Sacred Tradition: What the Church Means — and What It Doesn't

Part-1 of a Series on Tradition, Deposit of Faith, and How it all Applies to the Catholic Liturgy

Not many words get tossed around so liberally in Catholic discourse than “Sacred Tradition (sometimes just “Tradition”). And few are understood with less precision.

For many Catholics, “Tradition” has quietly come to mean whatever feels ancient, reverent, or familiar. Older prayers. Older customs. Older ways of doing things. When those things are questio…