Making the new translation of the Roman Missal sing

The new English translation of the Roman Missal will be a major topic of discussion at this year's National Association of Pastoral Musicians' annual convention, which starts Monday in Louisville, Ky. In particular, the convention will emphasis the following points about the implementation of the Revised Missal:

• the importance of the words Catholics sing, speak and pray;
• the call to God’s people to sing the liturgy as an integral element of full, conscious, and active participation;
• the role of musicians and other pastoral leaders in facilitating change that brings life.

Among the speakers will be Msgr. Kevin Irwin, dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and Father Richard Hilgartner, executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat of Divine Worship.

The convention runs through July 22.