Liturgy Lines

LITURGY BRISBANE 
After forty years, The Liturgical Commission of the Archdiocese of Brisbane has had a name change. It is now simply “Liturgy Brisbane”. The new logo retains the distinctive red “L”.         

Why the change?

While The Liturgical Commission fulfilled the dictionary definition of a Commission, that is, a group of people charged with certain duties, for many years it had not operated like most Commissions within the Archdiocese, that is as a group of people from various walks of life with some experience and/or expertise in a particular field, who come together to offer advice, feedback, direction, etc to those who are professionally engaged in the mission of the Church.

The Archdiocese of Brisbane has just such a Commission: the Archdiocesan Commission on the Liturgy.

Secondly, the title The Liturgical Commission was confusing. Many people understood that we were the commission on liturgy for the whole of Australia. As a result we are contacted for assistance with liturgy by people from all parts of Australia and when the revised Missal was implemented last year we were even blamed for the changes that people did not like! The national liturgy body is the National Liturgical Council.

The new title, Liturgy Brisbane, explains more clearly that we operate in the Archdiocese of Brisbane and that our focus is liturgy.

Liturgy Brisbane exists to offer support to parish communities in preparing and celebrating liturgical rites. Its aim is to encourage the full, conscious and active participation of all people in rites that are noble in their simplicity yet powerful in their expression of the sacred mysteries. Its functions fall under three categories:

Educational Services: Liturgy Brisbane offers seminars and workshops designed to help people understand the meaning of the liturgical rites, to help liturgy planners use the liturgical books with respect and creativity and to assist in training liturgical ministers. Last year, for example, 92 workshops were held across the 13 deaneries of the Archdiocese to prepare clergy, musicians and all Catholics for the implementation of the revised Roman Missal.

Publishing Services: A vast array of resources in liturgy is produced and published to assist in preparing and celebrating the liturgical rites. These include our “hardy annuals” the Daily Mass Book, Ordo and Break Open the Word (a book for readers); Life is Changed Not Ended, a planning guide for funerals; the recently revised Reborn in Christ to help people participate in the liturgy of Baptism; Communion of the Sick for those who take Communion to those in homes and hospitals; Liturgy News, our quarterly periodical; LabOra Worship, the electronic library of liturgical books, documents and other resources.

Consulting Services: Liturgy Brisbane is available to answer ad hoc questions from parishes and individuals and to help with major diocesan liturgical events. This includes assisting parishes and their pastors to evaluate their space for worship and plan the renovation or construction of buildings for liturgy. Liturgy Brisbane also enables the diocese to participate in national and international projects in liturgy.