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 administra ...

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, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

on 8 May 1969. The Congregation was charged with the supervision of the

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

, 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 Josep ...

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 ...

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

s. 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 w ...

, 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 Decretals ...

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 Mario Compagnoni Marefoschi (10 September 1714 – 23 December 1780) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was born in the Palazzo Compagnoni Marefoschi in Macerata, Italy. Pope Clement XIV made him a cardinal ''in pectore'' on 29 Jan ...

(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 t ...

(1800–1814) * Giorgio Doria Pamphilj Landi (1821–1837) * Carlo Maria Pedicini (1837–1843) *

Ludovico Micara Ludovico MicaraLodovico Micara, Ludovico da Frascati. (12 October 1775 – 24 May 1847) was an Italian Capuchin and Cardinal. He was born at Frascati, in the Papal States. Ordained in 1798, he became Dean of the College of Cardinals in 1824. ...

OFM Cap The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...

(1843–1844) *

Luigi Lambruschini Luigi Lambruschini (6 March 1776 – 12 May 1854) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in the mid nineteenth century. He was a member of the Clerics Regular of St. Paul and served in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See. Biograph ...

, B (1847–1854) *

Costantino Patrizi Naro Costantino Patrizi Naro JUD (4 September 1798 – 17 December 1876) was a long-serving Italian Cardinal who became Dean of the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Benedetto Naro was his great-uncle. Biography Born in Siena, Naro was educated in the ...

(1854–1860) *

Luigi Bilio Luigi Maria Bilio, C.R.S.P. (25 March 1826 – 30 January 1884), was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who, among other offices, was Secretary of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office. Life Bilio was born in Alessandria, Pi ...

, B (1876–1877) *

Tommaso Martinelli Tommaso Maria Martinelli (4 February 1827 - 30 March 1888) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation of Rites. Tommaso Martinelli was born in the parish of Sant'Anna, Lucca as the son of Cosma Mart ...

, OSA (1877–1878) *

Domenico Bartolini Domenico Bartolini (Rome, 26 August 1880 – 5 April 1960) was an Italian politician and civil servant, who served as Minister of Finance of the Badoglio I Cabinet, the first after the fall of the Fascist regime. Biography From 1908 to 192 ...

(1878–1886) *

Angelo Bianchi Angelo Bianchi (19 November 1817 – 22 January 1897) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and worked in the Roman Curia. He became a cardinal in 1889. Biography Angelo Bianchi was bo ...

(1887–1897) *

Carlo Laurenzi Carlo Laurenzi (12 January 1821 – 2 November 1893) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 1889 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1884. B ...

(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 entered re ...

, SJ (1897–1900) *

Gaetano Aloisi Masella Gaetano Aloisi Masella (30 September 1826 – 22 November 1902) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1887 and served as Prefect of the Congregation of Rites from 1899 until his death. Bi ...

(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 Gio ...

(1900–1902) *

Serafino Cretoni Serafino Cretoni (4 September 1833 – 3 February 1909) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 1903 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1896. Bio ...

(1903–1909) * Luigi Tripepi (1903–1906) *

Sebastiano Martinelli Sebastiano Martinelli (20 August 1848 – 4 July 1918) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation of Rites. Early life Sebastiano Martinelli was born in Borgo Sant'Anna within the Archdiocese of Lucca ...

, OSA (1909–1918) * Scipione Tecchi (1914–1915) *

Antonio Vico Antonio Vico may refer to: * Antonio Vico (cardinal) (1847–1929), cardinal of the Catholic Church *Antonio Vico y Pintos Antonio Vico Pinto (3 December 1840 - 8 March 1940) was a Spanish stage actor. Family provenance Antonio Vico Pinto was bor ...

(1915–1929) *

Camillo Laurenti Camillo Laurenti (20 November 1861 – 6 September 1938) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 1929 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1921 ...

(1929–1938) *

Carlo Salotti Carlo Salotti (25 July 1870 – 24 October 1947) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as prefect of the Congregation of Rites from 1938 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate ''in pectore'' in 1933. Bi ...

(1938 - 24 Oct 1947) *

Clemente Micara Clemente Micara (24 December 1879 – 11 March 1965) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1909 to 1950 and was Vicar General of Rome from 1951 until his death. Pope Pius ...

(1950–1953) *

Gaetano Cicognani Gaetano Cicognani (26 November 1881 – 5 February 1962) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as prefect of the Apostolic Signatura from 1954 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope Pius XII. To ...

(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 1959 ...

, CMF (1962–1968) *

Benno Gut Benno Gut (1 April 1897 – 8 December 1970) was a Benedictine monk of the Archabbey of Maria Einsiedeln, Switzerland, and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship in the Roma ...

, 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