Online Edition: May 2011
Vol. XVII, No. 3
News and Views
October 22 – Feast Day for Blessed John Paul | Priests’ Retreat on Liturgy & Spirituality | New from Norbertines: Gregorian Requiem | “YouCat” Errors to be Corrected by CDF | Scottish Bishops: New Missal Translation a Gift | Canada: New English Missal Readied | Symposium on Council and Continuity | CMAA Colloquium: Chant, Sacred Music and the New Missal
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October 22 – Feast Day for Blessed John Paul
A feast day for Blessed Pope John Paul II will be celebrated on October 22 in the churches in Rome and Poland. In other parts of the world, the day may be celebrated on the decision of the local bishop, or an entire bishops’ conference may insert this day into the liturgical calendar.
A decree outlining the norms for memorial Masses and other liturgical observances, including the naming of churches in honor of Pope John Paul II, was issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS) on April 2.
The Vatican web site has a special section dedicated to the beatification with a summary of the activities of Pope John Paul II during his papacy, 1978-2005, as well as papal documents, travels, and other information — including the CDWDS decree: vatican.va/special/anniversario_gpii/ documents/index_en.htm.
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Priests’ Retreat on Liturgy & Spirituality
The Liturgical Institute of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake will present its second spiritual retreat for priests on June 19-24. The event, to be held on the campus of Mundelein Seminary near Chicago, is titled “Jesus Christ: Faithful, Merciful and Eternal High Priest — A Guided Retreat for Priests Focusing on the Sacred Liturgy as the Living Spring of Priestly Spirituality”. It will combine theological and practical aspects of liturgy with prayer and meditation.
Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, North Dakota, a sacramental theologian, will present a guest lecture during the retreat.
Father Joseph Henchey, CSS, of St. Joseph Seminary, Dunwoodie, New York, centers his reflections on the Eucharist. Each day will include spiritual conferences with Father Henchey, Mass chanted with English propers, sung morning, midday and evening prayer, and free time for personal prayer and meditation on the beautiful campus of Mundelein Seminary. Confession and spiritual direction are available as desired.
Information: usml.edu/liturgicalinstitute/conferences/priest%20retreat%202011/priest_retreat_home_2011.htm.
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New from Norbertines: Gregorian Requiem
Gregorian Chant: Requiem, the latest album recorded by the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey, Orange County, California, was released April 12, just before Easter.
The album cover notes are descriptive:
The old cliché of a badly written novel beginning with the words: “It was a dark and stormy night …” could well apply to the recording of this album, as the date that worked for all the singers to record was the day of one of the longest and most violent tempests of 2010. The abbey’s cantor, Father Chrysostom Baer, decided that, far from detracting from the quality of the recording, the howling winds actually added to the haunting tones of chant. This is the reason for the atmospheric effects heard in the background of many of the recorded tracks.
This is the third album by the Norbertine Fathers. The two previous albums, Anthology: Chants and Polyphony and Christmas at St. Michael’s Abbey, were both praised for their quality. The Norbertines have recently performed with the Pacific Symphony. The three concerts were extremely well received.
St. Michael’s Abbey is a community of Norbertine Canons Regular (all members are priests). They combine monastic observance and a complete singing of the choral office and Mass every day with an active apostolate: a boys’ boarding school. The priests are also involved in parish work, retreats and writing and translation of spiritual books.
The new CD comes with an insert containing the Latin words with English translation. Like the others, it was recorded by Jade Records. More information: milanrecords.com/jade/artists/artists.php?artist_name=NORBERTINE_FATHERS_OF_ST_MICHAELS_ABBEY.
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“YouCat” Errors to be Corrected by CDF
Errors in translation of the youth edition of the Catechism, “YouCat”, produced for use at World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, will be corrected by a committee of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
The CDF decision, announced at an April 13 Vatican news conference to introduce the book, came after the Italian edition was found to have translation errors concerning the Church’s teaching on contraception and euthanasia. The mistakes in the Italian translation suggested that Catholic couples could use “contraceptive methods”, and that “passive euthanasia” can be a good thing.
Distribution of the Italian edition of “YouCat” was temporarily suspended April 12, and copies in Italian distributed at the Vatican press conference had the correct text inserted.
Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna, who oversaw the creation of “YouCat”, told journalists that many translations of the original German text of the new catechism were still under way. “YouCat” is expected to be published in 13 languages, including Chinese and Arabic, by the end of 2011, and in 25 languages by 2012.
The original German version had been studied and approved by the CDF before its publication; but the other language editions were not reviewed after they were translated by different publishing houses.
The French translation also had an erroneous translation about the “value” of other religions that was inconsistent with Church teaching. The erroneous reference to “passive euthanasia” will be changed, according to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, who heads the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization.
The CDF working group of theological experts will review the texts and study all of the mistakes or suggestions for changes, and compile a list of corrections for subsequent printings, Cardinal Schönborn said.
About 700,000 copies of “YouCat” are expected to be distributed during World Youth Day in Madrid. The English translation is published by Ignatius Press.
Pope Benedict wrote the book’s foreword and said he wanted to supplement the Catechism of the Catholic Church with a version in the “language of young people”.
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Scottish Bishops: New Missal Translation a Gift
The Bishops of Scotland, at their meeting in Edinburgh on April 11, 2011, agreed to begin the introduction of the new English translation of the Roman Missal on Sunday, September 4, and to have it in full use throughout Scotland beginning on the first Sunday of Advent, November 27.
In a letter to all clergy in Scotland, Bishop Joseph Toal, of Argyll and the Isles, president of the National Liturgy Commission, explained some of the changes in the new translation of the Roman Missal. The letter began:
In his address to the Bishops of Scotland, England and Wales at the end of his visit to the UK, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged us “to seize the opportunity that the new translation offers for in-depth catechesis on the Eucharist and renewed devotion in its manner of celebration”…
The letter continued, “(W)e welcome the opportunity this affords to renew our faith in the Eucharist and in all aspects of its celebration”, noting that:
Ours is a strong and very real faith in what happens at Mass and it is appropriate that the robust words used in Latin to express the human reality and our need for the Lord’s redeeming mercy are translated accordingly in English.
Bishop Toal’s letter pointed out that the new translation returns to “older, more traditional terminology”, and that the translation has as much to do with faith as with language:
The Church believes as she prays. It is vital therefore that the fullest attention is given to expressing the faith of the Church in all our prayers, and especially in the texts of the Sacred Liturgy.
This is particularly the case with regard to the words which encourage us never to lose sight of the unity between Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist, in which the Lord’s self-offering is made present for us in the sacrament of His Body and Blood….
The letter urges priests to “welcome [the new Missal translation] as something good, a gift from the Church, through which we will continue to worship God and celebrate in English the Holy Mysteries of our faith”.
Resources for priests, including DVDs and web sites, are planned.
The full text of Bishop Toal’s letter to clergy is accessible on the Scottish Catholic Education Service web site: sces.uk.com/news/2011/04/11/scottish-bishops-confirm-introduction-of-new-missal.html.
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Canada: New English Missal Readied
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) announced April 1 that it has received recognitio for all sections of the English translation of the revised Roman Missal for use in Canada, and that the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011, will be the date for the implementation of the English translation of the Missal.
The official decree for this date has not yet been published, the CCCB announcement said, “because our Conference is still clarifying the exact wording of one of the adaptations for Canada”. However, this “will not in any way slow down the preparation of the English translation of the revised Missal for Canada … work is proceeding on schedule”, it said.
In April, the CCCB National Liturgy Office began posting texts and PowerPoint slides to be used for workshops at the local level — including workshops dealing with the theology of the Eucharist, the process of translation and revision, and the history of the Eucharist. These resources are available on the web site of the National Liturgy Office: nlo.cccb.ca/.
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Symposium on Council and Continuity
A symposium, “Council and Continuity: The Interim Missals and the Immediate Post-Conciliar Liturgical Reform”, is to be held October 3-4, 2011, at the Pastoral Center of the Diocese of Phoenix. The focus of the symposium is on the little-known “interim Missals”, that is, the editions of the Roman Missal issued between the time the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, was issued (December 4, 1963) and when the definitive edition of the Roman Missal was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970. These so-called “interim Missals” were the first to incorporate vernacular liturgical texts.
Those who were around at the time will recall the rapidity with which the changes to the Mass were implemented. What, though, did the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council really envision when they voted on the liturgical reform articulated in the Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Liturgy? The goal of this symposium is to answer this question in as accurate and objective a manner as possible through a study of these interim Missals. Given their immediate proximity to the Council, these Missals can provide a valuable means to gaining insight into the mindset of the Council Fathers and what they envisioned in setting the course for liturgical reform.
Speakers who will address the “Council and Continuity” symposium, in addition to Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Bishop Salvatore Cordileone of Oakland, and Bishop Peter Elliott, auxiliary Melbourne, include liturgical historian Dr. Hans-Jürgen Feulner, University of Vienna; Father Douglas Martis and Dr. Denis McNamara, of the Liturgical Institute, Mundelein Seminary, Chicago; Dr. Helmut Hoping, University of Freiburg; Monsignor Michael Magee, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia; Father C. Frank Phillips, St. John Cantius, Chicago; Father Christopher Phillips, Our Lady of the Atonement, San Antonio; and others.
The event will begin with four general sessions that will provide a historical overview of liturgical development up to the time of the Council and from then to the present, and the reform of the Mass in light of the Latin-English interim Missals. The second day will feature several break-out sessions including, among other topics, the Latin-German and Latin-Polish interim Missals, Church architecture, and the principle of sacred language as applied to the Liturgy. It will conclude with a keynote presentation by Bishop Elliott on the pastoral relevance of further liturgical renewal vis-à-vis a proper hermeneutic of the Council.
The symposium will be of interest to priests, deacons and lay liturgical ministers, to those who teach, plan or coordinate liturgies whether professionally or as volunteers, and to anyone who has a particular love for the Church’s Liturgy and desire to learn more about it. Information about the program details and registration: www.councilandcontinuity.com.
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CMAA Colloquium: Chant, Sacred Music and the New Missal
The Church Music Association of America (CMAA) will present its 21st annual Sacred Music Colloquium at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 13-19, 2011.
The primary focus of the colloquium is instruction and experience in Gregorian chant and the Catholic sacred music tradition. The conference will feature participation in chant and polyphonic choirs, nightly lectures and performances and daily celebrations of liturgies in both English and Latin. Participants in the colloquium are there not merely as listeners but as singers “in some of the greatest choirs you will ever experience, singing music that will touch your heart and thrill your artistic imagination — music that is integral to the Catholic faith”, as the CMAA web site says (musicasacra.com/colloquium).
Monsignor Anthony Wadsworth, executive director of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), will present two addresses on the chants of the new Roman Missal, and CMAA president Dr. William Mahrt will also address the group.
In addition to seminars on conducting, organ repertoire and performance, choral training, and sung liturgies, there will be two evening organ recitals.
Attendance is open to anyone interested in improving the quality of music in Catholic worship. Professional musicians will appreciate the rigor, while enthusiastic volunteer singers and beginners new to the chant tradition will enjoy the opportunity to study under an expert faculty.
Details can be found on the CMAA web site: musicasacra.com.
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