Cornelius A. Bouman, from Utrecht, Holland, was an international authority and scholar in the field of the history of the liturgy. He lectured in the Summer Liturgy Program at the University for many years since 1951. He was also an authority on the various Eastern liturgies. In December 1955 he was ordained a Deacon according to the Byzantine-rite in the Russian Catholic Church of St. Anthony the Great in Rome. In 1958 he was appointed to the chair of liturgy at the University of Nijmegan in the Netherlands. Mary Perkins Ryan was the well-known author of popular liturgical books aimed at a wider understanding of and participation in the liturgy: ""Key to the Psalms,"" introduction to ""The Psalms: The Fides Translation,"" ""Speaking of How to Pray,"" and ""Beginning at Home.""
Long out of print, Cornelius A. Bouman and Mary Perkins Ryan's 1960 Key to the Missal has been resurrected from the ash heap of oblivion to provide a new generation of traditional worshippers guidance in how to get the most out of the traditional Latin Mass. Key to the Missal artfully combines scholarly erudition with practical advice, much of which I had not heard before but which, once presented, makes perfect sense. This is a delightful and digestible book. -Dr. Michael P. Foley, author of Lost in Translation: Meditating on the Orations of the Traditional Roman Rite and Dining with the Saints People who attend the traditional Latin Mass often wonder how they can better understand and relate to the liturgy. Key to the Missal answers this very practical question by offering an accessible, insightful guide to making the best use of one's daily missal. It offers points of meditation for each season of the liturgical year and for various classes of feasts, drawing the reader's attention to themes, texts, and connections. It's like a hand-missal masterclass. The strength of its content permits one to forgive, as naive, certain vintage 1960 footnotes. -Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, author of The Once and Future Roman Rite