Bit by bit, the third edition of the Roman Missal is being introduced in parishes throughout the English-speaking world.
From Canada to southern Africa to New Zealand, Catholics have seen parts
of the new missal introduced at various times -- most since January,
but some earlier -- so that by the first Sunday of Advent Nov. 27, the
transition to a new set of prayers and liturgical music will be as
seamless as possible for the faithful.
As the implementation moves forward, the liturgists charged with
overseeing the missal's introduction in seven of the 10 English-speaking
countries and regions outside of the U.S. making the transition told Catholic News Service
that their efforts have eased concerns that the translation was a step
back from the Second Vatican Council's vision for liturgy.
"The bishops here took the view that there should be an incremental
approach to implementation," explained Father Peter Wiliams, executive
secretary of the Bishops Commission for Liturgy in Australia.
The process began with the introduction of new musical settings in
January, followed by the spoken parts of the Mass at Pentecost in June,
Father Williams said. The eucharistic prayers and other parts of the
missal will be introduced Nov. 1 so that by Advent the transition will
be completed.
The pace of each phase was left to local pastors, with some parishes
moving more quickly and others more slowly depending on how well
congregations welcomed them, Father Williams said.
The introduction of the English translation of the missal -- under
development since 2002 -- is occurring in countries represented by the
11 bishops' conference members of the International Commission on
English in the Liturgy. Member conferences include the United States,
Canada, Ireland, England and Wales, Scotland, southern Africa (South
Africa, Swaziland and Botswana), India, Pakistan, Philippines, New
Zealand and Australia.
The most recent translation of the Roman Missal is the third since
Vatican II's call for the "full, conscious and active participation" of
all Catholics in the liturgy. In introducing the third Latin translation
in 2002, Pope John Paul II said it more closely matched the vivid
language used throughout church history.
The English translation took nearly seven years as representatives to
ICEL debated the proper words that reflected the sacred language found
in the latest Latin edition of the missal. The Vatican approved the
English translation in 2009.
Disagreements emerged among U.S. bishops as the final translation was
reviewed before it was sent to Rome for approval. Some bishops deemed it
as elitist or remote from everyday speech. Despite the concerns, the
American bishops overwhelmingly approved the translation.
In Ireland, the Association of Catholic Priests, which represents about
10 percent of the country's clergy, continued to object to the
translation into 2011.
In a March 28 statement, the association charged
that the translation was "too complex and too cumbersome" and included
sexist language.
It also questioned its "theological veracity" and
described the translation process as flawed.
Such challenges have not delayed implementation, however.
In New Zealand, where the introduction of the missal began last Advent
and was to take one year, the attitude among the country's 560,000
Catholics largely has been to "just go on with the business," said
Father Trevor Murray, director of the National Liturgy Office for the
country's bishops.
"There are some people who are really happy about it and others not so
happy," Father Murray said. "That's true of the priests as well as the
people. But the majority of people are pragmatic about it."
Around the world the implementation has been boosted through workshops
and meetings with key church leaders aimed at explaining what the
changes entail and their significance. Each bishops' conference has
developed its own resources, including laminated cards in pews for
worshippers, seminars and websites.
Perhaps the most widely used resource has been "Become One Body, One
Spirit in Christ," an interactive DVD developed by ICEL. It explores the
richness of the liturgy, explains the changes and examines why the
changes are being made.
In Canada, Father William Burke, director of the Canadian Conference of
Catholic Bishops' National Liturgy Office, has found people accepting of
the changes -- once the reasoning behind them is explained.
Father Burke has visited 27 Canadian dioceses to explain the changes and
said he has found some anxiety and animosity over the new text at each
stop. As he reviews the translation and offers the reasoning behind
them, he said he has seen the uncertainty wither.
"By and large," he said, I hear people saying, 'What's all the fuss
about?' People realize this is not the devastation (of the liturgy) we
heard."
Patrick Jones, director of the National Center for Liturgy in Ireland,
told CNS that preparation for the new missal began in early 2011 with
workshops for priests followed by the introduction of the changes to
diocesan and parish liturgy committees, parish council members and music
ministers.
Parts of the Mass that directly involve the Irish faithful were to be introduced Sept. 11.
"This will enable Massgoers on Sundays and weekdays to be familiar with
those changed parts" prior to the full implementation in Advent, Jones
explained.
Dominican Sister Jordana Maher, coordinator of liturgy for the Southern
African Catholic Bishops' Conference, said the changes will be formally
implemented at Advent even though some parishes began using them without
authorization in 2009 before the Vatican formally approved the texts.
The parishes picked up the texts from Internet sources, thinking they
were ready for use, she said.
"That created a bit of a complicated situation," she said.
The changes in South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland will move forward,
however, without a new Lectionary.
Problems at a printer of liturgical
texts in Kenya will prevent the Lectionary from being distributed in
time for the full implementation, she said.
In the United Kingdom, which includes the bishops' conferences of
Scotland and England and Wales, the implementation was to begin Sept. 4.
"My ambition is that people turn up on the first Sunday of September and
they'll know there's a new missal," said Martin Foster, acting
secretary of the Liturgy Office for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of
England and Wales.
For Father Andrew McKenzie, secretary of the National Liturgy Commission
in Scotland, the success won't be measured for quite some time.
"The real result will be seen after a couple of years on how well it is accepted," he said.