Online Edition – Vol. VI, No. 9: Dec 2000 – Jan 2001

Gabe Huck accepts liturgists’ award to LTP

Gabe Huck, director since 1977 of Liturgy Training Publications of the Archdiocese of Chicago, accepted the annual Frederick R. McManus Award, presented to the publishing house by the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions [FDLC] at their national convention held in the diocese of Orange, California, October 3-7, 2000.

LTP is one of the largest and most influential publishers of liturgy books, lectors’ workbooks, pamphlets, and "worship aids", including videos, Liturgy Sourcebooks, Meeting House Essays and E & A newsletter on church architecture, among many others.

The award had special praise for the ICEL Psalter, of which Huck was editor. (The Holy See ordered the Psalter removed from publication early this year because of doctrinal deficiencies.)

LTP also published Cardinal Roger Mahony’s 1997 statement on the liturgy, "Gather Faithfully Together", along with companion videos. Huck was a speaker at the launch of Cardinal Mahony’s plan for liturgical renewal.

The FDLC is a quasi-official group of professional liturgists, established by Monsignor McManus while he was executive director of the bishops’ Liturgy Committee office. Generally, the FDLC "resolutions" become agenda items presented by the Liturgy Committee to the body of bishops.

At their October convention, FDLC members expressed strong objections to the publication this summer of the Holy See’s liturgy regulations, the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, as a "study translation" prepared by the Liturgy Committee.

The "resolution" said that release of the document to "the public at large" at the same time as to worship offices "has led to confusion and has hindered the proper preparation and catechesis of the faithful". They "urge the BCL to withhold release" of documents until "Diocesan Worship Offices and Commissions receive adequate time to study the text prior to release to the general public in order to prepare catechesis for implementation".

Another resolution urged that English translations of all liturgical books always be made by ICEL [International Commission on English in the Liturgy].

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(See related story, "Why Scripture was ICEL-ated")

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