LITURGICAL LANGUAGE, OLD AND NEW

If you read the lead article is this past weekend’s The Catholic Week, you know that the final edition of the translation of the 3^rd Edition of the Roman Missal is about to be approved by Rome, and its introduction into our liturgical worship is imminent (perhaps as early as Advent 2011).

You also saw that 2-day workshops are being scheduled across the nation for the purposes of training priests, bishops and heads of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions in the new texts, in order to facilitate the use of the new Missal when the time actually comes. Let’s see: should I sign up for the one in Phoenix, or the one in Honolulu?!

But the bottom line for us at Our Savior (and every other parish) is two-fold: why are the texts being changed in their translation, and what should we be doing about this as parishioners to “get ready”? Both questions have an answer in an article written by the Chair of the US Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship, Bishop Arthur Serratelli (Paterson, NJ), in the current issue of America. It is his understanding of what the benefits of the new translation will be. It is also his take on the problems that will need to be faced as the Missal is being implemented, mostly by folks (and probably mostly by priests!) who drag their feet because they simply refuse any sort of change whatsoever. It is not a long article, and I recommend it to those who want to see what the arguments for it are in a concise and clear presentation.

Beyond that, Bishop Serratelli notes that the Committee on Divine Worship recommends a “two-part process” of preparation for parishes—“…remote and proximate. Currently we are in the remote [early] stage of preparation… This period should include general liturgical catechesis: the nature and aim of liturgy, the meaning of ‘full, conscious and active participation’ and the background of the Roman Missal.”

Taking his suggestions to heart, and realizing the importance of this entire project (after all, as one veteran priest told us in seminary, 90% of contact with 90% of parishioners occurs at Sunday Mass), I will be writing “occasional” pieces trying to do the catechesis (or explanation) he recommends, on the general shape of the liturgy and our engagement in it. This will not necessarily be an “every week from here on out” kind of writing, but I hope I will be able to do a sort of mini-course in the theology of worship in these articles.

Once there is in fact final approval in Rome for the entire Missal, we’ll begin the “proximate” preparation: discussion of the text itself and how its use will engage us in our worship. This part of the preparation should, according to Bishop Serratelli, “…last 12 to 18 months and will look specifically at particular parts of the missal…” So we won’t have to have a crash-course or require special cramming to pass the exam.

So stay tuned, and let me know if you need “Continuing Education Credit” for these essays!