The New Roman Missal: Frequently Asked Questions

Whenever the Latin edition of the Missale Romanum (Roman Missal) is revised, there is a need to promulgate new translations of the ritual texts. It is also important to know that the most recent translations into English have been done in accord with the directives of the 2001 Vatican directive, Liturgiam authenticam (Fifth Instruction “for the right implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council” [Sacrosanctum Concilium]). It directs “the use of vernacular languages in the publication of the books of the Roman liturgy.”

In part, Liturgiam Authenticam directs:
“The liturgical renewal thus far has seen positive results, achieved through the labor and the skill of many, but in particular of the Bishops, to whose care and zeal this great and difficult charge is entrusted. Even so, the greatest prudence and attention is required in the preparation of liturgical books marked by sound doctrine, which are exact in wording, free from all ideological influence, and otherwise endowed with those qualities by which the sacred mysteries of salvation and the indefectible faith of the Church are efficaciously transmitted by means of human language to prayer, and worthy worship is offered to God the Most High” (3).

The bishops of the United States Catholic Conference studied translations and voted on them. The approved translations were then forwarded to the authorities at the Vatican for their approval (called the recognitio).

This recognitio was issued by Vatican officials on Thursday, 25 March 2010.

On Friday, 20 August 2010, the USCCB announced that it has received the final texts from the Vatican. The US Bishops’ Liturgy Secretariat will undertake reconciling all text revisions. It is also important to acknowledge that the USCCB has announced Sunday, November 27, 2011 (the First Sunday of Advent) as the official promulgation date for authorized use of the revised Roman Missal in Masses in the United States.

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OCP’s preparation has been extensive and detailed.

With the majority of text changes for the laity being in some Mass parts, OCP began working from draft texts, encouraging composers along two paths:

1. revising some of their currently published Mass settings, making adaptations needed for the revised translation of the Order of Mass
2. crafting new Mass settings, using the revised translation of the Order of Mass

All revised and/or new Masses must be submitted to the proper authorities for text approval and permission to reprint (i.e., the International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. [ICEL] and the US Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship [CDW]). This review process is nothing new and has been a long-standing step required before any musical setting of the Mass texts can be published.

OCP hosted review sessions of new and revised Mass settings in various geographic regions of the U.S. During these gatherings, liturgists, pastoral musicians, and laity sang through various new and/or revised Masses, providing evaluations relative to a number of criteria (singability, unity of text with music, ease of learning, etc.).

Facing the reality that we are simply unable to publish all the Mass settings that were submitted to us, OCP staff carefully considered the regional evaluations and editorial reviews, and decisions were made as to which settings would best serve the diverse needs of parishes.

There is also the reality that many parishes are using OCP-published hymnals and are not in a position to purchase new resources with the revised settings (of already-published Masses). For these communities, OCP is preparing FREE copies of the Revised Order of Mass with Supplemental Mass Settings for select hymnal purchasers with new and revised Mass settings. OCP has contacted parishes that use current OCP hymnals about these complimentary supplements and will follow up in the coming months.

Since December 2009, every issue of OCP’s quarterly liturgy preparation guide, Today’s Liturgy, has included an article focused on the revised translation of the Order of Mass. These specific articles have also been made available as free downloadable PDFs.

Concurrently, OCP’s staff has been preparing online resources relative to the upcoming revised translation of the Order of Mass. Once the Mass settings with the revised translation are cleared for publication, we intend to make print and downloadable Mass editions available. NOW Available for Order: You can preview samples and order music and recordings at OCP.org/NewMassSettings.

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For resources that will be affected by the upcoming changes to the Roman Missal, we will provide new and revised settings of the new translation. This means you can continue to use OCP resources with confidence.

Missal Subscribers
The first use of the new Roman Missal texts will coincide with the start of the 2012 liturgical year, which begins with the First Sunday of Advent on November 27, 2011. This will require no action on your part. Next fall, when you receive your annual and/or seasonal missals, they will arrive already include the revised, as well as new and revised Mass settings. Accompaniments will also include these settings, in addition to the new songs you normally receive.

Hymnal Customers
OCP offers a wide range of hymnals, many of which will not be affected by the new translation. If your parish uses any of the following resources, continue to use them with confidence—today, tomorrow and beyond.

• Rise Up & Sing, Third Edition
• Never Too Young
• Thán Ca Dân Chúa

Do you use Flor y Canto, Segunda Edición? The new translation will only affect two Mass settings: Misa del Pueblo Inmigrante (preview and order revised editions here) and Misa de las Américas. You will still be able to use the vast majority of the music in your hymnals, making the overall impact very minimal.

For hymnals that will be affected by the new translation, there's no need to worry. New orders for these beloved hymnals will include a FREE copies of the Revised Order of Mass with Supplemental Mass Settings for each hymnal purchased (shipping costs not included).

• Glory & Praise, Second Edition
• Journeysongs, Second Edition
• One Faith, Una Voz

If you have purchased any of the hymnals above in the five years prior to the implementation date of the new Roman Missal, you will receive FREE assembly supplements (shipping costs not included) for each of the books in the pews, giving you the text, prayers, responses and musical settings you need to stay current.

We will be sending eligible customers a confirmation at the beginning of 2011. Simply complete and return it to us. Then, wait for your FREE assembly supplements to arrive in September 2011.

Keyboard, guitar, keyboard/choral, choral-only and instrument accompaniments and recordings for each new and revised Mass setting contained in the supplement may be purchased separately. The assembly supplement is also available for order.

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That might seem to be the easiest answer to the whole matter of translations! However, the Church has a mandate to consider the vernacular, i.e., the common/shared language of the people in a country or region.

The Council Fathers of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) directed in their Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium), 36:

• These norms being observed, it is for the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority…to decide whether, and to what extent, the vernacular language is to be used; their decrees are to be approved, that is, confirmed, by the Apostolic See. And, whenever it seems to be called for, this authority is to consult with bishops of neighboring regions which have the same language.
• Translations from the Latin text into the mother tongue intended for use in the liturgy must be approved by the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned above.

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Once the revised translation of the Mass is promulgated (declared approved for official use), there is usually a timeline announced relative to its applicable date of official use. Since the translations are copyrighted and the US bishops’ conference is charged with administration of the texts we use in worship, it is the bishops’ conference that declares the exact translation that is approved for use in the US.

To continue using the former (no-longer approved) ritual text would be in violation of Church directive.

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In reality, the vast majority of the text modifications (i.e., revised translations) are in the priest’s parts. While the people’s responses are modified a bit, almost every text used by the priest/preside has been revised. This includes the opening prayer, the prayer over the gifts, the eucharistic prayers, and the prayer after Communion.

While it might provide little solace to the laity, it’s important to acknowledge that our priests are facing a much more daunting challenge once the revised translation is promulgated.

In addition to the preparation time needed to prepare print resources for the worshippers in the pews (the laity), selected publishers are also going to need time to prepare the revised ritual book for presiders. That book is currently titled the Sacramentary for Mass, but it is anticipated that revised edition will be simply be titled Roman Missal.

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Good news for you! The texts that have undergone revision are not those of the readings (as found in the Lectionary for Mass). To put it simply, the Lectionary readings are not changing at this time.

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When the authorities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) promulgates the use of the revised translations, they will also probably issue a directive that the liturgical publishers cease publishing (old) Mass settings that use the no-longer-authorized texts. In reality, many publishers have been anticipating this and have carefully monitored their inventories and limited extensive printing of (current) Mass settings. OCP has been anticipating the upcoming changes and has been preparing resources accordingly. To learn more about what OCP is doing, read more.

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That question is best answered by information from the US bishops’ Internet site (excerpt below):
The process of translation is a highly consultative work of several groups. The International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) is chartered to prepare English translations of liturgical texts on behalf of the conferences of bishops of English-speaking countries. Currently 11 conferences of bishops are full members of the Commission: the United States, Australia, Canada, England and Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Scotland, and South Africa.

The USCCB and the other member Conferences of Bishops receive draft translations of each text from ICEL (called “Green Books”) and have the opportunity to offer comments and suggestions to ICEL. A second draft (called the “Gray Book”) is proposed, which each Conference of Bishops approves (a Conference reserves the right to amend or modify a particular text) and submits to the Vatican for final approval.

Each conference of bishops also has the opportunity to request various alterations (emendations) to the texts for exclusive use in the dioceses of their conference. The Vatican authorities consider and possibly issue approval of individual alterations, thereby making the changes applicable to the official ritual texts of that particular country. However, yes, the English language translations will be almost exactly the same. The English texts will more closely resemble other vernacular translations (e.g., Spanish) that have been in use for years.

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Time for more good news (i.e., ¡buenas noticias!). For now, there are no definite plans for timelines for revision of the texts in the Spanish ritual books.

However, if your parish is using musical settings of the Mass parts that are bilingual, you will face some revisions in those bilingual settings (since the English-language texts are changing).

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The Vatican recognitio (official approval) was issued on Thursday, 25 March 2010.

On Friday, 20 August 2010, the USCCB announced that it has received the final texts from the Vatican. The US Bishops’ Liturgy Secretariat will undertake reconciling all text revisions. It is also important to acknowledge that the USCCB has announced Sunday, November 27, 2011 (the First Sunday of Advent) as the official promulgation date for authorized use of the revised Roman Missal in Masses in the United States.

The time between August 2010 and November 2011 will be a busy one for many people! Some liturgical publishers will be licensed to prepare and manufacture the large, official ritual book for use by priests during Mass. This book, previously called the Sacramentary, will be now bear the titled of the Roman Missal. Other publishers, including OCP, will be preparing worship resources that will include the revised texts and Mass settings for first use during the 2012 Church year.

NOW Available for Order: You can preview samples and order music and recorings at OCP.org/NewMassSettings.

The US bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship and the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions have been holding twenty regional training workshops in 2010 for priests and diocesan leadership on the implementation of the revised translations of the Roman Missal. Information on these training workshops is available here.

Additionally, the US bishops have a wealth of information on their special Internet site dedicated to the changes.

The International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc., has posted a downloadable file (Adobe Acrobat PDF) titled Introduction to “Music for the English Language Roman Missal”.

Authored by Father Paul Turner, Liturgy Training Publications has published a series of pamphlets on the revised Roman Missal available for purchase.

You can access an informative article, “Revised Missal offers opportunity for liturgical formation,” that was published by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Catholic newspaper, The Tidings.

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The USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) has confirmed that some modifications were applied to the texts that were submitted to the Vatican. This was all part of the process and did not come as a surprise.

As for the changes, the one that will probably be most obvious to the laity is relative to the options for the Mystery of Faith (formerly called the Memorial Acclamations). What we have come to know as Acclamation A, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again” was not included in the promulgated texts. This did not comes as a huge surprise since that particular acclamation never was part of the original Missal in Latin. It had been previously approved for use as an option in the United States. With this new, 2010 revision, that option was not approved, thereby giving US Catholics these three revised options for the Mystery of Faith:

1. We proclaim your death, O Lord,
   and profess your Resurrection
   until you come again.
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
   we proclaim your death, O Lord,
   until you come again.
   
3. Save us, Savior of the world,
   for by your Cross and Resurrection,
   you have set us free.
   

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