The first Sanctorale (Augsburg 1510) was entered into Excel as a simple spreadsheet containing 2,279 records. But when I began work on Bamberg 1490, it was immediately clear that we needed more than a spreadsheet to handle the data. With each new entry, I found myself scrolling up to reference existing records. “What is theContinue reading “Software Design”
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Volunteers Needed
The second major phase of our research involves the entry of the sanctoral calendars into the Missal database. This is no easy task, since the average Sanctorale contains about 2,200 entries. (Multiplied by 34+ sources, this means over 75,000 records.) So far Augsburg, Bamberg, and Brandenburg have been completed, but the task took nearly 6Continue reading “Volunteers Needed”
Phase 1 Complete
The first phase of our research is complete with the incorporation of all thirty-four temporal calendars into the missal database. The bulk of the 58,000+ records was previously cataloged by the Usuarium team from Hungary, saving us roughly six months of intensive effort. Allow me to explain what this means. The image above from theContinue reading “Phase 1 Complete”
Too Many Options
Americans love options, and that’s not always a good thing. With regard to the lectionary, I find a slew of optional readings to be less than helpful. One of the chief benefits of using the Historic Lectionary is catechetical, derived from the yearly repetition of a core body of texts. This benefit is diluted byContinue reading “Too Many Options”
Uncovering the Historic Lectionary
“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14) The Church’s lectionary is not the product of a committee. It did not originate in response to a synodical resolution or a papal directive. Rather, it was created and refined by an organic process that spanned generationsContinue reading “Uncovering the Historic Lectionary”
Catholic Book Publishing
Yesterday Monsignor Alan Detscher and I drove down to New Jersey for a meeting with Catholic Book Publishing. The Monsignor, recently retired, has been editing and publishing liturgical resources for decades. I met him by chance at a clergy association lunch, and he is very interested in The Lutheran Missal project. (His collection of LutheranContinue reading “Catholic Book Publishing”
Narrowing the Field
If we attempted to include every extant pre-Reformation missal in the pool of sources for the The Lutheran Missal, our grandchildren would likely be the ones to finish the task. In the Latin missals available to us, the combined index of sanctoral masses yields a staggering 100,000 entries—one for each mass. It was immediately clearContinue reading “Narrowing the Field”
Usuarium
In The Lutheran Liturgy, Dr. Reed mentions that he had physical access to three pre-Reformation missals of Germany: Nuremberg 1484, Bamberg 1498, and Constance 1505 (p. 463). The missals were housed in the Krauth Memorial Library at Philadelphia and supplied the historic basis for the Common Service. In this regard the internet has changed ourContinue reading “Usuarium”
Assisting Editors
Today we officially welcome two additional editors to The Lutheran Missal project: Matthew Carver and Fr. Stefan Gramenz. Matthew Carver is a translator of German and classical literature. His interests lie in art, orthodox Lutheran theology, liturgy, and hymnody. Matthew received a BA from California State University, Long Beach with a double major in GermanContinue reading “Assisting Editors”
The Whole Lectionary
Many people do not know that Sundays and major feasts days are only a small part of the Church’s historic lectionary. These are the chief occasions, yes, but the lectionary, as observed by faithful Christians for centuries, includes much more. The temporal calendar historically contained propers for most Wednesdays and Fridays of the year, andContinue reading “The Whole Lectionary”
The Lutheran Missal 