A great deal has happened in Roman Catholic worship since Vatican II promulgated the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy on December 4, 1963. But the myth persists that very little happened in the four centuries between the end of the Council of Trent on December 4, 1563, and Vatican II. Roman Catholic Worship explores what occurred in those four hundred years before Vatican II and how the stage was set for all the changes that have come about since the council. It may be true that liturgical texts were frozen during those intervening centuries, but to assume that liturgical texts are the whole of liturgy is questionable. James White demonstrates that the worship life of Roman Catholicism was in constant transition during this entire period despite the intransigence of liturgical texts.

Chapters are "The Legacy of the Council of Trent," “The Baroque Age,” “The Enlightenment,” “The Romantic Era,” “The Journey to the Second Vatican Council,” “The Legacy of the Second Vatican Council,” “The Journey Beyond the Second Vatican Council,” and “The Future of Roman Catholic Worship.” Includes glossary, bibliography, index of persons and index of subjects.