After years of development and months of catechesis and rehearsal, the new English translation of the Roman Missal — officially known as the Roman Missal, Third Edition — is ready to take the stage, so to speak.
Beginning Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent, English-speaking Catholics in North America will pray and sing the words of the revised Mass.
We at OSV hope our readers have taken the opportunities to attend workshops or classes on the new translation and have read our series on the translation, and are ready to embark on this liturgical journey with a deeper appreciation of the Mass, which St. John Vianney reminds us “is the sacrifice of God for man.”
What follows is a final look at many of the changes, especially to the people’s parts, with commentary adapted from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Roman Missal site (www.usccb.org/romanmissal), along with a timeline of events and resources.
Timeline
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It’s been 11 years since Pope John Paul II promulgated a third edition of the Roman Missal and 10 years since Liturgiam Authenticam, which provided instructions for the translation of liturgical texts into the vernacular. Here’s a look at some key dates in charting how we got from there to here:
March 28, 2001: Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments releases Liturgiam Authenticam (“The Authentic Liturgy”).
April 2002: Vox Clara (“clear voice”) committee gathers for first time to assist in the review and approval of the new English translation of the Roman Missal.
November 2002: USCCB approves English translation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Vatican confirms it in March 2003.
Sept. 15, 2003: International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) re-established as a “mixed commission” by the Holy See.
February 2004: ICEL presents its first draft of the first section of the Roman Missal, the Order of Mass, for review and comments. Each section of the Missal would go through two drafts, one for review and the other for presentation to bishops’ conferences.
June 2006: USCCB approves English translation of the Order of Mass.
June 2008: Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments grants recognitio of English translation of the Order of Mass.
November 2009: U.S. bishops approve final segments of the Roman Missal.
| Why A New Translation? |
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Here’s what the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has to say to that question:
The Missale Romanum (Roman Missal), the ritual text for the celebration of the Mass, was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as the definitive text of the reformed liturgy of the Second Vatican Council. That Latin text, the editio typica (typical edition), was translated into various languages for use around the world; the English edition was published in the United States in 1973. The Holy See issued a revised text, the editio typica altera, in 1975. Pope John Paul II promulgated the third edition (editio typica tertia) of the Missale Romanum during the Jubilee Year in 2000. Among other things, the third edition contains prayers for the celebration of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Intentions, and some updated and revised rubrics (instructions) for the celebration of the Mass. To aid the process of translation of the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued Liturgiam Authenticam, in 2001, an Instruction on the vernacular translation of the Roman Liturgy which outlines the principles and rules for translation. In 2007, the Congregation for Divine Worship issued the Ratio Translationis for the English Language, which outlined the specific rules for translation in English.
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March 2010: Vatican gives recognitio of the new English translation of the Roman Missal.
Aug. 20, 2010: Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, then USCCB president, announces that Catholics will begin using new translation on the first Sunday of Advent in 2011, and training and education of pastors, parish ministers and parishioners gets under way.
September 2011: With the approval of the USCCB, parishes across the country begin implementing musical settings of the people’s parts of the Mass.
Sources: usccb.org/romanmissal, CNS
Your Guide to the Changes
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CONFITEOR
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Web
www.usccb.org/romanmissal: Answers to frequently asked questions, sample texts and Church documents on the changes from the U.S. bishops.
www.romanmissalchanges.com: A blog about the changes from Our Sunday Visitor, along with a list of resources.
www.revisedromanmissal.org: Books, articles, brochures and a blog on the changes from Liturgy Training Publications.
Books
“A Biblical Walk Through the Mass,” by Edward Sri (Ascension, $12.99)
“Daily Roman Missal , Third Edition” (OSV, $74.95)
“Lectio Divina Bible Study: The Mass in Scripture,” by Stephen J. Binz (OSV, $9.95)
“The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition,” by Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl and Mike Aquilina (Image, $21.99)
“Praying the Roman Missal,” by Robert L. Tuzik (Liturgical Training Publications, $16.95)
Parish
Catechist’s Companion: About the Revised Roman Missal Primary Grade (OSV, $17.95 for package of 10)
Catechist’s Companion: About the Revised Roman Missal Intermediate Grade (OSV, $17.95 for package of 10)
Catholic Parent Know-How: About the Revised Roman Missal Primary Grades (OSV, $14.95 for package of 10)
Catholic Parent Know-How: About the Revised Roman Missal Intermediate Grades (OSV, $14.95 for package of 10)
“Faith Charts: The Mass at a Glance” (OSV, $7.95)
Revised Order of the Mass pew cards (OSV, $16.95 per package of 50
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GLORIA