr. Mark Aloysius; ‘Liturgy in the Apostolates’ by Fr. Vlasto Dufka; ‘The Daily
Celebration of Mass in Jesuit Communities’ by Fr. Tony Lusvardi; and ‘Praying
the Liturgy of the Hours’ by Fr. Jérôme Guingand. After this, following an
excursion to Cebu City and Mactan Island, the meeting devoted a day to
synthesizing the findings of our discussions, highlighted by a Zoom session
with Fr. Ravizza, with panel presentations by four formators and four men in
formation. That evening, for our congress Eucharist we joined in the parish
liturgy at Sacred Heart Jesuit Church, at which Archbishop José Palma graciously
presided and preached.
Outcomes and the Work Ahead: Toward Congress 2026
The final day was led by incoming Jungmann President Fr. Bruce Morrill, who introduced the work of the next two years and the 2026 congress, namely, the creation of multiple educational videos for the global Jesuit formation website. The congress will entail presentations, feedback, workshops, and production of high-quality videos, to take place at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. An additional outcome of the Cebu congress is the projected e-book publication of its addresses, presentations, and auxiliary documents, edited by Fr. Vlasto Dufka.
One other heartening outcome of the Cebu
congress was the election of 14 new members to the Jungmann Society. Any
Jesuit engaged in the field of liturgy and its related arts—pastoral, educational,
scholarly, creative—is welcome to participate in the congresses. Interest and
inquiries may be addressed to Secretary Marc Reeves at[email protected].
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