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The Roman Missal: the Church’s common treasure

jeffg — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:00:20 +0000

By Lynn S. Williams

The new English translation of the Roman Missal, the official manual for the Roman Catholic Mass, has been approved, and soon familiar prayers and responses said in churches around the English-speaking world will change. Priests will follow newly translated instructions. Prayers used throughout the Mass and some responses of the congregation will change. Sacred chants and music used in worship will also be updated.

The full texts of the English translation received recognitio, or approval, from the Vatican in June and July of 2010. The new translation will be implemented in U.S. dioceses in Advent 2011. It will be the most significant change to the Mass in over 40 years.

An occasion like this raises the question: Why is the Roman Missal so important?

“The Roman Missal is a common treasure,” says Msgr. Anthony Sherman, executive director at USCCB Secretariat of Divine Worship. “It is the book that provides us with prayer text. It serves as a point of unity that keeps us all together, presenting the prayers that are used around the world, in many languages, during universal feasts or holy days.”

Latin is the core text of the Roman Missal, evolving from oral tradition to written words. During the 15th century, in the era of the first printing press, the earliest book called Missale Romanum appeared. After the Council of Trent in 1570, Pope Pius V issued the edition that set the premier standard of uniformity used by celebrants of the Catholic faith.

Eight former Popes issued new editions between the 1604 and 2002, and each maintained a consistent style of worship for prayer in the Roman rite. Over time, additional Masses, prayers and revised rubrics (instructions) used to celebrate the Mass were added. The need for vernacular translations of the Roman Missal arose after the Second Vatican Council, and the present English translation of the Mass, which dates back to the 1970s, follows the Vatican’s guidelines of that time, which favored translations that were easy to understand in the vernacular.

When Pope John Paul II issued the Third Edition of the Roman Missal in 2002, a new English translation was required. Since the new English translation is guided by the 2001 Vatican document Liturgiam Authenticam, it presents a more literal translation of Latin wording and sentence structure than is used in the current translation.

“The current translations are centered more on the community than the divine,” says Father Paul Turner, a parish pastor in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri and author of Let Us Pray: A Guide to the Rubrics of Sunday Mass. “They were somewhat inattentive to inclusive language, and lacked some theological depth and musicality. The first translations condensed some of the content of the prayers. The new translation improves that,” he says.

“This is not a new Mass,” says Michael McMahon, president of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, adding that with a new translation, “one of the opportunities we have is to look at the parts of the Mass that should be sung” in the dialogue between the priest and the people and integrate them. One of the challenges of introducing a newly translated missal is retraining priests to lead Mass. Downloadable recordings for priests who don’t read music are being produced and distributed free, online. Major publishers will release material on compact discs.

The Roman Missal itself is the primary source of training and instruction for the new translation. It displays rubrics, sentences printed in red that instruct a priest on what to say and do, how and when to gesture, and when to sing the common prayers in The Order of Mass. It provides instructions that guide the celebrant in leading the liturgy and the people assembled in ritual response for each occasion of Mass.

It also dictates the words used by a priest during the Mass, which with the new translation will reflect a more formal style than past translations.

“It will sound much more like Latin,” says Father Turner.

“The Roman Missal puts us into a tradition of prayer and creates an historical awareness in the roots of where we are now,” says Msgr. Sherman. “When you study the background of these prayers, you become united” with the perpetual mission of the Church.

This article is copied with permission from the USCCB's Roman Missal website.

Archdiocese of St. Louis

Review Editorial: Respect, mutual cooperation in the workplace

jeffg — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 11:00:52 +0000

This week's St. Louis Review editorial approaches the importance of respect and cooperation in the workplace, and stresses the importance of placing one's work within the context of God's design for our human makeup.

Tough times for the economy mean escalating unemployment and the consequent nervousness that makes everyone meticulously monitor the percentage of the American population without jobs. Often there is an air of crisis around the reporting of the growing numbers of the unemployed.

Those with jobs breathe sighs of relief that they still are working. Though there may be complaints about one's job, the employed generally consider themselves blessed.

The unemployed and the underemployed often grapple with issues of self-respect and with the frustration that spills out on all their familial and neighborly relationships.

Human nature is created to fill the earth and subdue it and to have dominion over all the earth (Genesis 1:28). The effort of labor of all kinds — physical, intellectual and spiritual — is a necessary part of life as God has made it. To respect that facet of human makeup, to foster meaningful work for everyone and to appreciate the work of others and oneself are essential in giving our humanity its deserved appreciation. It is part of our worship of God to be grateful for our ability to labor.

Labor Day is a good time to assess the degree to which one understands his work within the context of God's design for our human makeup. It is an opportunity to help enhance the workplace for others as well as oneself.

Continue Reading on the Review website »

Archdiocese of St. Louis

Progress as Promised: Seminary campaign on the move

jeffg — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:00:46 +0000

By Joseph Kenny, Review Staff Writer

Progress as promised.

Pledges for the capital campaign for Kenrick-Glennon Seminary are being collected and are being put to use, including for building the endowment.

In February, the Archdiocese of St. Louis announced that the "Faith for the Future" campaign exceeded its goal. The effort raised more than $61 million, an amount that was $11 million more than the target.

So far, 46 percent of pledges have been collected. The campaign is far ahead of the anticipated schedule for collecting pledges — an unusual but pleasing circumstance for the first nine months of a five-year collection period.

Because of the pace of collection of pledges, Archbishop Robert J. Carlson has directed staff to:

Pay all campaign expenses, which were held to 5.1 percent, lower than expected;
Set aside $3 million for plans and initial stages of building improvements;
Pay off a loan of $2.3 million to build additional rooms needed for growth experienced by the seminary;
Deposit more than $19.1 million in the endowment funds. The endowment goal of $20 million is expected to be reached by November.

The campaign was conducted to increase the endowment as well as provide repairs, updates and physical improvements to a building that dates to 1931.

More on the Faith for the Future campaign » | Continue Reading on the St. Louis Review website »

Archdiocese of St. Louis

Archbishop Carlson: We must keep our Catholic schools growing

jeffg — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:26:55 +0000

In January when I published my vision for Catholic schools, I wrote: "We cannot be content with the status quo or, worse, with declining enrollments in our schools. To truly be Alive in Christ our schools must be vibrant centers of evangelization and missionary activity. Promoting growth is not optional — no matter how difficult the challenges."

I know the challenges are enormous. The demographics seem to be against us. Even the largest Catholic school in our archdiocese must prepare for the day when its numbers begin to decline. Given this reality, how do keep our schools growing? What does it mean to be a vibrant, growing Catholic school in a time of population decline?

In this brief column, I can only suggest a preliminary response to this vitally important question. Many hours of prayerful discussion and planning are needed to frame a long-term response to this serious challenge. At the same time, I believe there are things that we can say, and do, immediately to keep our schools growing. Here are three things we should consider prayerfully:

First, we can make sure that our schools are Alive in Christ! We can strengthen our commitment to providing schools as places of prayer and learning that promote the intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth of their students (and staff and families). A school that is growing spiritually — and that is also excellent academically and reaching out to serve its community — will attract new students and their families. Why? Because a vibrant faith and a dynamic school environment are contagious!

Second, all Catholic schools in our archdiocese should either have a commitment to increase their enrollments or, if a school is filled to capacity, to refer families to nearby Catholic schools and assist them in enrolling there. Proactive recruitment and enrollment-management strategies are an essential sign of life for Catholic schools. The decline in student population may be beyond our reach, but it is our responsibility as a Church to make sure that every Catholic family is invited and encouraged — as personally as possible — to send their children to a Catholic school. If that means going door-to-door in our neighborhoods to talk to the parents of elementary- and high-school-aged children, then that's what we should be doing.

Third, I think we need to make a conscious effort to fill every empty seat in our schools with children who otherwise could not afford a Catholic school education. It makes no sense to conduct classes that are a third or half empty. When we do that, we are depriving children who need our help from reaching their full potential and breaking the cycle of poverty. As a matter of social justice, we need to work together as parish communities and as an archdiocesan family to make it possible for every child who wants a Catholic school education but cannot afford it to be welcomed into one of our school communities.

When I say that our schools must be "vibrant centers of evangelization and missionary activity," I mean that quite literally. The same statistical information that tells us the school-aged population is declining also tells us that increasing numbers of young Catholic parents are not bringing their children to their parish to be baptized. This is a serious matter that every parish must address. Baptism is the primary sacrament of initiation into our Catholic way of life. Until our children are baptized, they cannot participate fully in the life of the Church. The "new evangelization" that Pope John Paul II urged us to embrace is vital — for the salvation of souls and for the health and vitality of our parishes and schools.

In order to remain viable, a Catholic school must be able to demonstrate that it is Alive in Christ! The three priorities I have set for our schools are: 1) strong Catholic identity, 2) evidence of growth and vitality and 3) financial health and the ability to help those who otherwise could not afford a Catholic school education.

The measures that we use to assess all three of these priorities can vary, but they will always involve a combination of factors ranging from deeply spiritual values to extremely practical considerations. The growth and vitality of a school community is directly related to its Catholic identity and its financial health. To keep our schools growing, we must keep them Catholic. And we must help them meet their financial obligations. These are enormous challenges today — and every day — but with God's grace all things are possible.

Archdiocese of St. Louis

34th Annual Respect Life Convention - October 24, 2010

jeffg — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:00:30 +0000

During October, which is Respect Life Month, the RLA hosts its annual Respect Life Convention. The purpose of the Convention is to provide a forum for Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Louis to gather and listen to informative and motivational speakers discuss the dignity and sanctity of human life and the latest efforts to build a Culture of Life.

This year's convention will open with the Celebration of the Holy Mass, followed by a luncheon, award presentation and a keynote address by Dr. Thomas Hilgers, Director of the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction. The Institute located in Omaha, Nebraska is dedicated to research, education and service in the areas of human reproduction within the context of the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Dr. Hilgers is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and gynecologic laser surgery and is a member of the prestigious Society of Reproductive Surgeons. He has served on the faculty of medicine at St. Louis University School of Medicine and Creighton University School of Medicine. While at Creighton, he, co-developed the Creighton Mode FertilityCare™ System, a thoroughly standardized method that maintains a woman's reproductive and gynecological health while helping couples understand the workings of a woman's cycles of fertility and infertility.

Sunday, October 24, 2010 - exhibits open at 10:00 a.m.
Tickets to the Luncheon are $35 each (10 per table - $40/each after October 10)

More information from the Respect Life Apostolate »

Archdiocese of St. Louis