Online Edition:
February 2011
Vol. XVI, No. 10
Vox Clara Publishes Roman Missal Study Text
The Vox Clara committee, which advises the Congregation for Divine Worship on English-language liturgical translations, has published a study text for the new translation of the Roman Missal, intended for both clergy and laity. The committee announced its publication in mid-January. Following is Vox Clara’s press release of January 1, 2011, with questions and answers.
The Vox Clara Committee is pleased to announce the publication of The Roman Missal: A Study Text with Excerpts from the New English Translation. Designed to provide a wide selection of the major prayers of the Roman Missal, the text is an ideal workbook for use in workshops, courses, and other programs of preparation for priests and lay faithful in advance of the publication of the full ritual edition of the Roman Missal later this year.
The study text includes the complete Order of Mass with the four major Eucharistic Prayers and the presidential prayers for the Sundays of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, as well as a selection of Sundays of Ordinary Time. The prayers from the sanctoral cycle for November, as well as excerpts from Various Needs and Occasions, Ritual Masses and Masses for the Dead are also included.
At an audience commemorating the approval of the English-language translation of the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia on April 28, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI reminded the members of the Vox Clara Committee of the importance of preparing the way for an effective reception of this important text.
“Many will find it hard to adjust to unfamiliar texts after nearly forty years of continuous use of the previous translation”, the Holy Father told the members. “The change will need to be introduced with due sensitivity and the opportunity for catechesis that it presents will need to be firmly grasped.” This work is an attempt to meet that need.
Copies may be ordered from Amazon.com or from Midwest Theological Forum (theologicalforum.org). The Roman Missal: A Study Text with Excerpts from the New English Translation (ISBN 978-1-936045-40-2) is available for $15 per copy, plus shipping and handling. Orders of one hundred or more copies are available for $9 each, plus shipping and handling during the initial promotion period.
— Monsignor James P. Moroney, Executive Director, Vox Clara Committee. 617-746-5481.
***
Questions and Answers on the New Roman Missal
Q. When will the new translation of the Missale Romanum take effect?
A. The President of each national conference of Catholic bishops will issue a decree establishing the “first use” date of the new Missal. The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has established the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011, as the first date on which the new texts may be used in the Sacred Liturgy in the dioceses of the United States of America.
Q. When will the new Roman Missal be available?
A. The complete ritual book will, in all likelihood, be available some months before the implementation date. The work required for the publication of a liturgical text of more than twelve hundred pages is significant. The publication in the United States is overseen by the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship through its Secretariat in Washington, DC.
Q. What should be happening in the meantime?
A. As Pope Benedict XVI noted upon approval of the final text, programs of catechesis are a necessary preparation for an effective reception of the new Roman Missal, in order that the new translations might “be introduced with due sensitivity” (Pope Benedict XVI to the Vox Clara Committee, April 28, 2010).
The USCCB has developed a Parish Guide to Implementing the Roman Missal as well as a web site devoted exclusively to catechesis in preparation for the new Roman Missal (usccb.org/romanmissal).
Q. What other resources exist for preparation for the new Roman Missal?
A. Many publishers in many countries have produced useful resources for this important catechetical endeavor. Among the international resources are two DVDs: A New Translation for a New Roman Missal (romanmissal.us/dvd.htm) and Become One Body, One Spirit in Christ (usccbpublishing.org/productdetails.cfm?sku=88907)
Q. Are the new translations available for study purposes?
A. Excerpts from the new translation are available from two sources. The Order of Mass is available on the USCCB web site (nccbuscc.org/romanmissal/). A one hundred and sixty page study text with excerpts from the new Roman Missal has just been published by the Vox Clara Committee under the title “The Roman Missal: A Study Text with Excerpts from the New English Translation”. The study text is available at theologicalforum.org.
Q. What is contained in the Vox Clara Study Text?
A. The study text includes the complete Order of Mass with the four major Eucharistic Prayers as well as the presidential prayers for the Sundays of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. The prayers from the sanctoral cycle for November, as well as excerpts from Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions and the Votive Mass for Saint Joseph, are also included.
Ordering info: www.theologicalforum.org/ product.asp?ci=&pi=431.
Also see: Vox Clara President, Cardinal Pell, Sends Letter to Bishops on Study Text – dated January 1, 2011 [February 2011]
***
*
