Christopher Carstens
Christopher Carstens
Christopher Carstens is Director of the Office for Sacred Worship in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, instructor at Mundelein’s Liturgical Institute, editor of the Adoremus Bulletin, and a voice on The Liturgy Guys Podcast.
Be It Done to Us According to the Word: The Virgin Mary and the Roman Missal
In recent months, we have found many occasions to reflect upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and her role in our…
Got Culture?
On the face of it, culture shouldn’t be a difficult thing to comprehend. After all, culture is everywhere. Yet what is culture?
The Holy Gift Exchange
Looking for the perfect present? It’s already here. I had hoped for a particular pair of size 11 cowboy boots…
You Are What You Eat…and What You Hear and Sing
Mothers have been telling children for years, “You are what you eat.” Eat healthy food and you will be a healthy person; eat junk food and you will feel like junk.
Vote Early and Vote Often: “The Democracy of the Dead”
In every month and every year—at all times—denizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem voice their votes via the Church’s living tradition.
The Unique Language of Liturgical Prayer (Or: What is a “venti frappuccino skinny”?)
If a Catholic (or especially a non-Catholic) were to stop and think about it, he would discover that there are some things—perhaps many things—about Catholic worship that on the surface seem strange.
Romano Guardini Was Careful What He Asked For: A Liturgical Crisis
Upon hearing of his death, Pope Paul VI recalled Guardini’s “praiseworthy work and successful efforts as a scholar and writer for a greater understanding of theological truths and for the formation of a true, liturgical devotion.”
A Word with the Saints and Angels
Who celebrates the liturgy? When I first read this question in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1136), I thought…
Mass Casualties: The Life and Times of Father Mulcahy
Pope Francis likens today’s Church to a MASH unit. “I like to use the image of a field hospital to describe this ‘Church that goes forth’; it exists,” he says, “where there is combat, it is not a solid structure with all the equipment where people go to receive treatment for both small and large infirmities.
Q: Must every verse of the opening hymn at Mass be used?
A: While every verse of a Mass’s opening hymn may be sung, the musical tradition suggests it is not necessary…