PREPARING FOR THE NEW TRANSLATION OF
THE
REVISED ROMAN MISSAL
Beginning the 1st Sunday of
Advent 2011, the Roman
Catholic Church in the United States
and in all other
English speaking lands will begin
using a new translation
of the text of the Mass. Between now
and then we have
much time to acquaint ourselves with
the new texts, delve
deeper into theological meaning behind
these changes and
foster a deeper devotion and
understanding of the
Eucharistic liturgy. In the coming
months you will find
more information about these changes
in the bulletin as
well as literature available in the
church.
In the months ahead you will be hearing about the
changes to the Roman
Missal. What is the Roman
Missal? Why is it changing? How will we begin to
prepare for these changes?
The Roman Missal is the prayer text of the Mass. This
includes the Sacramentary (book of Mass prayers used by
the priest) as well as the prayer responses by the
congregation found in the missalette. The wording or
translation of the prayer texts will change to more closely
reflect the original Latin texts.
We will focus on several areas of the celebration of the
Eucharist before we discuss the actual changes that will
occur on the 1st Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011.
* Importance of the Eucharistic Celebration
* Parts of the Mass
* Scripture and the Mass
* Liturgy and Life of Prayer & Service
* Liturgical Participation
Beginning NEXT weekend, you will find bulletin inserts
on the above topics in the parish bulletin. Please take
advantage of the information provided on the importance
of the Celebration of the Eucharist.
The Importance of Celebration of
the Eucharist
At Mass, Catholics remember
what Jesus did at the Last
Supper. The words of Jesus, “Do
this in remembrance of
me,” have been obeyed without
interruption for nearly
two thousand years. Every time
Catholics gather for
Mass, we know that we are there to do
what Jesus
commanded. And we believe that in that
action, Jesus is
made present for us. (Journey of
Faith, Liguori
Publications) Please review the insert
provided in this
week’s bulletin on the
importance of the Celebration of
the Eucharist.
Parts
of the Mass Explained
The Mass follows a basic structure
which has not changed
throughout the centuries down to
current time. The Mass
consists of four main parts: The
Introductory Rites, The
Liturgy of the Word, The Liturgy of
the Eucharist and
The Concluding Rites. Please review
the insert provided
in this week’s bulletin on the
explanation of the Parts of
the Mass and other common terms used
when referring to
the Celebration of the Eucharist.
To Be
Continued