Online Edition – April 2005
Vol. XI, No. 2
News & Views
CDW Plenary Session: Approval of texts a topic | Vox Clara Sees "Impressive Improvements" | Music Colloquium at Catholic University | Gregorian Chant Workshops at St. Michael’s Institute
CDW Plenary Session: Approval of texts a topic
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments held its annual plenary assembly March 1-4 in the Apostolic Palace.
Fifty-one members of the CDW, including 32 cardinals and 19 archbishops and bishops, participated in the meeting, according to a Vatican Information Service report. (Pope John Paul II’s message for this meeting to Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation, is on page 7.)
Four topics on the agenda were: Ars celebrandi [art of celebration] presented by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires; "Formation, Spirituality and the Liturgical Ministry", by Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, archbishop of Lyon; "Homilies" by Cardinal Ivan Dias, archbishop of Bombay, and "Meaning, Method and Extension of the ‘Recognitio‘", by Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney. Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation, presided.
Cardinal Pell is chairman of Vox Clara [Clear Voice], the committee established in 2002 to oversee English language liturgical translations.
Pope John Paul II, in a letter to then-prefect Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez dated April 20, 2002, wrote:
"Since the lex orandi [law of prayer] conforms to the lex credendi [law of belief], fidelity to the rites and texts of the liturgy is of paramount importance for the Church and the Christian life. In that light, I wish to offer every encouragement to the Vox Clara Committee in its task of assisting the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in ensuring that the texts of the Roman Rite are accurately translated in accordance with the norms of the Instruction Liturgiam authenticam.
"In a special way, I wish to commend to the Pastors of the Church the important task of making available to the faithful, as quickly as possible, the vernacular translations of the editio tertia of the Missale Romanum, the publication of which I authorized last year. I am pleased to learn that the members of the Vox Clara Committee have generously pledged to assist the Holy See in expediting the revision and recognitio of these translations by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments".
The translation of the Roman Missal into English has not yet been completed. A year ago, the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) produced a draft that was circulated among English-speaking bishops. Recommend-ations of the bishops were forwarded to ICEL last summer.
Some bishops and liturgists who objected to Liturgiam authenticam welcome the delay in receiving the Missal translation, and have expressed fear that an application of the principles of accurate translation will result in "rigid" and "backward-looking" texts.
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Vox Clara Sees "Impressive Improvements"
A meeting of Vox Clara, the committee of 12 English-speaking bishops charged with overseeing the accurate translation of English-language liturgical texts, was held in Rome March 10-12.
The committee, headed by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, noted "impressive improvements" in the most recent texts submitted by ICEL. The US member is Chicago Cardinal Francis George. Cardinal George is also the US bishops’ delegate to ICEL.
In a news release following the meeting, Vox Clara reported:
"The committee was provided with a copy of the latest revision of ICEL’s translations a selection of prayers from the Proper of Seasons in the Missale Romanum. The timely completion of an English-language edition of the Missale Romanum remains the highest priority. The members urged that all possible resources should be devoted to the expeditious completion of a vernacular edition which is at once precise in its rendering of the Latin texts and appropriate for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist in English".
No projected date for the completion of the translation was given, however.
After the meeting, Cardinal George told National Catholic Reporter’s John Allen that he thought it would likely be at least three more years before the new Missal texts would appear.
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Music Colloquium at Catholic University
"Liturgical Music and the Restoration of the Sacred" is the title of the 15th annual Summer Music Colloquium to be held June 21-26 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
The event is sponsored by the Center for Ward Method Studies in collaboration with the Church Music Association of America (CMAA).
Highlights include daily classes in Gregorian chant, sung liturgies in English and Latin, and choral clinics. Working sessions feature guest faculty: Scott Turkington of St. John the Evangelist Church, Stamford, CT; Gisbert Brandt of the Archdiocesan Choir School, Cologne, Germany; Kurt Poterack of Christendom College; The Rev. Robert Skeris, director of the Ward Center and president of the CMAA; Horst Bucholz, Cathedral choirmaster, Denver, CO; and Wilko Brouwers, conductor of the Monteverdi Choir Holland and director of the Ward Center, Netherlands.
Information: Ward Center: phone 202-319-5420; e-mail: [email protected], or contact the Colloquium director, Kurt Poterack at [email protected].
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Gregorian Chant Workshops at St. Michael’s Institute
St. Michael’s Institute of Sacred Art at Enders Island in Connecticut offers workshops in a variety of sacred arts, including Gregorian Chant. Two chant workshops in 2005 may be of interest to Adoremus readers. They will be held June 5-10, and October 28-30, 2005.
These workshops invite participants to experience five days of unity of heart and voice through the study of Gregorian modes and neumes, Latin diction and chant in the Liturgy. Learn sung Masses, Benedictions and prayers. Leave ready to share this ancient art form with your spiritual and home communities.
For information on these workshops, contact Vivian Palsa, 860-536-0565.
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