Holy See to Facilitate Expeditious Approval for the [English translation of the]Roman Missal

SCCB.org/Committee on Divine Worship ^ | February, 2009 | USCCB.org/Committee on Divine Worship

[Salvation]

Holy See to Facilitate Expeditious Approval for the Roman Missal
(from the February 2009 Newsletter – © 2009 USCCB)

The Committee on Divine Worship, at its November 2008 meeting, indicated that the USCCB would complete its review and approval of the texts of the third edition of the Roman Missal by the end of 2010, and noted that once the recognitio was issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, publishers would need as much as one year to prepare, publish, and distribute the Roman Missal for use in parishes. On December 15, Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., USCCB President, received a letter from Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation, in which he expressed a desire to facilitate a more expeditious completion of the approval process for the English translation of the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, and see the publication of the Roman Missal in English by the end of 2010.

In particular, Cardinal Cañizares recognized the valuable work of consultation and input from the various Conferences of Bishops, but noted that at least one Conference has completed its process of approval and has submitted its request for recognitio. He suggested that to expedite the approval of the remaining sections of the Missal, Conferences could place a lesser priority on the "Gray Books" for the Introductory Material, the Appendices, and the Antiphons prepared by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), given that, for the most part, they are rather technical in nature. Cardinal Cañizares suggested that priority be given to voting on other remaining sections and submitting them to the Congregation by November 30, 2009.

Cardinal George, in consultation with Bishop Arthur Serratelli and the members of the Committee on Divine Worship, sent an affirmative reply to Cardinal Cañizares' request, noting that the USCCB desired to maintain the U.S. Adaptations to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (which is contained in the Introductory Material). He noted that would take publishers one year from the reception of the recognitio to produce the liturgical book of the Roman Missal.

As originally planned, the Bishops of the United States are expected to consider four Gray Books at their plenary meeting in June 2009: Ordo Missae II, Ritual Masses, Masses for Various Needs and Intentions, and Votive Masses and Masses for the Dead. This will leave for the November 2009 meeting consideration of the final two Gray Books: the Proper of Saints and the Common of Saints. At that meeting they will also review the Propers for the Dioceses of the United States of America.

The process of preparation, consultation, review, and approval of the text of the Roman Missal over the past five years has involved not only the Holy See, but, as prescribed by Liturgiam authenticam, bishops and scholars at ICEL, the USCCB, and the other member conferences of ICEL as well.

In conjunction with the USCCB Task Force for Faith Formation and Sacramental Practice, the Committee on Divine Worship is working to develop a framework, timeline, and materials for the important catechetical formation to prepare priests and the faithful for the implementation of the revised translation of the Roman Missal. In addition, both the "Leeds Group" and the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions are continuing their work of developing resources for catechesis as well. It is hoped that the process of remote catechesis will begin at the end of 2009. Proximate (i.e., immediate) formation will commence once the recognitio is granted by the Congregation, so that clergy and the faithful will be prepared when the text of the Missal is ready for use.

In the February 2008 Newsletter, the Secretariat of Divine Worship presented a timetable illustrating the current process of translating and approving the third edition of the Roman Missal. After a year of many developments, it is now necessary to provide our readers with an updated timetable, reflecting the progress that has been made. Since last year's timetable, the Holy See has confirmed the Order of Mass I, and the USCCB has approved the Gray Book of the Proper of Seasons.

Download the timetable in PDF format.

[ArrogantBustard]

I've started flying the Missouri flag.

Again.

[sitetest]

Dear ArrogantBustard,

I remember back in the early part of this decade the timeline was that we'd have it by Advent 2007, and that was then so far in the future that many posted that certainly it could be done in far less time than that.

Now it's the end of 2010 and that's HURRY UP???

sitetest

[ArrogantBustard]

I suspect that the job could be handed to third-year Latin students at your local Catholic high school at the beginning of the year, and the job be done ... CORRECTLY ... by April.

[sitetest]

Dear ArrogantBustard,

“I suspect that the job could be handed to third-year Latin students at your local Catholic high school at the beginning of the year, and the job be done ... CORRECTLY ... by April.”

It is true that anyone with a few years of Latin studies isn't inclined to buy the translations of the bishops. I wonder if more than a handful of them know any Latin themselves?

My own third year high school Latin student (well, I guess now he's a rising AP Latin student) often goes to the Vulgate directly rather than deal with the NAB that his school gave him for religion class.

sitetest

[AnAmericanMother]

The NAB is a flippin' abomination. Obviously assembled by a committee with little sense and even less Latin (or Greek).

I read Greek better than Latin (had it more recently), and being raised Episcopalian I was always parsing the KJV which was translated directly from the Greek rather than through the Latin. So I tend to go to the Greek Testament and the LXX. But I'm getting better with the Vulgate!

[AnAmericanMother]

I wish they'd just make the Anglican Use Rite universal, but with a new translation of the communion rite portions that drew on the horrible current English translation.

Since I'm well read in 17th c. literature, I would bet that I and a couple of like-minded friends could sit down and do a good translation of the Latin Sarum Rite communion service in use in England before the Reformation, that would fit seamlessly into the rest of the AU Rite. At the moment, the added portions stick out linguistically like a low-IQ TV anchor beside Abp. Cranmer.

I mean, which of these guys would you trust with YOUR missal? (They kinda look alike, but I know which one had more intellectual horsepower and command of English.)

[vladimir998]

What bothers me is that there are already good translations of the Old Mass and even the Sarum Rite out there. I’m all for the AU Rite, but I agree with you, it would be better without the modern 1970 Roman Missal stuff thrown in there. The Sarum would suit me just fine. Then again, the Sarum in Latin would suit me just fine too!

Oh, well, from everything I’ve read, a better translation of the New Mass is on the way....eventually on the way. I’m glad it’s coming, but I will go to the old Mass whenever I can.

[AnAmericanMother]

I have an old missal from right around 1962 that has an EXCELLENT translation of the Latin.

I'd like to see the AUR be internally consistent, though. It really bothers me. Not that I get to actually GO to one, but I've watched it on DVD! (There's no movement here for an AUR - this is a 'low' ECUSA diocese. For awhile there were some folks meeting in somebody's living room in Dunwoody, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside.)

[Salvation]

Liturgy translations fall short of two-thirds; mail balloting needed

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“I have an old missal from right around 1962 that has an EXCELLENT translation of the Latin.”

That’s what I always thought!

“I’d like to see the AUR be internally consistent, though.”

Agreed.

” It really bothers me. Not that I get to actually GO to one, but I’ve watched it on DVD! (There’s no movement here for an AUR - this is a ‘low’ ECUSA diocese. For awhile there were some folks meeting in somebody’s living room in Dunwoody, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside.)”

Maybe if the TAC came into the Catholic Church there would be a parish nearby? I would like that myself!

[AnAmericanMother]

Unfortunately, unlikely to happen here, for a couple of reasons.

This is a traditionally "low" diocese, i.e. it has always trended towards the white-bread protestant, evangelical wing of TEC. There were never a lot of us "high church" types here, and they tended to be concentrated in a very few parishes.

Basically what happened is that some of the liturgically 'high' parishes embraced Gene Robinson with open arms (still wondering how they could do that and call themselves 'in the Anglo Catholic tradition'). The only one that stayed both 'high' and orthodox was Our Saviour Virginia Highlands, and it is a struggling, small, aging parish without much of a future. Probably will be reduced to dependent mission status.

Rather than fight the bishop because Georgia law is not favorable to dissenting parishes, most people just left individually or in small groups. Most 'low churchers' went Evangelical or to one of the breakaway Anglican churches, which are mostly 'low'. The 'high churchers' went Catholic, but numerically there aren't enough of us in any one area in metro Atlanta to start an AUR parish. The group meeting in Dunwoody has been very quiet and may have just ceased to exist.

[Desdemona]

I've started flying the Missouri flag.

I'm not asking why. It's hot here right now.

BTW, I hear tell that Marty Haugan and the gang are busy shoehorning the retranslation into the Mass of Cremation and other musical atrocities. Heaven forbid we can't just learn the 18 Latin Masses like the rest of the world knows. By heart.

[ArrogantBustard]

I'm flying it as a sign of skepticism ...

You know: "Show me."

;'}

No offence is intended to literal Missourians.

I hear tell that Marty Haugan and the gang are busy shoehorning the retranslation into the Mass of Cremation and other musical atrocities.

That's depressing.

[Desdemona]

You know: "Show me."

Among people who come here and think they are entitled to funding just because they have great ideas (nevermind their attitudes), "Show Me" is getting us into trouble.

Yes, the reinvention of musical atrocities is depressing. I was so looking forward to the sacrificial bonfire of cheap incense and worse music. Unfortunately, the "composers" are still alive. Come on, give somebody else a chance.

Gotta go and help put together a grant proposal. Later.