Rigorously conceived and meticulously written with unparalleled erudition, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski’s The Once and Future Roman Rite can be read with great benefit by anyone. I especially recommend it to those who have doubts (which is why I encourage you to gift it to the hesitant), as they will decisively learn from this book why the restoration of the Traditional Roman Liturgy, as well as our participation in it, is—as the author himself puts it—“a matter of life and death, vitality and extinction.”
Dr. Peter Kwasniewski needs no introduction. The author of an impressive body of work—over 30 volumes (18 of his own and 13 edited)[i]—he is also an exceptional composer of sacred music.[ii] Since discovering his compositions, I have not stopped listening and marveling, marveling and listening. In the face of the auditory experience of his musical works, words are superfluous.
This is why, before delving into the substance of my review, I wholeheartedly recommend that you listen to this composition of his (Kyrie – from the Missa Spe Salvi).
I am certain that after listening, you will have no doubt that we are dealing with a musician comparable to Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1526–1594) or his favorite contemporary composer, Arvo Pärt. At the same time, reading the monographs written by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, one realizes that he is not only a remarkable musician but also a true disciple of the great Catholic theologians and philosophers such as Saint Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Alphonsus Maria de Liguori.
In recent years, the Protestantization of the Novus Ordo mass—denounced from the very beginning by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, along with Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci, as well as theologians like the Dominican Father Roger-Thomas Calmel (1914–1975) and the late Michael Treharne Davies (1936–2004)—has become increasingly evident.
A refined intellectual with a solid theological background, Dr. Kwasniewski is one of the most important voices that has risen in defense of Holy Catholic Tradition. Among the various theological fields he has explored with rare erudition, that of liturgy is, without a doubt, the most significant. Belonging to this vast domain of the Church’s sacred treasury, the work I will discuss is very likely one of the most important studies in recent decades dedicated to the defense of the Liturgy of the Ages.
Titled The Once and Future Roman Rite and published by TAN Books in 2022, this book is a monumental synthesis with one ultimate goal: to convince readers, through an irrefutable argument, that the restoration of the Liturgy of the Ages in the life of the Church is an absolute priority. If, on page 29, the author states unequivocally that “in the end, Catholics will be traditional, or they will not be at all,” I assure you that the same can be said of the Holy Liturgy:
“In the end, (Roman) Catholics will celebrate only and exclusively the Mass of the Ages, or they will not be Catholics at all.”
Why do I say this, paraphrasing Dr. Kwasniewski? Because in recent years, the Protestantization of the Novus Ordo mass—denounced from the very beginning by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, along with Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci, as well as theologians like the Dominican Father Roger-Thomas Calmel (1914–1975) and the late Michael Treharne Davies (1936–2004)—has become increasingly evident. Thus, if the Liturgy of the Ages is not fully restored, it is clear that all those who follow the path of the liturgical revolution and the new synodal way will remain what they have already become: prisoners of a deficient, (neo-)Protestant form of worship.
To illustrate and warn against this reality, Dr. Kwasniewski often presents vivid descriptions of our current situation:
“More than fifty years after the novel rites were formally introduced, we’re like fish swimming in contaminated waters we ourselves did not pollute” (p. XXIV).
To describe the present context and the actions of the revolutionaries who brought it about, the author does not hesitate to use the harshest comparisons, as seen in the following quote:
“We have seen a wholesale discarding, almost a Stalinist purge, of traditions, to which the precise term ‘memoricide,’ the murder of memory, might be justly applied” (p. 17).
He also addresses the much more difficult question of the origins of such a “mutation”—both in the mentality of those participating in the destruction of divine worship and in the broader ideological context of modernity, dominated by its most dangerous ideas. Specifically, he describes the philosophical sources of the liturgical revolution as follows:
“Speaking more broadly, the Novus Ordo encapsulates the errors of modern philosophy: in its prejudice against the universal anthropological language of symbols, its inescapable optionitis, its monotonous verbosity aimed at immediate comprehension, its rubrical sparseness and vagueness, and the veritable Tower of Babel created by vernacular missals, it shows itself to be characterized by nominalism, voluntarism, rationalism, and relativism” (p. 45).
In a note accompanying the above citation, he also names the thinkers whose sterile speculations generated these errors:
“Together these -isms summarize the entire arc of modern philosophy, with its root in Ockham, its blossom in Descartes, its fruit in Nietzsche, and its decay in Derrida or Rorty (or pick any relativist/reductionist)” (note 23, p. 45).
Why is it important to emphasize these (pseudo-)philosophical errors and their authors? Because the disaster of the liturgical revolution—like that of all post-conciliar reformist trends—ultimately originates in the minds of those involved. If our journey to the Kingdom of God begins with a change of mind (=conversion, from Greek μετανοέω/metanoeó),[iii] then the opposite direction is followed by all those who, corrupting their minds, embrace errors and heresies contrary to the supernatural, eternal, and uncreated Wisdom (Logos) of the Creator.
If the Liturgy of the Ages is not fully restored, it is clear that all those who follow the path of the liturgical revolution and the new synodal way will remain what they have already become: prisoners of a deficient, (neo-)Protestant form of worship.
The very notion of Tradition, as interpreted by Dr. Kwasniewski, implies the submission and union of the human mind with that of the Creator:
“This is a key point: the truth and way of life revealed by God, in its totality, was first deposited in tradition—that is, in the minds of men whom God has chosen as His confidants; only subsequently was some of it placed in writing, at the discretion of the ones to whom the deposit had been given” (p. 6).
At the heart of the matter are two key notions, applied both to God and to man: mind (intellect) and heart. In fact, in Jewish tradition, these two concepts merge to signify the deepest faculty of the human soul—lev or levav—which can be translated as both “mind” and “heart.” When Christ rebukes the apostles for their inability to believe that He, risen, is in their midst, He says:
“And he said to them: Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?” (Luke 24:38 – Et dixit eis : Quid turbati estis, et cogitationes ascendunt in corda vestra?)
As is clear, the heart is where our thoughts manifest. According to Dr. Kwasniewski, sacred Tradition involves both the receptivity of the apostles’ minds to divine Revelation and the love shown toward this divinely revealed content.
Just as a loving mother creates the best conditions for her newborn child to grow harmoniously to maturity, so too did the souls who loved God—the saints—starting with the apostles, create the optimal conditions for the Liturgy of the Ages to reach its full maturity.
The organic metaphor—made famous especially through the liturgical studies of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (i.e., Pope Benedict XVI)—is one of the key images in Dr. Kwasniewski’s reflections:
“This analogy to a living bodily organism has often been applied to the liturgy as well, which grows to full maturity by a process of articulation and expansion, like an oak tree from an acorn” (p. 37).
The ancient and profoundly rich symbol of the oak growing from an acorn can be applied to any spiritual reality that is the fruit of God’s Wisdom, of which the Book of Proverbs says:
“She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her” (Proverbs 3:18 – Lignum vitae est his qui apprehenderint eam).
This applies, for example, to Sacred Scripture (i.e., the Biblical canon), the Holy Liturgy, and Sacred Doctrine. For instance, once the biblical canon reached full maturity and was ratified by the ecumenical councils—definitively confirmed by the Council of Trent—it could never be changed. The same applies to sacred doctrine, as Dr. Kwasniewski points out: where well-defined dogmas have been established to protect revealed truths, no changes are possible:
“The Church’s doctrine, or rather, the expression of her doctrine, develops to maturity, but it does not ever decline into sickness, old age, or senility” (p. 38).
To assume that for hundreds or even thousands of years, Sacred Tradition was mistaken—until, suddenly, Vatican II and its aftermath ushered in a “springtime of the Holy Spirit” that showed us everything had to be changed—is an utterly unacceptable stance.
Similarly, the Roman Catholic Liturgy—under the guidance of the Holy Spirit—has reached the maturity of an oak tree and is therefore unchangeable:
“Her liturgy likewise develops under the guidance of Divine Providence, under the breath of the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the giver of life, making present anew the mysteries of the glorified Christ who has conquered death and lives forever. As a consequence, this liturgy, in its broad lines and beloved details, grows from strength to strength, from glory to glory, until it reaches a stature that may be considered its mature form, like that of a thirty-three-year-old man. The archetype of liturgical development, as of all other realities, is Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself” (p. 38).
Keeping in mind this organic metaphor, we can understand without difficulty why the mere idea of the Liturgy of the Ages being “outdated” or “decrepit” is unacceptable. And the notion of replacing it is simply an abomination. To assume that for hundreds or even thousands of years, Sacred Tradition was mistaken—until, suddenly, Vatican II and its aftermath ushered in a “springtime of the Holy Spirit” that showed us everything had to be changed—is an utterly unacceptable stance.
Essentially:
“One can never expect a time, after the age of the Apostles, in which either new Christian sacraments or fundamentally new rites will come into existence” (p. 53).
Dr. Kwasniewski demonstrates this point throughout his book. With formidable erudition, he meticulously analyzes both the conciliar deviations—especially those of the Protestant-minded liturgists like Bugnini—and the unprecedented abuses of Pope Paul VI. Rest assured, the author does not mince words. Like a skilled physician diagnosing a patient with cancer or heart disease, he delivers his verdict with clarity, knowing full well that healing depends both on the intervention of the aware and, above all, on an extraordinary outpouring of divine grace.
Here is how he describes the post-conciliar evolution and the current situation:
“From the 1950s through the 1970s, literally nothing was left untouched—and the changes were usually on a large scale, such as the wholesale rewriting of the rites of the Mass, of baptism, priestly ordination, extreme unction, the dedication of a Church, the consecration of virgin, the blessing of holy water, everything. This was not a revision but a rejection; not a reform but a revolution. It is disturbingly reminiscent of the ancient Gnostics’ denial that Jesus Christ has already come in the flesh.
In virtue of the ironclad axiom lex orandi, lex credendi, such a rejection means a rejection of the doctrine and spirituality the traditional Roman liturgy incarnates. It is, in other words, not primarily a deviation from rites but a deviation from the perennial theology of the Faith embodied in the rites-a form of infidelity or, dare I say, even apostasy. A rejection of the rites implies a rejection of what they signify and symbolize” (p. 69).
Despite such a terrible diagnosis, Dr. Kwasniewski does not lose his composure and invites us to remain calm as well. With patience and clarity—along with an immense passion for the Holy Liturgy—he lays out both the eight crucial elements present in all the Church’s organic rites and the five Traditional laws governing liturgical dynamics throughout the ages.
German precision, Italian passion, and American eloquence (i.e., enthusiasm)—this is how one might describe the attitude that shaped this exceptional monograph. I warn you that if you read it, you will find yourself facing a decisive choice, one that the author describes perfectly when explaining what he has accomplished in his book:
“I have argued that the Novus Ordo is not the Roman rite or any kind of traditional rite; neither in its texts nor in its ceremonies does it express the fullness of our Faith. Since the liturgical heritage of the Church does represent the work of the Holy Spirit over the ages, inspiring, gathering, augmenting, refining, consolidating, and preserving the treasures of our collective worship as Christ’s Mystical Body, we are faced with a serious decision: Do we take the path well-trodden by the saints, each generation demonstrably in continuity with the generations before and the generations to follow, by the common bond of an incorruptible God-breathed inheritance; or do we take a different path—liturgy conformed to ideology, confined to a certain time period?” (pp. 75-76).
As the Bard says, “That is the question.” Certainly, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski has provided a complete and strong answer to it.
Latest at RTV — The Pope & the Conclave: Can the Church Survive Francis II?
[i]A full list of all his books is available on his personal website:
https://www.peterkwasniewski.com/list-of-all-dr-ks-books[Accessed: 02 March 2025].
[ii]At the following address you can find his website as a Catholic musician:
https://cantabodomino.com/ [Accessed: 02 March 2025].
[iii]For many details regarding the conversion (of mind) see the article “Changing the Mind and the Profound Meaning of Conversion,” available online on Kmita’s Library Substack: https://kmitalibrary.substack.com/p/changing-the-mind-and-the-profound [Accessed: 05 March 2025].
