The Reverent Liturgy Project inspires and equips priests (as well as deacons, seminarians and music directors) to offer classically Catholic worship to the faithful in ways that unify rather than disrupt ordinary parishes.
Growing the Catholic Church in America requires making Catholics out of the children and teens who are in the pews and also inspiring their parents to bring them to Mass every Sunday.
The next generation of teens and young adults are hungry for transcendence, for stability, for meaning, for beauty, for being part of something larger than themselves. Classically Catholic worship practices feed this profound yearning of souls.
“I’m very excited about the Reverent Liturgy Project, for the sake of the salvation of souls, the sanctification of God’s people, and the glory of God.”
Archbishop Cordileone
Worshipping Ad Orientum
Reception of the Eucharist
Kneeling to receive the Eucharist on the tongue and other traditional Eucharistic practices including processions, adoration, the eucharistic fast, confession as reverence for the Eucharist, silence and prayer before and after Mass and during the Consecration, minimizing the use of extraordinary Eucharistic ministers and use of altar rails where feasible.
Sacred Music
Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony, and equipping the faithful to sing their Mass parts rather than singing at Mass. Introducing Latin chants. Welcoming women who veil as a sign of reverence.
The Smells and the Bells
Inspiring young men as altar servers. Proper education for lay liturgical ministers. Reintroducing candles, bells, incense, and other altar and Church arrangements.
“This is the most important thing. If you want to draw young men to the priesthood, if you want to draw young people to your parish, if you want a vibrant parish, the key is sacred liturgy, sacred music.”
"The next generation of priests want to move toward reverence. Younger priests know this is the key to evangelizing. The main thing holding them back is uncertainty about how to implement these changes successfully."
“It is a game-changer. People are ten times more reverent. They pray before they receive, they stay at the rail, they pray after they receive. They think about what they’re doing. It’s not rushed. It’s a total game changer.”
The Reverent Liturgy Project won’t need to persuade priests to do something new, we will empower them to do what they already know is important. Our ambitious goal? By 2030 we will bring one or more reverent liturgical practices to 2,500 parishes, impacting 7.5 million Catholics.
How? By connecting priests who have successfully moved to classically Catholic worship practices with their brother priests who wish to do so. We believe the testimony of priests will be the most successful motivator for other priests as well as deacons, seminarians, and music directors.
Interview hundreds of successful priests to create a strategic guide for other priests, as well as priests interested in reverent liturgy who need help, so we can learn what they need to move forward.
These interviews are not just about creating a product, they are the beginning of a powerful network of priests which will carry the Reverent Liturgy Project forward.
An Ignatius Press book: “Moving to Reverent Liturgy: A Strategic Guide for Priests.”
We have patterned this book on successful books for business executives, except in this case the business is saving souls. Each chapter begins with a reflection from Archbishop Cordileone or another bishop on the theological meaning and history of a classically Catholic worship practice, followed by a priest’s success story, a step-by-step guide to implementing liturgical changes and dealing with conflict, ending with a summary and reflection question for priests.
We will launch the book at a major liturgy summit for important prelates and priests at St. Patrick’s Seminary, June 1-4, 2027. To learn more, email us at info@bxvi.org.
Create resources for priests ranging from FAQs, bulletin announcement, homily prompts for appropriate readings, and short 30 second and also 3 to 5 minute beautiful instructional videos priests can use to introduce and explain new worship practices, “a nugget at a time,” as one priest told us. These videos can also include Family Discussion Questions, which priests can use when Catholics ask the Church for a sacrament: baptism, first communion, confirmation, and marriage: watch a short video and then discuss with your kids (or each other). As we listen to more priests needing help, we will create (or curate if it already exists) the materials they say would be helpful.
Create 10 to 15 beautifully produced and inspiring videos: Moving to Reverent Liturgy: A Video Course. Each 10 minute video takes one chapter of the book and converts it to a video format: explaining why these classically Catholic worship practices are important theologically, and how to implement them successfully.
We will use these Moving to Reverent Liturgy materials in public campaigns designed to attract priests to Zoom rooms so they can build community, encourage one another, and hear directly from priests who have successfully implemented these practices.
Are you a priest interested in bringing more classically Catholic practices to your parish?
To support the Reverent Liturgy Project, click here or email giving@bxvi.org
