This Date in History: Changing How Mass is Celebrated

March 07, 1965: Celebrating mass at a parish church in Italy, Pope Paul VI faced the congregation instead of having his back to it as had been the custom for centuries. He also spoke in Italian rather than Latin for most of the most of the service. These were two of the changes recommended by the Second Vatican Council, moving Roman Catholic laity into more active participation in the "central mystery of the mass."