First, a general comment, since this kind of question is often asked.
Most of the specific questions to which one would like to have answers about
the post conciliar reform of the liturgical books are likely to remain a
mystery lost in the bowels of time. Members of the committee still living,
for a variety of reasons, are reluctant to divulge any of the 'real story'
beyond what is available in the limited info in the archives, published and
unpublished. No one currently plans to publish additional diaries or notes
in the wake of the controveries following Bugnini's book. Reopens too many
old wounds, I suspect. So we are left with the handful of 'official'
responses which appeared in _Notitiae_ or the responses to queries from
various episcopal conferences that were published in the conference
newsletters.
To determine the 'official' reason for a specific calendar change, one
would most likely need to consult the meeting notes and responses to the
various schemata of the Consilium sub-group (Study Group 1) on the Calendar,
and even then one often seeks in vain. Some of these are published; most
must be retrieved from various archives in Rome or from private archives of
the members.
That said, as I read Butler (Thurston/Attwater), Catherine died on 29
April. (I.e., onset of final illness on 21 April, death eight days later.)
Perhaps some learned Bollandist might tell us if this is the currently
accepted wisdom? As is well known, there was a concerted effort by the
consilium to assign a saint's feast to a date as close as possible to the
date of death, or translation of relics, if date of death was in Lent. So
might one reasonably speculate that this was why the group moved Catherine's
date?
----- Original Message -----
From: John B.Wickstrom <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 1999 12:01 PM
Subject: Re: FEAST 29 April
> Does anyone know why the feast of Catherine of Siena was moved in the
> recent reforms from its traditional date (like so many) of April 30?
>
> --
>
>
>
> John B. Wickstrom
> Kalamazoo College
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
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