Liturgical changes

Over at Fr. Z's blog, he was asked a question about the priest following the rubrics. It seems the priest would change the rubrics as he saw necessary. I have often had the opposite take place in my parish. I've had the parishioners suggest I make certain changes in the Mass. In a former parish I once had a parishioner suggest I replace the creed with a testimonial of faith by a parishioner. Of course, I said no. I've had to fight the battle every year about the time for the Vigil Mass for Easter. I often hear, "the priests in Billings (or some other town) are starting the Mass much earlier."

I addressed this issue once in a talk I gave for the teachers at the Catholic Schools in Great Falls. At various times when celebrating Mass at the schools I was asked to do things that were not to be allowed. Again I heard things like, "Father Pastor does this here every week." I later recorded my talk, "Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi", in the parish church with a few changes to make it more generic. You can find that talk here.

I thought I'd share the following from one of the comments to Fr. Z's blog post. It contains several sources as to why we are not to change the rubrics on the whim of the priest or the parishioners.

• Sacrosanctum Concilium art. 22.3 (1963)
o Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.

• Canon 846.1 (1983)
o The liturgical books approved by the competent authority are to be faithfully observed in the celebration of the sacraments; therefore no one on personal authority may add, remove or change anything in them.

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1125 (1992)
o For this reason no sacramental rite may be modified or manipulated at the will of the minister or the community. Even the supreme authority of the Church may not change the liturgy arbitrarily, but only in obedience of faith and with religious respect for the mystery of the liturgy.

• General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 24 (2003)
o Nevertheless, the priest must remember that he is the servant of the Sacred Liturgy and that he himself is not permitted, on his own initiative, to add, to remove, or to change anything in the celebration of Mass.

• Redemptionis Sacramentum, nos. 31, 59 (2004)
o They ought not to detract from the profound meaning of their own ministry by corrupting the liturgical celebration either through alteration or omission, or through arbitrary additions.

o The reprobated practice by which Priests, Deacons or the faithful here and there alter or vary at will the texts of the Sacred Liturgy that they are charged to pronounce, must cease. For in doing thus, they render the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy unstable, and not infrequently distort the authentic meaning of the Liturgy.

Signs of Lent

We see the same thing happen in Catholic churches around the country. Ash Wednesday comes and the church is transformed. The green that was decorating the church is changed to violet. Things are introduced that give a sense of the desert to represent Christ's 40 days in the desert. Perhaps we see empty crosses or crowns of thorns used in the decorating. Unfortunately, some places even remove their holy water during this penitential season. We can see the "symbols" of the season.

These symbols let us know that we are now in a new season, but they really don't mean much, unless we are changing for the season. How many of you have noticed signs of the season of Lent? Are the churches fuller as people take their faith seriously and participate in the Lenten observances offered at the parish? Has the daily Mass attendance gone up? Are people coming to pray the Stations of the Cross? Are the lines for confession longer than they have been? Do we see Catholics and other Christians doing more during this time to feed the poor, visit the sick or those in prison, releasing those unjustly imprisoned, and clothing the naked?

We can have all of the symbols of the season that we want, but what God wants is for us to change ourselves. What are you doing this Lent to bring about a real transformation?

Homily for Christ the King, 2010

This it the text of the homily I plan to deliver tomorrow in my parishes.

I ran across a story recently about Dorothy Day. She was the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. She was very much aware of the need for social justice in the world. After the Second Vatican Council allowed parts of the Mass to be celebrated in the vernacular, or tongue of the people, she was pleased to say the least. Yet, she still saw a difference between the sacred and mundane. It seems that one day, a priest saying Mass for her group at a soup kitchen took a simple coffee cup to use as the chalice. Dorothy was greatly offended. After the Mass she took the coffee cup, kissed it and buried it so that it would no longer be used for the mundane. That cup had held the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. Dorothy knew that this cup was no longer just a cup and did not want it to be confused as such. As I read from the person telling this story, “ I learned more about the Eucharist that day than I had from any book or sermon. It was a learning experience for the priest as well—thereafter he used a chalice.”

Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King. In our Gospel reading we hear the story of Jesus own crucifixion. Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews." Two criminals were also crucified with Jesus. One demanded that Jesus should show his kingship and save them all. The other, realizing a bit more about Jesus made a simpler request, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

The first criminal wanted to bring Jesus down to his level. He saw this king as a way out of the problem in which he found himself. His real focus was on himself – on his escape from the suffering and death he was about to face.

The second saw something greater and hoped to be raised up to the dignity of a person sharing in Christ’s kingdom. One was focused on the here and now while the other was being drawn to a far greater reality.

Many times in our daily lives, we fail to recognize Christ as King, but tend to see him more as a friend. We’ve brought him down to our earthly existence and we fail to focus on the heavenly banquet to which we are called. We can even see it sometimes in our celebration of the Mass. Our focus becomes about ourselves. I can’t help but think of the lyrics of a song that appears in popular hymnal, We Are the Church. This song focuses not on God, (Father, Son nor Holy Spirit), nor on Mary or one of the great saints. If focuses on us. The refrains is,

“We are the Church, the Body of Christ. We are the Church, a people redeemed. We are the Church, anointed to serve God’s Holy People, the People of God.”

The focus of this song is upon us and our earthly existence. The closest we come to actually acknowledging God’s role is to have him say, “Live in my marvelous light.” But the whole song sounds like it is all us doing the work.

Let’s contrast that to “To Jesus Christ, Our Sovereign King”.

To Jesus Christ, our Sovereign King
Who is the world’s salvation.
All praise and homage do we bring,
and thanks and adoration,
Christ Jesus, Victor
Christ Jesus, Ruler
Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer

This song truly directs our hearts and minds to a greater reality, that of Christ who is the ruler and king of our lives.

I think the sense of the mundane that has made an appearance in many Masses has caused us to forget that in the Mass, heaven and earth are united in the great banquet of heaven. The eternal sacrifice that was achieved on Cavalry is made present here and is offered for the forgiveness of our sins. We forget who it is that is present in so many ways during the course of the Mass. It is Christ who is present as we gather. It is Christ who is present as the Word is proclaim. It is Christ who, through the priest, transforms the bread and wine into his body, blood, soul and divinity. It is Christ who is most especially present on the altar. The Mass is not about us, but about getting beyond the ordinary to the extra-ordinary. It is about recognizing our Lord and King.

Yesterday, Bishop Conley, an auxiliary bishop from Denver, gave a talk on the translation of the new Roman Missal to the music people of that archdiocese. According to an article on the Catholic News Agency web page, Bishop Conley stated,

God “makes it possible for us, though we are but creatures, to sing and worship with the angels” – an awe-inspiring task for which household objects, popular music, and casual language are inappropriate. Bishop Conley indicated that many attempts to make worship feel more familiar, have instead made it less inspiring.

The use of a sacred vocabulary directs our hearts to the beyond. The occasional use of elements not common in the normal routine of our lives such as Latin, incense and bells will tell us something different is happening here than what is happening when we are in the store, or the beauty parlor, or even the bar.

I hope that over the next year, as we prepare to implement the translation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, we’ll approach it with a new sense of awe and wonder.

Dorothy Day took the cup and buried it because the wine it once contained had become Jesus’ body, blood, soul and divinity, and the cup was now holy and sacred, not fit to be used for the mundane, but to be buried as sacred. She was able to recognize that there is truly a difference between the ordinary and extra-ordinary.

The inscription over the head of Jesus read, “This is the King of the Jews.” One criminal tried to lower Jesus to his way of life and demand that Jesus save them from death on the cross. The other looked ahead and asked to be with Jesus when he comes into his kingdom. We too look forward, but realize that as Jesus said, “today you will be with me in Paradise”, we are experiencing a taste of that Paradise as we worship God at this Eucharistic table where heaven and earth unite.

How we pray what we believe

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi from Leo McDowell on Vimeo.


I’m not sure how many Catholics today have heard the axiom, “lex orandi, lex credendi”.
Last year, for Catechetical Sunday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a document, “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi: The Word of God in the Celebration of the Sacraments”. Near the beginning of the document they write:

Literally translated, it means “the law of prayer [is] the law of belief.” This axiom is an adaptation of words of Prosper of Aquitaine, a fifth-century Christian writer and a contemporary of St. Augustine. The original version of the phrase, ut legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi (“that the law of praying establishes the law of believing”), highlighted the understanding that the Church’s teaching (lex credendi) is articulated and made manifest in the celebration of the liturgy and prayer (lex orandi).1 We understand this to mean that prayer and worship is the first articulation of the faith. The liturgy engages belief in a way that simply thinking about God or studying the faith does not naturally do. In other words, in an act of worship, the faithful are in dialogue with God and are engaged in an active and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and every individual member of the liturgical assembly is connected to one another as members of the mystical Body of Christ in the Holy Spirit, as they look together with hope for the salvation promised in the Kingdom of Heaven. Theology, christology, ecclesiology, pneumatology, and eschatology are all expressed in word and deed, in sign and symbol, in liturgical acts.

Sacred or Secular Music?

Some thoughts on music at Mass provided by Corpus Christi Watershed

Can you tell the difference?? from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

Mass becomes 'perverted' when 'community celebrates itself,' laments Spanish cardinal

Here is another great article from Catholic News Agency

Lima, Peru, Jun 3, 2010 / 10:05 pm (CNA).- During a conference in Peru this week, a Spanish cardinal expressed sadness over the fact that often, the Mass is “reduced to a mere banquet, a celebration of the community,” instead of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. He noted that “Worship becomes perverted when we have a celebration in which the community celebrates itself.”

The prelate added that the primary focus of the Mass should be God.

Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, made his remarks at the Eucharistic and Marian Congress taking place in Lima, Peru, earlier this week.

Speaking to some 2,000 participants at the event organized by the Archdiocese of Lima, Cardinal Canizares first emphasized that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the life of every Christian and that “the Church is the living and efficacious sacrament of union with God and unity among the entire human race.” This union, he said, “is only possible through participation in the Body of Christ. This is what happens in the Eucharist.”

“The Eucharist is only possible through the priesthood,” he added. “Consequently, the Church can exist only with priests.”

“We priests are necessary not only so that the Church can function or be well organized or can teach doctrine,” the cardinal continued. “We are priests in order for there to be Eucharist. If we do not recover this, there will be no vocations. Consequently, what is at stake is the future.”

Cardinal Canizares also underscored the centrality of the sacrifice of Christ in the Eucharist, saying that oftentimes, the Mass is “reduced to a mere banquet, a celebration of the community, a commemoration, but not the very sacrifice of Christ who gives himself up for us on the Cross.”

“Without this we can understand nothing about the Eucharist and we celebrate nothing more than ourselves,” he said.

“We have become secularized and convinced that everything has been the result of our own creativity,” the prelate remarked. However, what truly matters is that “we recognize the mystery, that the mystery be celebrated. We must remember God’s right. God tells us how the mystery, how the celebration should be carried out.”

After underscoring the spirit of renewal proposed by Vatican II, Cardinal Canizares noted that the council fathers placed a priority on liturgical renewal because “we cannot understand (the Vatican II document) Gaudium et Spes if our understanding is not based on the foundation for everything: the Eucharist.”

“There will not be a Gaudium et Spes Church if it is not a Sacrosantum Concilium Church,” he added. For this reason, the Pope has a great interest in the liturgy. For this reason, when renewal is understood merely in terms of changes to the rite, we do not understand anything that the Holy Father is telling us,” he added.

“Renewal does not mean a different puppet show every day,” the cardinal underscored. “It means making it possible to celebrate the mystery of faith that occurs. This renewal must express the entire reality of the mystery. Worship becomes perverted when we have a celebration in which the community celebrates itself. The principle should be that God occupies the central place.”

The Spanish prelate noted that in Communion, it is not we who assimilate Christ, “but rather He who assimilates us unto himself,” and consequently we are pulled out of our individuality. “Thus the Eucharist takes on a social nature.”

“To celebrate the Eucharist is to bring about the renewal of society,” he said. “For this reason, renewing the sense of the Eucharist is what guarantees a future for the Church. This is the true danger for a humanity that does not acknowledge God.”


Copyright © CNA
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com)

CRANK DAT LATIN!

I just ran across this post from a former classmate. Although it was written almost three years ago, it is still relevant today.

Pope Benedict XVI has just made it possible for any priest in the Roman Catholic Church to celebrate the Mass of the Roman Missal 1962. That is to say, the priest is now able to celebrate Mass in Latin with a special ritual that resembles the older Mass ritual performed before 1965. For a point of reference, rent any movie that deals with Catholicism (usually something with either the Devil or the Mafia in it) and most likely the Mass will be Latin.

The instruction (motu proprio) is available in Latin and English here.

You will notice at St. John here in Oxford, we use Latin quite a bit during our Masses. However, we do not do the so-called "Latin Mass". The Mass we celebrate is called the "Novus Ordo" Mass and this Mass has been the "ordinary" Mass for the Catholic Church since the 1970's.

So what's up with the Latin at St. John's?

Normally, we use Latin sparingly during the Mass. The parts most likely that are in Latin are:

Kyrie: "Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison" which means "Lord, have mercy" and "Christ, have mercy". The words are actually Greek and the chant form we use is used throughout the world. For nerds, "Kyrie" is also used on many video games as background music such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. But I've said too much.

Sanctus: This is also known as the "Holy, Holy" in English. Some of the terms in the Sanctus are a bit different in the Latin than in English. For instance, where the English says "Lord, God of power and might" which is pretty cool, the Latin says, "Dominus, Deus Sabbaoth" which means "Lord, God of 'invincible armies'" in a literal translation. Now, that sounds even cooler! Like an army made of Iron Men! Or not....

Agnus Dei: Note for note, the Latin "Agnus Dei" is the "Lamb of God" without some of the English derivations such as "Lamb of God, prince of peace" or the innovative "Lamb of God, dancer of dreamshadows, weaver of womyn's song" or some other thing like that. From the book of Revelation, Jesus is the Lamb of God and the redeemed people are gathered around him praising him day and night. This ancient form of "Agnus Dei" chant unites us with the saints in a mystical and beautiful way.

Salve Regina, Ubi Caritas, etc: Well, actually we don't sing "etcetera" which is also Latin but not Churchy Latin. The other uses of Latin are in some traditional hymns and songs. "Salve Regina" is the "Hail Holy Queen" (not exactly the same one Whoopi Goldberg sang in "Sister Act" but close enough) and "Ubi Caritas" is a classic monastic hymn that says "Where you find charity and love, you will find God".

We use the Latin in our Mass for a few reasons:

1. We serve an international Catholic community. Jews have Hebrew, Muslims have Arabic, Christians have Latin. It's the language of the Church and it does unite us with our brothers and sisters from Africa, Asia, Europe and Central America.

2. Latin is supposed to be used! Although the vernacular is encouraged in the celebration of the Mass, Latin was never to have been abandoned.

3. Young people appreciate tradition. In the 70's, the priests and nuns listened to the youth and celebrated Mass that would bring relevance to their lives. From Masses held in the middle of fields, to the priest painted up in clown makeup and dancing around the altar, to the nun wearing a stole made of burlap and playing "I AM WOMAN" for the closing hymn, innovation and creativity was used during Mass. And it wasn't too cool. It was more like your dad singing a Gwen Stefani song to be "hip".
The youth of this generation wants stability and something they can count on. The use of Latin and the reverence given to the Mass is something that is more than "cute" or grasping at relevance. It's true.

4. Ole Miss is a teaching institution. So why not learn how to be Catholic? I have an obligation as pastor to give you the best our Catholic tradition has so when you move on in 2, 4, 13 years, you at least will have the fundamentals of the faith that will have you at home in any Church throughout the world. You're welcome.

New Translation to be Released Soon?

This letter was posted in the Daily Bulletin of the Vatican Press Office

Dear Cardinals,

Dear Brother Bishops and Priests,

Members and Consultors of the Vox Clara Committee,

I thank you for the work that Vox Clara has done over the last eight years, assisting and advising the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in fulfilling its responsibilities with regard to the English translations of liturgical texts. This has been a truly collegial enterprise. Not only are all five continents represented in the membership of the Committee, but you have been assiduous in drawing together contributions from Bishops’ Conferences in English-speaking territories all over the world. I thank you for the great labour you have expended in your study of the translations and in processing the results of the many consultations that have been conducted. I thank the expert assistants for offering the fruits of their scholarship in order to render a service to the universal Church. And I thank the Superiors and Officials of the Congregation for their daily, painstaking work of overseeing the preparation and translation of texts that proclaim the truth of our redemption in Christ, the Incarnate Word of God.

Saint Augustine spoke beautifully of the relation between John the Baptist, the vox clara that resounded on the banks of the Jordan, and the Word that he spoke. A voice, he said, serves to share with the listener the message that is already in the speaker’s heart. Once the word has been spoken, it is present in the hearts of both, and so the voice, its task having been completed, can fade away (cf. Sermon 293). I welcome the news that the English translation of the Roman Missal will soon be ready for publication, so that the texts you have worked so hard to prepare may be proclaimed in the liturgy that is celebrated across the anglophone world. Through these sacred texts and the actions that accompany them, Christ will be made present and active in the midst of his people. The voice that helped bring these words to birth will have completed its task.

A new task will then present itself, one which falls outside the direct competence of Vox Clara, but which in one way or another will involve all of you – the task of preparing for the reception of the new translation by clergy and lay faithful. Many will find it hard to adjust to unfamiliar texts after nearly forty years of continuous use of the previous translation. The change will need to be introduced with due sensitivity, and the opportunity for catechesis that it presents will need to be firmly grasped. I pray that in this way any risk of confusion or bewilderment will be averted, and the change will serve instead as a springboard for a renewal and a deepening of Eucharistic devotion all over the English-speaking world.

Dear Brother Bishops, Reverend Fathers, Friends, I want you to know how much I appreciate the great collaborative endeavour to which you have contributed. Soon the fruits of your labours will be made available to English-speaking congregations everywhere. As the prayers of God’s people rise before him like incense (cf. Psalm 140:2), may the Lord’s blessing come down upon all who have contributed their time and expertise to crafting the texts in which those prayers are expressed. Thank you, and may you be abundantly rewarded for your generous service to God’s people.

I wonder if this is a sign the new translation is going to be approved and released soon? Is it possible that we'll have things in place to start using it this Advent? I know I'll be ready and will be able to educate my parishes by then. The only people in my parish who will not understand the new translation will be those who are willfully ignorant.

Can you tell I'm getting excited?

Precepts of the Catholic Church, part II

To follow up on my comments on the precepts of the Catholic Church.

The following is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

2042 The first precept ("You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor") requires the faithful to sanctify the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the principal liturgical feasts honoring the mysteries of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints; in the first place, by participating in the Eucharistic celebration, in which the Christian community is gathered, and by resting from those works and activities which could impede such a sanctification of these days.

For most of those who are reading the bulletin, the importance of Sunday Mass attendance is probably already evident.

One thing to keep in mind is that the obligation is to attend Mass. After 9/11 I was mobilized and was away from my parishes for 11 months. During part of that time, priests from the neighboring parishes were helping provide Mass on Sunday. Each of the three communities had Mass at 4:30 in the afternoon. Some in one of the parishes asked if they could have word and communion at 9 am instead of Mass at 4:30. It is a clear sign that for some, the importance of Sunday Mass has been lost.

I do not take lightly my responsibility of trying to provide Mass on Sundays and Holy Days. Mass can not always be offered at the most convenient time for everyone, but we should make the effort to work our schedule around Mass instead of trying to work Mass into our schedule. I have heard of cases where some priests have down played the importance of Holy Day Masses by arbitrarily moving them to another day during the week. This is a disservice to all involved. It is possible for many Holy Days to have a vigil Mass and I will try to make that available when the opportunity presents itself. There are a few exceptions, such as those that fall on a Monday.

That being said, I was asked about Ash Wednesday Mass in Geraldine. I don’t know where the idea originated, but there is no vigil Mass for Ash Wednesday. I will be in Geraldine to say Mass on Tuesday evening like I normally am when I’m not traveling, and I’ll be back to say Mass on Ash Wednesday in the morning. Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation.

I’d like to go back to the obligation of attending Mass on Sundays. I do realize that at times people are required to work on Sunday, and it may interfere with Mass attendance. When there is a legitimate reason for missing Mass, you could consider attending Mass some other day during the week. When I am here, we generally have Mass every day. There are some days when the time gets changed because I have a conflict, or we are at the Bluffs or hospital, but there are opportunities most weeks to attend a weekday Mass. It is also important to remember that if you miss Mass intentionally, i.e., you wanted to sleep in though you were not sick, you went hunting, it did not work into your schedule, it is a mortal sin. You should refrain from communion until you have the chance to go to confession. It is permissible to miss Mass if you are truly sick (hangovers don’t count since you knew you’d have Mass the next day), you have to work (if it takes all day to feed the livestock in the winter I understand), or you are impeded by such things as snow drifts.

The obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is not to be taken lightly. As a leaven in the world, it is the responsibility of the laity to live out the precepts of the Church, and to challenge others to do likewise.

Peace and prayers until next week

Fr. Leo

We've Waited Long Enough

Many of you may have heard about the petition going around encouraging the bishops and Vatican to wait on the translation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal into English. Last month, the bishops of the US approved the final sections of the translation, with a little bit of drama brought up by those who do not agree with the text. The new translation should be ready for use in a year, or year and a half from now. Yet, there are still calls that 10 years of discussion is not enough.

A friend started this petition in response to the petition that wants us to wait longer. Please consider signing.

Manual for proper celebration of the Mass officially presented to the Pope

Just found this on Catholic News Agency. I'll be waiting for the English edition.

Manual for proper celebration of the Mass officially presented to the Pope

Just a hint :)

L’Osservatore Romano also explained that the Pope’s desire is that the compendium will help both priests and laity in “believing, celebrating and increasingly living out the Eucharistic Mystery.” The Holy Father also hopes that it will stimulate “every faithful person to make of their own lives a spiritual worship,” the paper added.

Pastoral Letter from the Bishop of Souix City

I started reading this and thought it was worth sharing.

Here is but a taste:

My brothers and sisters, let me say this clearly: The “hermeneutic of discontinuity” is a false interpretation and implementation of the Council and the Catholic Faith. It emphasizes the “engagement with the world” to the exclusion of the deposit of faith. This has wreaked havoc on the Church, systematically dismantling the Catholic Faith to please the world, watering down what is distinctively Catholic, and ironically becoming completely irrelevant and impotent for the mission of the Church in the world. The Church that seeks simply what works or is “useful” in the end becomes useless.

Our urgent need at this time is to reclaim and strengthen our understanding of the deposit of faith. We must have a distinctive identity and culture as Catholics, if we would effectively communicate the Gospel to the people of this day and Diocese. This is our mission. Notice that this mission is two-fold, like the Second Vatican Council’s purpose. It is toward ourselves within the Church (ad intra), and it is to the world (ad extra). The first is primary and necessary for the second; the second flows from the first. This is why we have not been as successful as we should be in bringing the world to Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ to the world. We cannot give what we do not have; we cannot fulfill our mission to evangelize, if we ourselves are not evangelized.9

Committee on Divine Worship Introduces Roman Missal Formation Website

This speaks for itself:

WASHINGTON—A new Website from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will educate Catholics about the forthcoming English translation of the new Roman Missal.

The site, www.usccb.org/romanmissal, launched August 21, includes background material on the process of development of liturgical texts, sample texts from the Missal, a glossary of terms and answers to frequently asked questions. Content will be added regularly over the next several moths. The bishop’s Committee on Divine Worship hopes the site will be a central resource for those preparing to implement the new text.

“In the years since Vatican II we have learned a lot about the use of the vernacular in the liturgy and the new texts reflect this new understanding,” said Bishop Arthur Serratelli of Paterson, NJ, in a welcome-to-the-site video.

“The new texts are understandable, dignified and accurate,” said Bishop Serratelli, who chairs the Committee on Divine Worship. “They not only strive to make the meaning of the text accessible for the listener, but they also strive to unearth the biblical and theological richness of the Latin text.”

After more than five years of consultation, study and reflection, the bishops are expected to conclude their review and approval of the final portion of the translated texts at the end of this year. Final approval (recognitio) of the text from the Holy See for the complete translation will be the last step before the publication of the texts for use in the liturgy.

Bishop Serratelli sees this time of waiting as an opportunity to learn and prepare.

“We have a great opportunity during this period not only to learn about the changes, not only to learn about the revised texts, but also to deepen our own understanding of the Liturgy itself,” he said. “We encourage priests, deacons, religious, liturgical ministers, all the faithful to avail themselves of the information that we are making available.”

In May 2002, the Vatican published the Latin text of the Third Edition on the Missale Romanum. Since 2003, the bishops of the English-speaking world have been working to prepare an English translation of the Roman Missal.

For information visit www.usccb.org/romanmissal.

CLOW-ning Around

I found the following at a blog by Fr. Cranky

I don’t know when it started, but many years ago someone saw that Protestants send their children to day care during their worship services, and voila, we invent Children’s Liturgy of the Word, or as it is called in these parts (and makes my teeth grind) CLOW – pronounced like ‘dough’ and not (as it should be) like ‘clown.’

It is because the readings and homily for the Mass are tooooo haaaarrrrd for our young ones, and unfortunately some of the powers that be agreed and produced a Children’s Lectionary. I don’t remember the end of St. Matthew’s Gospel being:

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. But remember to use really little words and special gatherings with the children, and make sure you have crafts for them because glue on Sunday clothes is a good thing, otherwise it will be too hard for them to really understand, and we can’t possibly expect any of the adults in their life to explain it to them."

All things that are being done in the name of the children have a way of coming back and infecting everything else we do.

Check out the complete posting

Priestless Sundays

I've copied the following from Dr. Edward Peter's blog

A news story out of the Diocese of Fairbanks in Alaska describes an upcoming "priestless Sunday" wherein priests will be away from their parishes to serve remote missions, leaving their parishioners without Sunday Mass that weekend. I can see arguments for and against this unusual action and I don't think that outsiders are in a position to conclusively support or reject the basic idea.

One point in the news article, however, needs to be corrected: After noting that Communion services will be celebrated in most parishes left without pastors, the article asserts that such services are "not Mass but will satisfy the Catholic obligation to attend Mass."

That's wrong.

Only Mass satisfies the Sunday obligation (1983 CIC 1247-1248) under Roman Catholic canon law.* If a member of the faithful cannot attend Mass on Sunday, that impossibility excuses the obligation. Boniface VIII, De Regulis Iuris, no. 8, "Nemo potest ad impossibile obligari." Indeed, Canon 1248.2 of the 1983 Code, placed in the Code by John Paul II himself (Peters, Incrementa in Progressu, 1082), expressly notes that "If participation in the Eucharistic celebration becomes impossible because of the absence of a sacred minister . . . it is strongly recommended that the faithful take part in a liturgy of the Word if such a liturgy is celebrated in a parish church . . . " (emphasis added). Note, participation in a Word service is recommended, not required, and there is nothing in the canon about Word celebrations counting as Eucharistic celebrations.

Those of us lucky enough to attend Mass in our own parishes next Sunday should especially remember Catholics in Alaska who are not so fortunate. That said, while severe shortages of priests should move us to redouble our efforts to encourage vocations to the priesthood, they are not occasions for changing the understanding of Sunday Mass or its obligation.

* I say under Roman canon law, because there is some provision under Eastern canon law for something besides Mass to count toward the Sunday obligation. See CCEO 881.1.

I am sure that there are other canon lawyers that would argue differently, but this has been my understanding with the limited canon law courses I received in the seminary.

True liturgical reform must avoid “wild liturgy,” Cardinal Arinze explains

The following was found at the Catholic News Agency web site.

Nairobi, Mar 19, 2008 / 02:33 am (CNA).- Cardinal Francis Arinze, the Church’s “liturgist-in-chief,” recently made a speech at an African university in which he criticized liturgical abuses and protested Masses where the recklessly innovative priests act as “Reverend Showman”.

The Nigerian-born Cardinal Arinze, who is Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, was in Kenya to conduct a workshop and a retreat on liturgy for the bishops, according to CISA. While he was at the Catholic University of East Africa, the cardinal delivered a public lecture in which he discussed the importance of following liturgical rubrics and the proper place of inculturation in the liturgy.

The cardinal discussed sentiments that cause errors in worship, such as regarding everyone as an expert in liturgy, extolling spontaneity and creativity to the detriment of approved rites and prayers, seeking immediate popular applause or enjoyment, and ignoring approved liturgical texts.

He said that liturgical abuses were often due to an ignorance that rejects elements of worship whose deeper meaning is not understood or whose antiquity is not recognized.

Cardinal Arinze clarified the nature of the reforms of Vatican II, saying they must be seen as continuous with the past rather than as a dramatic break. “The Catholic Church is the same before and after Vatican II. It isn’t another Church,” he said.

Check out the rest of the article :)

CDF rules feminist-inspired baptisms invalid

I've heard of cases where the wrong formula has been used. I knew that if asked, this would be the answer. I'm afraid that many of our non-Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ are not validly baptized since their churches have adopted these strange formulas. This has a huge impact on marriages and those who hope to join the church.

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Vatican City, Feb 29, 2008 / 11:19 am (CNA).- The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) issued a correction today to those who use feminist-inspired non-Trinitarian formulas for baptizing children, declaring that those baptized in this way are, in fact, not baptized.

The teachings, which were made public today, are in response to two different questions sent to the Church’s doctrinal authority. The first question is: "Is a Baptism valid if conferred with the words 'I baptise you in the name of the Creator, and of the Redeemer, and of the Sanctifier', or 'I baptise you in the name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer'"?

The second question is: "Must people baptised with those formulae be baptised 'in forma absoluta'?"

As is traditionally done, the CDF responded with a simple positive or negative ruling saying, "To the first question, negative; to the second question, affirmative".

The responses, which were authorized by Pope Benedict, are also accompanied by an explanatory note that further develops the answers.

The note explains that the problem with the formulas is not that they are said in English, but that they fail to express the Catholic belief in the Holy Trinity. "Baptism conferred in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit", the note says, "obeys Jesus' command as it appears at the end of the Gospel of St. Matthew. ... The baptismal formula must be an adequate expression of Trinitarian faith, approximate formulae are unacceptable.”

The CDF also addressed the feminist origins of the improvised baptismal formulas.

"Variations to the baptismal formula - using non-biblical designations of the Divine Persons - as considered in this reply, arise from so-called feminist theology", being an attempt "to avoid using the words Father and Son which are held to be chauvinistic, substituting them with other names. Such variants, however, undermine faith in the Trinity".

The new ruling is bound to have a wide ranging impact according to the CDF.

"The response of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith constitutes an authentic doctrinal declaration, which has wide-ranging canonical and pastoral effects. Indeed, the reply implicitly affirms that people who have been baptised, or who will in the future be baptised, with the formulae in question have, in reality, not been baptised. Hence, they must them be treated for all canonical and pastoral purposes with the same juridical criteria as people whom the Code of Canon Law places in the general category of 'non- baptised'".

People who fall into the category of non-baptized cannot receive any of the other sacraments within the Catholic Church and must be baptized first.