As we move towards the full implementation of the new translation of the Roman Missal in Ireland, a number of resources have been prepared by the Irish Bishops’ Conference and the National Centre for Liturgy in order to explain the changes to members of the Church. With the support of sensitive and comprehensive preparation, for both lay people and priests, the new Missal will lead the faithful to a deeper understanding of the Eucharist, which is the ‘source and summit’ of the life of the Church.
For many people, both lay and clergy, the changes to the Missal will be challenging. Some of what has become familiar over the past forty years will change. However, for the congregation attending Mass these changes are few in number and, when they are explored, preparation for the new Missal will provide the faithful with an opportunity for catechesis and a deepening of our understanding of the Eucharist.
The above video is the first in a series to help people prepare for the new translation. It provides brief explanations on the importance of having a good translation of the Roman Missal; whether the Mass is going to change; and, why are we getting a new edition of the Roman Missal?
The second video highlights the following: Why the Irish Church is introducing the new Missal, when we start to use it, the changes which have been in place from September 2011 and the changes we can expect from November 2011.
In the third video Bishop John McAreavey, Bishop of Dromore and Fr Patrick Jones from the National Centre for Liturgy, explain some of the changes to the Mass which were noticeable from September 2011 as we drew closer to the full introduction of the new edition of the Roman Missal on the first Sunday of Advent. Bishop McAreavey and Fr Jones explain some of the new responses such as ‘and with your spirit’, as well as the changes in the Confiteor.
A new resource, including a guide for teachers and workbooks for children, is now available to help children with the new translation of the Roman Missal. Watch video introduction.
Welcoming the new edition of the Missal, Bishop John McAreavey, Bishop of Dromore and the Irish bishops’ representative on the International Commission for English in the Liturgy said: “The challenge faced by the translators of the new text was to produce a text that was faithful to the original Latin and, at the same time, was suitable for worship today. I believe that the new texts capture the wealth of theological vocabulary of the original text and so helps us to enter more fully into the riches of the liturgy itself.”
“The publication of the new edition of the Roman Missal is an opportunity to deepen our understanding of all that we celebrate as we – the Christian community – gather to worship. The use of a new edition of the Missal is not simply about words or translation. The new Missal will enable us to come to a deeper understanding of the Eucharist, which is the source and summit of the life of the Church. The new text is the result of the work of many people over the past ten years,” Bishop McAreavey said.
Additional Resources
Introducing the New Missal – Questions and Answers
Topics and Questions for Parish Bulletins and Missalettes
A Glossary of words and phrases from the New Missal
Published Articles
The Irish Times has published this article by Bishop John McAreavey, Bishop of Dromore and the Irish bishops’ representative on the International Committee on English in the Liturgy, which helps to explain the introduction of the New Missal.
The Irish Catholic newspaper has published a series of articles by Father Paddy Jones, Director of the National Centre for Liturgy, which is based on Maynooth:
Preparing for the new Roman Missal
The New Missal – What is changing?
The New Missal – programme of preparation
The Roman Missal, new English translation 2010, granted recognitio by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, for the dioceses of the Bishops’ Conference of Ireland (Prot. n. 516/05/L, 18 June 2010 ).
Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
