The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship * Congregation (Roman Curia), an adminis ...

of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by

Pope Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...

by '' Immensa Aeterni Dei''; it had its functions reassigned by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

on 8 May 1969. The Congregation was charged with the supervision of the liturgy, the dispensation of the decrees of

Canonical coronation A canonical coronation ( la, Coronatio Canonica) is a pious institutional act of the pope, duly expressed in a bull, in which the pope bestows the right to impose an ornamental crown, a diadem or an aureole to an image of Christ, Mary or Jo ...

s, other various sacraments, and the process of

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

of saints. With the modern reforms of

after the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

, it was divided into the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pa ...

and the

Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments it, Dicastero per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti , type = Dicastery , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , p ...

. The

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

, or second-highest official of the Congregation once served as the personal

sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decret ...

to the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

Prefects

* Flavio Chigi (1759–1771) * Mario Marefoschi Compagnoni (1771-1785) *

Giulio Maria della Somaglia Giulio Maria della Somaglia (29 July 1744 – 2 April 1830) was an Italian cardinal. He was, in his later life — a staunch '' zelante'' cardinal who, as Secretary of State under Pope Leo XII, helped enforce an authoritarian regime in th ...

(1800–1814) *

Giorgio Doria Pamphilj Landi Giorgio Doria Pamphilj Landi (17 November 1772 – 16 November 1837) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was born in Rome, Italy to the prominent Genoese family of Doria-Pamphili-Landi. He was distantly related to Pope Innocent X (1 ...

(1821–1837) *

Carlo Maria Pedicini Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

(1837–1843) * Ludovico Micara, OFM Cap (1843–1844) * Luigi Lambruschini, B (1847–1854) * Costantino Patrizi Naro (1854–1860) * Luigi Bilio, B (1876–1877) * Tommaso Martinelli,

OSA Osa or OSA may refer to: Places * Osa Peninsula, a peninsula in Costa Rica * Osa (canton), a canton in the province of Puntarenas in Costa Rica * Osa Conservation Area, an administrative area in Costa Rica * Osa, India, a village in Allahabad, I ...

(1877–1878) * Domenico Bartolini (1878–1886) * Angelo Bianchi (1887–1897) * Carlo Laurenzi (1889–1895) *

Camillo Mazzella Camillo Mazzella (10 February 1833 – 26 March 1900) was an Italian Jesuit theologian and cardinal. Biography Mazzella was born at Vitulano, near Benevento. He and his siblings were first tutored at home. Three of his brothers entere ...

, SJ (1897–1900) * Gaetano Aloisi Masella (1899–1902) *

Domenico Ferrata Domenico Ferrata JUD (4 March 1847 – 10 October 1914) was an Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal who spent most of his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and in the Roman Curia. Life Ferrata was born in Gradoli, near Viterbo to G ...

(1900–1902) * Serafino Cretoni (1903–1909) *

Luigi Tripepi Luigi Tripepi (21 June 1836 – 29 December 1906) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and poet. He was one of the most important Roman Catholic apologists of the 19th century. Biography He was born in Cardeto, a small town in the province ...

(1903–1906) * Sebastiano Martinelli,

(1909–1918) *

Scipione Tecchi Scipione Tecchi J.C.D. S.T.D. (27 June 1854 – 7 February 1915) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation of Rites. Early life and priesthood Tecchi was born in Rome, Italy. He was educated ...

(1914–1915) * Antonio Vico (1915–1929) * Camillo Laurenti (1929–1938) * Carlo Salotti (1938 - 24 Oct 1947) * Clemente Micara (1950–1953) * Gaetano Cicognani (1953–1956) *

Arcadio Larraona Saralegui Arcadio María Larraona Saralegui, C.M.F. (13 November 1887 – 7 May 1973) was a Spanish cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 1962 to 1968, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 19 ...

, CMF (1962–1968) * Benno Gut, OSB (1967–1969)

External links

Catholic Encyclopedia
{{Authority control Congregations of the Roman Curia Former departments of the Roman Curia 1588 establishments in the Papal States 1969 disestablishments in Vatican City Canonization

Prefects

See also

External links