I am pleased to have a talk I gave a couple of years ago at the Jungmann Society Congress in the Philippines included in a new volume, JESUITS AND LITURGY: COMMUNITY AND FORMATION published by the Faculty of Theology at Trnava University. A pdf version of the book is available here on the Jungmann Society website.
From Fr. Vlastimil Dufka’s introduction, here is a description of my own modest contribution:
In his presentation “Daily Mass in Jesuit Communities” Anthony R. Lusvardi SJ reflects on the role of daily Mass in Jesuit communities, framing his insights through both historical and contemporary perspectives. Drawing on early 20th-century debates between Jesuits and Benedictines, he identifies a persistent tendency among Jesuits to undervalue the formative nature of the liturgy—a tendency rooted in neo-scholastic minimalism and an overly intellectualized approach to worship. Lusvardi argues that the liturgy is not merely ceremonial but participatory and transformative, shaping those who engage in it through embodied symbolic action.
This conviction is grounded in his pastoral and pedagogical experience, particularly in his work with Jesuit scholastics preparing for ordination. While many Jesuit communities strive to celebrate daily Mass with reverence and fidelity, Lusvardi observes that implicit liturgical formation remains inconsistent and, at times, insufficient. Many young Jesuits express uncertainty about basic liturgical practices and a lack of theological grounding, revealing gaps in formation that risk weakening both priestly identity and the communal expression of the Church’s worship.
Lusvardi calls for a renewed appreciation of the daily Eucharist as central to Jesuit life and apostolate, in alignment with the Complementary Norms and the vision of Sacrosanctum Concilium. He advocates for more robust practical and theological formation in the ars celebrandi, deeper engagement with the practice of concelebration, and greater fidelity to liturgical norms—not as rigid formalism, but as a path to spiritual depth and ecclesial communion. Guided by the insights of Romano Guardini and Desiderio Desideravi, the talk concludes with a vision of the liturgy as a place of humility, formation, and peace—offering Jesuits the possibility of becoming men shaped by their encounter with the sacred, and capable of serving the Church with integrity and courage.
Readers might also enjoy the other articles in the volume; I found the opening remarks of the Jungmann Society President Jérôme Guignand, SJ, as well as his exceptionally well-researched article “Celebrating and the Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours” particularly worthwhile.
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Tony Lusvardi, S.J. 