Changes at Antiphon

Neil J. Roy

In the final issue of 2002, my predecessor in the editor’s chair, Fr. Timothy V. Vaverek, wrote an editorial with the title “Changes at Antiphon.” Thanks to the groundwork laid under his capable editorship, I am able to present Antiphon in this new format as a fully registered and internationally recognized academic journal. Numerous changes have been introduced in order to increase the journal’s quality, profile, and usefulness, and to render it more accessible within both libraries and private collections.

The most obvious changes are on the level of format and appearance. The journal you now hold in your hands measures 5 ½ by 8 ½ inches, utilizes white stock, displays text in single columns rather than double columns, is paginated continuously throughout the numbers of each year, employs footnotes rather than endnotes, and bears a new style for headers and a new cover design. Our publisher remains the St Martin de Porres Lay Dominican Community in New Hope, Kentucky. The members of this apostolate labored patiently and perseveringly with the editorial team in bringing about this transition.

Antiphon’s Guidelines for Contribution, included at the end of this issue, have been undergoing a continual process of revision, thanks to the unfailing industry and diligence of now Assistant Editor Daniel Van Slyke and Book Review Editor Michael Carlin, who built upon a foundation originally laid by Lynn Boughton. Henceforth the Guidelines will be implemented more rigorously, and responsibility for their implementation will rest chiefly with the authors. The Guidelines will also be available on the website of the Society for Catholic Liturgy. Contributors are advised to consult them in the early stages of composition and self-editing.

In order to streamline the process of peer review that Fr. Vaverek introduced, an Advisory Board is being assembled. The Advisory Board will be comprised of between ten and twelve individuals who represent various areas of expertise within the broader field of Catholic liturgy. Their names eventually will appear on the inside of the journal’s front cover. The main function of the Advisory Board is to conduct or oversee the process of reviewing submissions for Antiphon. Members of the Advisory Board, or the scholars and professionals whom they consult, rate the suitability submissions to Antiphon and suggest how submissions might be improved with a view to publication.

Owing to ill health, Fr. Everett Diederich, S.J. resigned from his position as Book Review Editor. Michael Carlin of Catholic University of America has taken up the charge with enthusiasm and vigor. Along with reviews of books, reviews of liturgical music also are featured in this newly-expanded BOOK AND MUSIC REVIEWS section. Note the section’s new style and format. A list of books and music received from publishers is in preparation; such lists eventually will be included in every issue.

CONTENTS OF THE CURRENT NUMBER

In his apostolic letter Mane nobiscum Domine, Pope John Paul II has asked parishes and other communities to mark the Year of the Eucharist (from 10 October 2004 to 29 October 2005) by making an examination of conscience regarding the celebration of the Eucharist, “summit and source of the Church’s life and activity.” The Pope invites all constituencies within the Church to reread the General Instruction of the Roman Missal as a secure guide to celebrating the Mass. The articles presented in this number of Antiphon are well suited to the Year of the Eucharist which itself coincides with the fortieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum concilium.

The theme of the eighth annual conference of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, held 27-30 September 2004, was “Full, Conscious, and Active Participation” in the sacred liturgy. In the keynote address of the conference, Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, shares his reflections on the participation of the lay faithful in the eucharistic liturgy. Antiphon is proud to make this talk more widely available.

In addition to talks delivered at the Society’s annual conferences, the ADDRESSES section of Antiphon occasionally includes pertinent talks delivered by distinguished ecclesiastical personnel in other contexts. One such talk appears in the current issue: “The Roman Rite and the English Language,” by Msgr. Bruce Harbert, Executive Director of the Secretariat of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. In this address originally delivered to the community of Mundelein Seminary, Msgr. Harbert considers the challenges of translating into English the liturgical texts of the Roman missal.

Michael P. Foley plumbs the Confessions of St Augustine to reveal a liturgical pattern in the arrangement of this spiritual autobiography in his ESSAYS contribution, “The Sacramental Topography of the Confessions.” Christian initiation culminates in the liturgical celebration and sacramental reception of the Eucharist. Augustine’s earthly pilgrimage from catechumenate to episcopate is presented in a way that reflects the rhythms and dynamics of the liturgy itself.

Antiphon continues to publish TRANSLATIONS of pertinent liturgical commentaries, homilies, or treatises. In this issue Fr. Michael Heintz renders Gregory of Elvira's fourth-century homily On Noah's Ark into English. Translations of contemporary addresses or articles, whether academic or pastoral, also will continue to appear in Antiphon.

OTHER SECTIONS OF ANTIPHON

Several types of articles that do not appear in this issue of Antiphon will appear in future issues, and the editorial team encourages submissions for them.

AD FONTES articles consist of relatively brief examinations of particular elements (prayers, ritual gestures, rites, etc.) as they appear in successive typical editions of liturgical books properly speaking. Particular attention is given to the sources used in shaping the element as it is found in the most current edition. This section remains as timely as it was three years ago when Fr. Vaverek first introduced it with these words: "Antiphon wishes in this way to encourage familiarity with the history of the Roman rite and the renewal that has taken place since the close of Vatican II. This is necessary if the coming generation is to be able to continue the renewal on a firm foundation."

A new section, PASTORALIA, is dedicated to liturgical issues of immediate pastoral import. As a final new offering, Antiphon is now prepared to publish EDITIONS of liturgical manuscripts. Patrologists and medievalists are welcome to submit hitherto unpublished editions of euchological formulae and ritual texts as well as homilies and commentaries on the liturgy.

CONCLUDING MATTERS

Transitions in the Society for Catholic Liturgy and in the editorship of Antiphon required the conflation of material from 2003 and 2004 into a single volume, Volume Eight. The current volume, Volume Nine, continues without interruption the numbering of the series. Thus Volume Nine bears the date 2005, rather than 2004, 2004/2005, or any other combination. This decision should cause the least amount of inconvenience to librarians, cataloguers, and private collectors.

Antiphon stands ever in need of good material. The editors invite scholars and liturgical professionals to submit essays, pastoralia contributions, ad fontes pieces, translations, editions, and reviews. Membership in the Society for Catholic Liturgy is not a condition for publishing in Antiphon, though contributors to the journal are encouraged to apply for admission to the Society.

I wish to thank the Society for Catholic Liturgy, particularly the Board of Directors, for their generous support during this period of transition. Gratitude is expressed here to Heidi Fenton for her assistance in designing the new cover. I likewise recognize Monsignor M. Francis Mannion for his inspiration and vision in founding the Society for Catholic Liturgy and establishing this journal.