Reading and writing and Roman Missal revisions

As July quickly turns to August, store ads are filled with back-to-school bargains, and across the country, youngsters — happily and not-so-happily — are preparing themselves to head back to class before too long.

Catholics who want to learn more about the new translation of the Roman Missal can also hit the books — virtually, at least — with a course being offered by the University of Dayton's Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation. Roman Missal: Preparing for the New Translation is a five-week online course that will be offered twice before the revisions are implemented on Nov. 27. The first session begins Aug. 7, with the second session beginning Sept. 25. Cost is $90. Here's the course description from the learning community's website:

In the U.S. on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011, we will implement the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. Unlike the revised liturgy of over forty years ago, we will not see any major changes to the way we celebrate Mass. What will be different is the translation, a slight rearrangement of the texts in the book itself, the addition of some new prefaces, new proper prayers for the saints that have recently been added to the church calendar. Most of this the average person in the pew won't even notice. What will be noticed is the people's responses. Just as we learned the English responses fairly quickly over four decades ago, we will no doubt do the same with these new texts now. Why this new Roman Missal? Why the new translation? What opportunities does this have for us to learn more about Mass and pray better? These and other such questions will be addressed in this course.

In a statement announcing the course, Sister Angela Ann Zukowski of the university's Institute for Pastoral Initiatives said, "This course is intended for anyone interested in knowing more about why these changes are taking place, what they are going to look like and how the changes will affect how they actively participate in the updated liturgy."

Don't have the time or funds to take an entire course? The university also offers a free Roman Missal podcast, "Beyond the Words."

World religions professor: Revised Mass prayers 'evoke a sense of mystery'

The Christian Century has posted a commentary by Carol Zaleski, a professor of world religions at Smith College in Massachusetts, on the new translation of the Roman Missal — to be implemented in English-speaking parishes Nov. 27 — which she calls "right and just."

If reception of this new translation is as generous as it should be, the period of adjustment will be a chance to rediscover the shape of the liturgy and the essentials of Christian belief and hope. The biblical concreteness of the liturgy and its humbling, exultant, awe-inspiring notes, muted in the old translation, are about to be restored. Thus, for example, when the celebrant echoes the angelic and Pauline greeting, "The Lord be with you," the congregation responds, "and with your spirit," a more vivid and theologically interesting translation of et cum spiritu tuo than the functional "and also with you." In the Gloria, "We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory," replaces the tepid abridgment to "we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory," so that the summons to adoration may come across as clearly as in the biblically based original. Threefold petitions and rhythmic repetitions, once stripped from the English in the interest of simplicity, evoke a sense of mystery that surpasses prosaic speech.

Read her entire piece.

Singing new songs at Mass with an 'open mind' and 'open heart'

Earlier this month, we told you about the National Pastoral Musicians Convention in Louisville, where Church musicians spent a lot of time familiarizing themselves with the musical settings of the new English translation of the Roman Missal. Catholic News Service recently posted a story about the convention, which drew more than 3,000. Here's an excerpt:

Keynote speaker Msgr. Ray East wove music intermittently into his speech.

He opened the address with a passionate delivery of "Give Me Jesus," an African-American spiritual, thrilling the crowd with his velvety baritone. Spontaneously throughout his address, he drew the crowd into song, too.

Singing the Magnificat at one point, Msgr. East told the crowd, "That 'yes' Mary said changed the history of the world.

"I also believe that your 'yes' to everything that (is changing in the liturgy) will change our worship for the better," he said.Msgr. East, pastor of Teresa of Avila in Washington, noted that some people came to the convention "with anger" and some came "sad."

A variety of emotions have animated responses to the new Roman Missal, he said."All of us came here with questions, panicking about the advent of Advent," he said, as the crowd murmured with comments. "But I hope that somebody came here to Louisville with an open mind ... with an open heart to listen, to learn, to study. And I hope somebody came to 'Sing to the Lord a new song.'"

Read the entire story.

U.K. Catholic paper takes readers through steps of producing the revised Roman Missal

The Catholic Herald sent a reporter to Italy to find out how the Roman Missals that will be used in England and Wales are being created. See the excerpt below:

In a bindery outside Vicenza, Italy, the new altar missals are picked off a conveyor belt, checked carefully and placed on a stack. They are almost ready, but not quite: ribbons and leather tabs are still to be added. After that, they will be wrapped in paper, packed in a box and sent by lorry through Europe. By December, every parish in Britain will have one.

Watching the missals emerge is Pierpaolo Finaldi, commissioning editor at the Catholic Truth Society (CTS). For a year and a half he has overseen everything to do with their production: from artwork and design to the thickness of paper and the type of grain in the leather cover. Seeing the result, he says, is like watching a baby being born. “Except it’s taken a lot longer than nine months.”

Chugging away in front of us is the machine that glues the cover on to each big block of paper. It is a key moment in the production. Inside, a swirl of wheels, rollers and hammers presses the book together and moulds the spine into shape.

Read the entire article.

What two prominent prelates are saying about revised Roman Missal

The Archdiocese of Chicago has posted a short video of Cardinal Francis George answering a question about the revised edition of the Roman Missal, which will be implemented among English-speaking Catholics on Nov. 27. Watch below:

Meanwhile, the website of the Catholic Church of England and Wales has posted an audio interview with Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds, England, chair of the International Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL), about the implementation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal in England and Wales. Bishop Leeds calls the new translation one of the "most significant developments since the publication of the English version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.”

Listen to the interview.

New Zealand bishop: Implementation of revised Missal has been 'trouble-free'

While most English-speaking Catholics throughout the world are preparing for the new English translation of the Roman Missal, which will be implemented Nov. 27, some faithful have already begun using parts of the revised Mass. New Zealand, for example, introduced the people's parts of the Mass last November. Australia and South Africa also have had a head start.

The 15th Station, a Catholic podcast network in New Zealand, recently posted an interview with Bishop Patrick Dunn of Auckland about the introduction of the Missal in the country, which he says has been "seamless," for the most part. The key was lots of preparation, Bishop Dunn says. It appears that paid off, for he adds in the interview that "people also appreciate the grace of the new translation and are seeing the Scriptural allusions in the prayers."

The Church in New Zealand will introduce the rest of the revisions the first Sunday of Advent.

Listen to the interview.

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.

Insights from U.S. bishops' Divine Worship director

Father Richard B. Hilgartner, director of the USCCB's Secretariat of Divine Worship, acknowledges that when he first saw an early draft of the new English translation of the Roman Missal, he wasn't so sure about it. Here's what he said about it in a recent article in Baltimore's Catholic Review:

“I remember feeling totally overwhelmed. It was like the rug had been pulled out from under me. I was shocked and thought, ‘What is this going to mean?’"

After years of studying the text, his views have "absolutely changed," however, and now he's been tasked with helping Catholics across the United States prepare for the revisions, which will be implemented Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent. One of Father Hilgartner's top pieces of advice is for all Catholics — bishops, priests and laypeople — to have patience with one another in implementing the changes, which he says can be a time for liturgical renewal.

“Give it time and be open to it. I tell priests to be patient with themselves and to be patient with their people. I tell bishops to ask the people to be patient with their priests. We’re all human and this is all going to be new and it’s going to take us time to do it well. Don’t be ready to pounce on people the minute there’s the smallest mistake.”

Read entire article.

Revised Roman Missal could be 'great source for renewal' for Church

The new English translation could become "a great source for renewal in the liturgical life of the Church and make "a valuable contribution to the work of new evangelisation." That's what Benedictine Abbot Cuthbert Johnson told British journalist Peter Jennings recently.

The CTS Catholic Compass, the blog of the UK's Catholic Truth Society, has been publishing excerpts of the interview with Abbot Johnson, author of the CTS book "Understanding the Roman Missal — the New Translation." In the fourth and final excerpt, Abbot Johnson urges Catholics to put aside their differences about the new translation and remember the words of St. Benedict: “We believe that God is present everywhere and especially is this so when we celebrate the Sacred Liturgy.”

Read first excerpt.

Read second excerpt.

Read third excerpt.

Life Teen's video on revised Roman Missal

The Catholic youth ministry Life Teen has released a new video on the English translation of the Roman Missal that will debut on the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 27. Although aimed at youth ministers, the video is a good overview of the revisions for all Catholics.

New Roman Missal for Youth Ministers - Word for Word by Life Teen from Life Teen on Vimeo.