On the First Sunday of Advent, Nov. 27th, the Catholic Church in the U.S. will begin using the new English translation of the Roman Missal.
I'm hearing and reading that many Catholics--even, most Catholics!--know little or nothing about this change. Given the time, energy, and money the bishops have put into introducing the new Missal, I find this hard to believe.
I'm hearing and reading that many Catholics--even, most Catholics!--know little or nothing about this change. Given the time, energy, and money the bishops have put into introducing the new Missal, I find this hard to believe.
So, here's my question: what, if anything, has your pastor/parish done to prepare the faithful for this dramatic transition?
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weekly leaflets explaining the future changes and backgrounds/teaching.
ReplyDeletePreparation begun for the new musical changes..
I'm a student at UD and the priests here have done absolutely nothing to prepare us. I don't know if they expect us to have researched it on our own, or what. I find it strange, regardless.
ReplyDeleteBasically, I'm telling you this in the hopes that you could perhaps get Fr. Don to DO something... *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI think our parish is doing a great job getting us ready. They have been giving straw masses every other week since September where they walk through and explain all the changes. The priests have also dedicated the last 5 Sundays' homillies to the mass itself--not the changes, but just really getting into the meaning and significance of all the parts of the mass.
ReplyDeleteOur pastor is focusing his homilies, every other week, on the changes and their meanings in a very organized manner. There are also cards in the pews which show what the changes are, and parishioners are encouraged to read them over before mass each week. The choir continues to learn the new settings and each week, before mass, a new part is taught to the congregation.
ReplyDeleteConsidering our pastor made some remarks denigrating the translations at a meeting last year, I am very pleased!
We've received weekly inserts in our bulletin showing the old and revised language. The priest at each Mass encouraged parishioners to read and retain these inserts in preparation for the switchover. During October we began singing the Gloria using the new language and a new setting. No one at Mass has spoken about the change (although I attended Mass away from my home parish twice in the past month).
ReplyDeleteWe have been learning the new mass settings before mass for the last several weeks.
ReplyDeleteArticles have been in our Sunday bulletin for weeks. The articles have given the reasons for the changes and details on those changes.
Tonight is a meeting for all adults on just this topic! Dessert and coffee to follow!
I think our parish, Sacred Heart in Valley Park, MO, has done a great job.
Our pastor has included the new translations of the people's part in the bulletins. Included is an explanation for the specific changes.
ReplyDeleteFor eg: The Confiteor has the three my faults, and explains why?
He did make a mention that the new translation was to take effect 1st Sunday of Advent. He acknowledged that some would not be happy and said:
"Please, don't complain to me. It was the Pope's decision."
I thought the last line was fair and honest.
Our pastor thankfully has been slowly introducing bits and pieces. Introducing an element on one Sunday and incorporating it the next. We've got the revised Gloria in place (we even do the refrain in Latin) for instance. This Sunday he gave us one of the big kahunas: the confession with the "my grievous fault" part.
ReplyDeleteOur pastor has been including elements in his weekly homily for the past couple months or so. We started using the new gloria two weeks ago so we'd get some practice before Christmas. Our family-based children's religious ed. program included an extensive lesson on the changes and gave a booklet to each child so he/she could follow along, and our challenge for the year is to memorize the responses (Prize is a great t-shirt!) AND there was a hand-out after Mass last weekend with text of the changes to the people's parts. I think it's fair to say that everyone in our parish is informed and as prepared as we can be before actually getting into it!
ReplyDeleteMy parish had a couple of public meetings earlier this summer (I couldn't go so I don't know what they were like). They started running handouts explaining the changes in the bulletin starting in October, around the same time as they started using the new musical texts (i.e. the Gloria, etc). Monsignor had a homily about it the week after that started too. The big yearly all-lay-ministers meeting is coming up in a couple of weeks and I understand the changes will be the theme there too. Probably the ministers will be asked to study the texts in order to be "leaders" in the congregation (cf.: a couple years ago, father wanted to encourage people to say the creed more loudly and confidently, so he asked the ministers to start reading it from the missellettes as "models" for others).
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, I'm more enthusiastic than anyone really should be ;) AND I spend 50% of my mass time at a different EF parish, so I probably don't have a fair and accurate read on the situation in my home parish -- but overall, while there's some instructing going on, it's hardly enthusiastic or even terribly positive. The "pastoral assistant" in particular seems to regard the whole thing with dread. The message seems to be "you're going to hate this, but please don't hurt us". Oh well.
Inserts in the bulletin. Homilies. A nice plastic card with only the prayers that have changed and those few words highlighted. Very low key but effective. And now it's a free for all as none of the priests have ever said whether we're supposed to be using it yet. I go to daily Mass and take my cue from whether the priest is holding the card:)
ReplyDeleteI'm part of the choir at one of the Masses and we've been practicing new settings, but every time we've asked Father if he wants us to start singing them at Mass, he's hem-hawed.
ReplyDeleteNot one mention of the coming changes before Masses or during the homily. No bulletin inserts or pew cards. Sort of surprising, since Father has so many mini-homilies throughout Mass where he talks about everything else. I guess it'd just happen on the first Sunday of Advent.
The Church I go to has been talking about it and bring up the changes since early August. In October we started making the smaller changes, and the past two weeks we have pretty much followed the new changes through Mass, except the readings, which are still from the "old translations", NAB. We will starting reading from the NABRE Missal on November 27th. But in general we should be on board with the changes in the next week or two.
ReplyDeleteWe've been working the changes in for several months, a prayer at a time. We're now using the new translation in its entirety, with pew cards listing all of the parts that have changed. Our priest has mentioned several times the reasons for the new translation, and has provided some catechesis for the specific changes in the bulletin.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I've been predicting all along that it was going to be much harder than people realized, but even I'm surprised at how easy it is to screw up and say the old responses. I've done it a few times myself, much to my chagrin.
We've had bulletin inserts and announcements, learning a musical setting for the corrected translation and, best of all, in last Sunday's homily, a beautiful compare & contrast of that day's opening prayer with the corrected translation and a very nice exegesis of "Lord God of hosts" as found in the Sanctus.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, the Denver Catholic Register has had several mentions and there are posters in the church vestibule for "workshops" about the corrected translation. Pretty much only the Christmas & Easter folks will be taken by surprise, though I'm sure there will be some stumbling and mumbling on that happy day 25 days hence.
Weekly bulletin inserts and a class on the new setting by the choir director. This will be way fun.
ReplyDeleteFather, I have to remain anonymous just in case anyone from my parish reads this blog. My parish (just outside Montreal, Quebec) has done absolutely nothing to prepare the congregation for the coming changes. I don't attend the choir Mass so I don't know what's going on there. My pastor once said that "anything comes from Rome, we close our eyes", so I expect us to be using the same old, same old. I was organist for the choir for many years and left in disgust because they always did the same old stuff and were not interested in learning anything new - or even trying chant! This is just our parish - I don't know about the rest of the Montreal area, or the province of Quebec as a whole. However, in the latest issue of "Catholic Times", the archdiocesan paper. there was an article on the liturgical changes. So apart from what I've been reading online, I've heard nothing at church. Pray for us here in Quebec - it's a liturgical wasteland, and very discouraging. I'm thankful for blogs such as yours and Fr. Z's that serve as spiritual nourishment.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Lady Rebecca
Homilies spent on explaining the changes, bulletin inserts, "crib cards" in the pews. Our pastor is spinning this in a very positive manner. Despite all his efforts I think we'll have a few liturgical trainwrecks the first month or so. The congregation is SRO for most Masses, how can so many folks get it "right" the first time?
ReplyDeleteThere was an article in the diocesan paper. At the parish level, nothing. And I happen to know that a parish employee proposed a very ambitious schedule of classes and preparation last spring because I asked that person what we would be doing.
ReplyDeleteMarie