Bengaluru: Cardinal Oswald Gracias, president of the Conference of Catholic of India (CCBI), has released directives to make liturgical celebrations more meaningful.

The cardinal, who is also the president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, gave the first copy of “The Directives for the Celebration of the Liturgy” to Archbishop Dominic Jala of Shillong at a brief function on September 20 at Bengaluru, southern India.

The Salesian archbishop is the chairperson of the Commission for Liturgy of the Latin rite bishops of India.

The function was held during the 75th Executive Committee meeting of the CCBI at St. John’s National Academy of health Sciences.

The cardinal said the directives will make liturgical celebrations more meaningful, active and participatory.

The CCBI Commission for Liturgy headed by Archbishop Jala and Fr Ayres Fernandes prepared the liturgical directives and the bishops discussed it during their 28th plenary assembly.

The assembly that was held February 3-9, 2015, in Bengaluru, addressed theme “Liturgy and Life.”

The members of the assembly requested the cCommission to prepare directives for the celebration of the liturgy for liturgical renewal in the Church in India.

The CCBI Executive Committee meetings proposed suggestions and amendments. Incorporating the numerous suggestions, the commission presented the final draft and it was approved by the episcopal conference.

“As liturgy is the font from which all power flows and the summit toward which the entire activity of the Church is directed,” Archbishop Jala explained.
The prelate said the directives form an essential and fundamental reference book for all ecclesiastical institutions and wherever liturgy is celebrated.

“The commission is planning various strategies to implement the directives at the diocesan, regional and national levels” he added.