Msgr. Gerard O’Connor, director of the Office for Worship for the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, and the rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. (photo: Courtesy photo / Archdiocese of Portland)
Msgr. Gerard O’Connor, director of the Office for Worship for the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, sheds light on what parishes across the country can do to strengthen liturgical practices in light of the Pope’s new document.
By Joan Frawley Desmond, EWTN News, July 7, 2022
Joan Frawley Desmond Joan Frawley Desmond, is the Register’s senior editor. She is an award-winning journalist widely published in Catholic, ecumenical and secular media. A graduate of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies of Marriage and Family, she lives with her family in California.
Pope Francis’ new apostolic letter on the liturgy, Desiderio Desideravi, arrived June 29, as Catholic pastors across the globe continued their struggle to reverse a sharp decline in Mass attendance following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and fresh reports of liturgical abuses in U.S. parishes sparked questions from the faithful.
During a June 30 interview with Register senior editor Joan Frawley Desmond, Msgr. Gerard O’Connor, the director of the Office for Worship for the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, and the rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, addressed Francis’ new apostolic letter, and explained why reverent liturgies and vibrant preaching must be at the heart of every parish renewal campaign. He also took stock of the pandemic’s practical impact on sacred worship and proposed changes that could deepen reverence for the Blessed Sacrament and eliminate problematic liturgical practices exposed during Zoom-facilitated Masses livestreamed during the lockdown. …