FOREWORD<br > It often has been said that the people were not properly<br > prepared for the liturgical renewal of the Second Vatican<br > Council. That was so， of course， because neither were the<br > bishops， priests， and religious educators. What was most<br > lacking on the part of all -- and especially here in the United<br > States -- was a sense of history. Liturgy had been seen as a<br > set of immutable rubrics， divinely inspired and divinely<br > transmitted. The multiple sources and the many factors that<br > brought into being our liturgy before Vatican II were not<br > generally known. If only Father Loret s book had been<br > written in 1964 and had become a part of a mandated reading<br > list for all Catholics!<br > Father Pierre Loret， C.SS.R.， has written a history of the<br > Mass for everyone. That is， indeed， a brave undertaking.<br > Many scholars will criticize the book for being too simple<br > and unnuanced， some will say it does not incorporate schol-<br > arship since the time of Josef Jungmann (whose monumental<br > work appeared in German in 1948)， some will say that at<br > times it seems more apologetical than historical; but I am<br > sure all will agree that the risk had to be taken and that Father<br > Loret has succeeded well.<br > The liturgical renewal of Vatican II was well prepared by<br >scholars and particular groups. Intensified historical studies<br >and monographs had been appearing in scholarly journals<br >since the last century. They were written for the most part by<br >Benedictine n~onks， forced in the period of monastic resto-<br >ration in the 19th century to record the roots of their spiritual-<br >ity. These studies had led to practical， pastoral results in the<br >liturgical movements that swept Europe and the United<br >States before and after the Second World War. Nevertheless，<br >knowledge of this renewal was still limited to experts before<br >the Council. The Council made it the living heritage of all<br >Catholics.<br >