Catholic Mass changes

Words like “consubstantial” and “oblation” are now a part of Roman Catholic liturgy under the “Third English Edition of the Roman Missal.” The book provides the prayers and actions that occur during Mass. These words and phrases are certainly not what we commonly hear in our day to day conversations, but they are becoming more recognized by English-speaking Catholics. All English-speaking Catholics began using a revised translation of the missal in 2011on the First Sunday of Advent. The date marks the beginning of the liturgical calendar used by the Church. A little over a year later, the translation continues to be under scrutiny, leaving some wondering why the changes were necessary in the first place.

Before the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, Mass was celebrated in Latin. But in 1963, the council allowed for celebration of Mass in the vernacular of the people. The English translation committee (ICEL) spent six years translating all the prayers and songs from Latin into English for the “First English Edition of the Roman Missal.” However, many thought the translation was rushed, oversimplified and lacking a solemn nature. In 1975, the Church approved the “Second English Edition of the Roman Missal.”

This time, people argued that the translation contained too many contemporary expressions and lost much of the formality and richness of the original. In 2002, Pope John Paul II called for bishops and scholars to begin work on a third edition.

Because the words of the Mass express such complex ideas, it is a challenge to find the right words in English. New documents issued by the Vatican, primarily “Liturgiam Authenticam,” provide a set of rules and priorities for the committee to use when translating and editing the texts. This helps capture the meaning, form and poetry of the original Latin.

Yet, many still ask, why spend nearly 50 years translating something into English?

While it may seem silly or excessive to spend so long on a single work, the prayers and songs of the Mass are the primary way we Catholics take part in the celebration of the ritual and participate with the greater Church. The phrase “lex orandi, lex credenda” (the law of prayer is the law of belief) means that the words used in prayer influence beliefs should accurately capture the meaning. Put simply, words matter.

While some may argue that the newest translation is too formal or uses difficult vocabulary, I see it as an invitation to seek out why that particular word was chosen in order to convey a certain meaning. Instead of fumbling with the pew cards at Mass or struggling through new song compositions, take some time to learn about what you don’t understand. You might find that it can bring new perspective on your experience of Mass.

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi: Revisions to the Roman Missal …

CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) – In a November 30, 2012 article entitled “Catholics strongly support new Mass translation after first year“, Michelle Bauman of the Catholic News Agency   reported on a poll concerning Catholics and the recent revisions to the Liturgy, the Holy Mass.

The poll was conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. It was published in September of 2012. It polled the experience of adult Catholics in reaction to the revisions to the third edition of the Roman Missal. These changes were implemented on Nov. 27, 2011.

As a Deacon of the Catholic Church, currently serving a local parish in Chesapeake, Virginia, I understand the immense amount of time and catechesis spent in preparing the faithful for the “changes”. As a student of theology, with a particular love for the Liturgy, I read the fear mongering surrounding the revisions. I also eagerly awaited them because I knew the wonderful fruit they would bear. 

For too long “Fr ____” took it upon himself to “wing it” with the canon and the liturgical prayers of the Holy Mass. The Holy Mass does not belong to the celebrating priest, it belongs to Christ the High Priest in whom he stands.

I know that some priests were well intended in their efforts. I am not opposed to spontaneity in its proper form and proper place. Just not in the canon of the Sacred Liturgy, the Holy Mass. The faithful have a Right to receive the Liturgy as Holy Mother Church has preserved it under the continual inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  

As a revert to the Catholic Church who was drawn home to the fullness of Christianity found within the Catholic Church – including the beauty of the Liturgy – I deeply appreciate serving at the Altar as a Deacon. I also respect the holy priesthood. However, I must be honest; the notion that innovation equaled some kind of “anointing” was way too prevalent among some priests. 

As one who has spent years studying Catholic theology, I was not only thrilled about the revisions, I welcomed them. I saw them as a kind but motherly act by the Church to set the ship on a straight course and raise the water level of all Catholic worship. The faithful deserve it.

I was also not the least bit surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response evidenced among the faithful in this survey. Seventy percent of Catholics either agreed or strongly agreed that the revisions were a good thing. That’s because the revisions were a good thing – a very good thing. 

There is a Latin maxim that addresses the centrality of worship in the life, identity and mission of the Church; “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi”. The phrase in Latin literally means the law of prayer (“the way we worship”), and the law of belief (“what we believe”).

It is sometimes written as, “lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi”, further deepening the implications of this truth. How we worship reflects what we believe and determines how we will live. Worship is the heart of the Christian vocation.

The Catholic Church has long understood that part of her role as mother and teacher is to watch over worship, for the sake of the faithful and in obedience to the God whom she serves. How we worship not only reveals and guards what we believe but guides us in how we live our Christian faith and fulfill our Christian mission in the world.

Liturgical Worship is not an “add on” for a Catholic Christian. It is the foundation of Catholic identity; expressing our highest purpose. Worship reveals what we truly believe and how we view ourselves in relationship to God, one another and the world into which we are sent to carry forward the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ.

How the Church worships is a prophetic witness to the truth of what she professes. Good worship becomes a dynamic means of drawing the entire human community into the fullness of life in Jesus Christ. It attracts – through beauty to Beauty. Worship informs and transforms both the person and the faith community which participates in it. There is reciprocity between worship and life.
 
I have spent decades in ecumenical work. Perhaps that explains why I find it odd that right when so many of our Christian friends in other confessions and communities are searching for a deeper encounter with the beauty of the Lord in formal liturgical worship, many Catholics so easily succumbed to novelties.

Our fellow Christians everywhere are hungering for sign, symbol and mystery in worship. As many Children of the Protestant Reformation are considering the safe harbor of the Catholic Church in order to experience a connection with the ancient Church, too many Catholics have lost their sense of what it really means …

Collection of Mass songs wins CMMA best inspirational album

By Levine Lao
Philippine Daily Inquirer

FR. ALLAN Antonio with his parents

The winner of Best Inspirational Album in the 34th Catholic Mass Media Awards(CMMA) is a collection of Mass songs, proof of how liturgical music could become mainstream.

The album, “Umawit at Magpuri sa Panginoon” (2011), also won Best Inspirational Song.

Composer is Fr. Allan Antonio, a priest of the Diocese of Malolos and a student at the Conservatory of Music of the University of Santo Tomas.

Artists who sing for the album include members of Iconcertante (alumni choir of Immaculate Conception School in Bulacan) and Icons Grand Choir. Antonio, with instrumentalist Delia Valeriano, has worked with the singers for years.

Formally launched last year, the collection marked the first decade of Antonio’s service to the Church. The intention to deepen the appreciation of church choirs, even churchgoers, for Mass songs led to the album’s creation.

“This is a collection of my compositions since the time I was still in the seminary until now that I am 10 years in the ministry,” Antonio says in Filipino in his foreword in the songbook, which comes with the album.

‘Simple but effective’

Antonio, vice chair of the Federation of Tagalog Diocesan Directors of Liturgy (Subcommission on Music), describes his creations as simple but effective, to ease the challenge of reaching out to those not used to listening to liturgical music.

“The music we use during Mass needs to accord to the Roman Missal,” Antonio says, explaining that the compositions are Mass songs that can be distributed to every part of the Eucharistic celebration.

“UMAWIT at Magpuri sa Panginoon” album design by Aris Bagtas

“Pilgrimage of Faith,” which crowns the collection as this year’s Best Inspirational Song, retells the message “Be not afraid,” a passage that appears 365 times in the Bible. This is the theme for Communion songs when the Gospel is about trust and faith.

Another gem in the 20-song album is “Paggugunita,” an Offertory hymn, First Runner-up in the CBCP Himig Sambayanan Song Writing Contest in 2005.

Aside from the arrangements, the songbook discusses the objectives, bases and significance of the compositions by using pertinent Church documents, such as General Instruction of the Roman Missal; the Lectionary; Musicam Sacram.

“Papuri sa Diyos,” for example, is presented with a history explaining why the song is regarded as one of the sacred elements of the Mass. This song is commonly referred to as the Gloria and is rendered on the album with a fresh arreglo.

Local heritage

It is notable that Antonio chose to have most of his compositions, with their corresponding explanations, written in Filipino. Eighteen of the 20 songs are in the native tongue.

“The album is a great contribution to the rich heritage that our diocese has been keeping,” says Malolos Bishop José Oliveros in a message to Antonio. “May it be a good inspiration for musicians and choral groups.”

Behind the vibrant cover design of “Umawit at Magpuri sa Panginoon” is Bulacan artist Aris Bagtas, known to comfortably blend religious images and events with Filipino customs as subjects in his work.

Admitting he is still a student with much to learn, Antonio writes: “Aaminin kong bahagya pa lamang ang aking kaalaman sa musika ngunit ako’y lubos na nagtitiwala sa mga awit na narito. (I acknowledge that I have yet to learn a lot in music but I have full trust in the songs that are in this album.)”

For copies, visit St. Paul’s store branches, or visit the Diocesan Commission on Liturgy office at Malolos Pastoral Center, beside the Basilica Minore of Immaculate Conception in Malolos, Bulacan.

Follow Us

Recent Stories:

• Collection of Mass songs wins CMMA best inspirational album
• Concert fit for a ‘King’
• Canada-based soprano Eleanor Calbes performs series of last curtain calls
• One of the most international contemporary artists in the world graces Manila
• 45th Shell art contest deemed best in recent years
• 8 artists show ‘Creative Blast’ works at Lancaster Hotel
• Chocolate conquers new worlds, from Asia to Brazil
• What’s Cookin’ with AHA: Chocolate Cake
• English proficiency in Brazil worsens
• Mexico City school seeks to dignify mariachi music

Tags:

CMMA Awards
,

Lifestyle
,

Music
,

Religion

A priest loses his faculties

We got complaints from a couple of readers about this story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, headlined “Improvising Illinois priest barred from pulpit.” It’s written by Tim Townsend, someone we frequently praise here at GetReligion:

An Illinois priest forced out of his parish by Belleville’s Catholic bishop for improvising prayers during Mass will no longer be able to preach in public as of today.

The Rev. William Rowe said Monday that Bishop Edward Braxton has suspended him and removed his “faculties,” or license to practice ministry under church law. The move has been associated in recent years with the punishment of clergy accused of sexually abusing minors.

Rowe, the pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in Mount Carmel, Ill., has not been accused of abuse, but he has clashed with Braxton over altering the liturgical prayers of the Roman Missal — the book of prayers, chants and responses used during Mass.

My own beef with that lede is the unnecessary and tendentious tying in of faculty removal with sexual abuse of minors. I don’t like the passive voice used (“has been associated”). Associated by whom? What are the range of offenses that can lead to removal of faculties? Is it just sexual abuse of minors and liturgical improvisation? If not, just don’t bother tarnishing an interesting piece on liturgical improvisation.

Anyway, that’s not the reason readers complained. One note read:

Here’s an on-going story about a Catholic priest who has been defying his bishop about straying from the prescribed language of the Catholic Mass for decades. He’s in his 70s and the bishop removed him from his parish. Because the priest is now performing the sacraments at other parishes, the Bishop has lifted his “faculties”. [Townsend] says twice that he can no longer preach before he finally explains that for Catholics that’s the least of what “faculties” means.

Another note read:

Re: Improvising Illinois priest barred from pulpit

Um, no. He wasn’t barred from the pulpit. He’s barred from celebrating Mass, which is far more than the pulpit. And as Phil Lawler pointed out, he WAS accused of abuse — liturgical abuse. Obviously, the secular press doesn’t care about that, but Catholics do. And this line, I think, is simply gratuitous: “The move has been associated in recent years with the punishment of clergy accused of sexually abusing minors.” Again, are there no canon lawyers to consult who can say what reasons there are to suspend priests?

OK, I guess there is some overlap between that last comment and my beef.

But it is important to understand, when covering something like this, precisely what removal of faculties means and also why it’s important. For what it’s worth, it’s explained better later on in the story:

Last month, St. Mary’s parishioners learned that Braxton had officially removed Rowe, their pastor of 18 years. But a separate letter from Braxton recently informed Rowe, 72, that not only would he have to leave the church, but that he could not preach in public anywhere.

Rowe said he could no longer celebrate public Masses or preside at weddings, funerals or baptisms. The only exception, Rowe said, involves a dying person; he can still hear a confession, baptize or anoint that person.

I also would have really appreciated more precision about precisely what the priest in question was doing in a given Mass. We’re told this:

According to Catholic liturgical practice, priests are duty bound to the prayers written in the Roman Missal, but Rowe had deviated from the text for decades. He said he did so when the official words didn’t connect precisely with the message he was hoping to convey.

But it’s hard for me to understand precisely what that means. In which parts of the Mass was the ad-libbing done and what was said?

I do find it interesting how we frame stories when it comes to authority and deviation from authority. Are all people who openly disregard their leaders treated the same, I wonder? Journalists seem to have a soft spot for people flouting authority (I’m one of them) and I wonder if that leads to particular ruts in how we frame stories such as this. I can see how that particular bias shapes my own writing.

Catholic Mass image via Richard Welter / Shutterstock.com

Loyola Institute for Ministry holds virtual open house, webinar on spirituality

The Loyola Institute for Ministry, in cooperation with the Archdiocese of New Orleans, is hosting the free webinar, “The Roman Missal: A Look at the New Translation,” on Tuesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. The presentation, by the Rev. Stephen Sauer, S.J., pastor of the Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception in New Orleans, is dedicated to providing a deeper understanding of the recent changes to the language of the Roman Catholic mass.

LIM will also host a virtual open house on Wednesday, May 16 at 8 p.m. and provide information on Loyola’s online graduate program in religious education and pastoral studies. For details on the webinar and open house, visit the LIM website.

LIM offers both Master of Religious Education and Master of Pastoral Studies degrees, which are 36-credit hour degree programs designed to be taken completely online.

The Loyola Institute for Ministry responds to the needs of ministry and education personnel who have limited access to Catholic educational resources. Focus areas include Christian spirituality for pastoral ministers, pastoral life and administration, youth ministry, Hispanic ministry, religion and ecology, marketplace ministry and small Christian community formation.

For more information about LIM and the information session, contact Eileen Hooper Chapoton at 504-865-2109 or email her at chapoton@loyno.edu.

Belleville priest says Burke would reject his appeal to save job

BELLEVILLE • A priest in the Belleville diocese at odds with his bishop over the wording of the Catholic Mass said the former Archbishop of St. Louis – now head of the Vatican’s highest court – said he should have been removed from his parish long ago.

The Rev. William Rowe said Belleville Bishop Edward Braxton told him in a meeting Tuesday that if he refused to resign as pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mount Carmel, Ill., the bishop would use canon – or church – law to remove him. Rowe said he asked Braxton if he could appeal a removal, if it came to that.

Rowe said Braxton told him that he could appeal an eventual removal to the Vatican’s version of the supreme court, called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. But, Braxton said, he had already spoken to the head of that court – former St. Louis archbishop, Cardinal Raymond Burke – in February, and that Burke told Braxton that Rowe should have been removed “a long time ago,” according to the priest.

“The understanding there is that I’m done,” Rowe said.

Messages left with the offices of Braxton in Belleville and Burke in Rome were not returned Wednesday morning.

Rowe said Braxton told him that on two recent trips to Rome several bishops asked him about Rowe’s case, and encouraged him to remove the priest. The bishop told him the bishops had heard about two civil weddings outside the church Rowe had performed for couples whose previous marriages had not yet been annulled. Braxton “said Rome was aware of those weddings and upset about that before the liturgy thing,” Rowe said.

For decades, Rowe has deviated from the language of the Roman Catholic Mass, a highly prescribed liturgical rite, parts of which are as old as Christianity itself. In December, the Vatican introduced a new English-language translation of the Roman Missal – the book of prayers, chants and responses used during Mass. The new translation rendered some of the language in the Missal closer in spirit to the original Latin. Critics of the new translation have said the English is clunky and awkward for priests and laity.

Most of the prayers read by priests from the Missal during Mass cannot be changed. But there has never been an established penalty for improvising non-alterable prayers, and bishops have traditionally looked past an individual priest’s extemporizing. Last June, Braxton had sent a letter to all the priests in the Belleville Diocese warning that “it will not be acceptable for any priest or any parish to refrain from using the new prayers due to their personal preference.”

Rowe offered Braxton his resignation October 12, 2011, after a meeting during which the bishop barred the priest from improvising prayers during Mass. Braxton didn’t accept Rowe’s resignation until Jan. 30, 2012. Canon law says a bishop must accept a priest’s resignation within three months of the original offer. Rowe has since retracted his resignation offer.

Bishop Braxton issues ultimatum, priest says

A priest in the Belleville Diocese at odds with his bishop over the wording of the Catholic Mass said Belleville Bishop Edward Braxton told him in a meeting Tuesday that if he refused to resign as pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mount Carmel, Ill., the bishop would use canon — or church — law to remove him.

Braxton did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The priest said he had been told he could appeal to the Vatican. But he said prospects for a reversal are grim.

“The understanding (in Rome) is that I’m done,” Rowe said.

In December, the Vatican introduced a new English-language translation of the Roman Missal — the book of prayers, chants and responses used during Mass. Last June, Braxton sent a letter to all the priests in the Belleville Diocese warning that “it will not be acceptable for any priest or any parish to refrain from using the new prayers due to their personal preference.”

For decades, Rowe has deviated from some of the language of the liturgy’s prayers to better convey the point of his sermons. He offered to resign last year after Braxton told him he could no longer improvise parts of the Mass. In a February letter, Braxton said he’d accepted the priest’s resignation because he ‘simply would not and could not pray the prayers of the Mass as they are translated in the new Roman Missal.” Rowe has since retracted his offer to resign.

He said Wednesday he was meeting with a group called the Southern Illinois Association of Priests to get a sense of his legal options.

Bishop Braxton issues ultimatum, priest says

A priest in the Belleville Diocese at odds with his bishop over the wording of the Catholic Mass said Belleville Bishop Edward Braxton told him in a meeting Tuesday that if he refused to resign as pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mount Carmel, Ill., the bishop would use canon — or church — law to remove him.

Braxton did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The priest said he had been told he could appeal to the Vatican. But he said prospects for a reversal are grim.

“The understanding (in Rome) is that I’m done,” Rowe said.

In December, the Vatican introduced a new English-language translation of the Roman Missal — the book of prayers, chants and responses used during Mass. Last June, Braxton sent a letter to all the priests in the Belleville Diocese warning that “it will not be acceptable for any priest or any parish to refrain from using the new prayers due to their personal preference.”

For decades, Rowe has deviated from some of the language of the liturgy’s prayers to better convey the point of his sermons. He offered to resign last year after Braxton told him he could no longer improvise parts of the Mass. In a February letter, Braxton said he’d accepted the priest’s resignation because he ‘simply would not and could not pray the prayers of the Mass as they are translated in the new Roman Missal.” Rowe has since retracted his offer to resign.

He said Wednesday he was meeting with a group called the Southern Illinois Association of Priests to get a sense of his legal options.

Belleville priest may be out for good, with Burke unlikely to help

BELLEVILLE • A priest in the Belleville diocese at odds with his bishop over the wording of the Catholic Mass said the former Archbishop of St. Louis – now head of the Vatican’s highest court – said he should have been removed from his parish long ago.

The Rev. William Rowe said Belleville Bishop Edward Braxton told him in a meeting Tuesday that if he refused to resign as pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mount Carmel, Ill., the bishop would use canon – or church – law to remove him. Rowe said he asked Braxton if he could appeal a removal, if it came to that.

Rowe said Braxton told him that he could appeal an eventual removal to the Vatican’s version of the supreme court, called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. But, Braxton said, he had already spoken to the head of that court – former St. Louis archbishop, Cardinal Raymond Burke – in February, and that Burke told Braxton that Rowe should have been removed “a long time ago,” according to the priest.

“The understanding there is that I’m done,” Rowe said.

Messages left with the offices of Braxton in Belleville and Burke in Rome were not returned Wednesday morning.

Rowe said Braxton told him that on two recent trips to Rome several bishops asked him about Rowe’s case, and encouraged him to remove the priest. The bishop told him the bishops had heard about two civil weddings outside the church Rowe had performed for couples whose previous marriages had not yet been annulled. Braxton “said Rome was aware of those weddings and upset about that before the liturgy thing,” Rowe said.

For decades, Rowe has deviated from the language of the Roman Catholic Mass, a highly prescribed liturgical rite, parts of which are as old as Christianity itself. In December, the Vatican introduced a new English-language translation of the Roman Missal – the book of prayers, chants and responses used during Mass. The new translation rendered some of the language in the Missal closer in spirit to the original Latin. Critics of the new translation have said the English is clunky and awkward for priests and laity.

Most of the prayers read by priests from the Missal during Mass cannot be changed. But there has never been an established penalty for improvising non-alterable prayers, and bishops have traditionally looked past an individual priest’s extemporizing. Last June, Braxton had sent a letter to all the priests in the Belleville Diocese warning that “it will not be acceptable for any priest or any parish to refrain from using the new prayers due to their personal preference.”

Rowe offered Braxton his resignation October 12, 2011, after a meeting during which the bishop barred the priest from improvising prayers during Mass. Braxton didn’t accept Rowe’s resignation until Jan. 30, 2012. Canon law says a bishop must accept a priest’s resignation within three months of the original offer. Rowe has since retracted his resignation offer.

New Brisbane Archbishop appointed, breaking 50-year habit

Most Reverend Mark Coleridge has been named Metropolitan Archbishop of Brisbane. Photo: Supplied

A recognised theologian and scriptures scholar has been appointed to the head of Brisbane’s Roman Catholic Church by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

Most Reverend Mark Coleridge was last night named Metropolitan Archbishop of Brisbane.

The announcement was made in Rome where he served for five years before his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne in 2002.

He will officially replace Archbishop John Bathersby, who at 75 years old retired to Stanthorpe last year, with an Installation Mass held at the Cathedral of St Stephen in May.

The Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese, Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett, has welcomed the appointment of a man described as a distinguished leader of the Church in Australia.

Born in 1948, the third of five children served as a priest for 38 years, developing special qualifications in the fields of Sacred Scripture and the Church’s liturgical worship, both of which he has taught extensively in Australia and overseas.

During his time at the Vatican in the late 1990s, Archbishop Coleridge was an official in the Secretariat of State, the Holy See’s political and diplomatic department. He was appointed Chaplain to His Holiness Pope John Paul II in 2001.

Chief among his scholarly contributions was his chairing of the international editorial committee responsible for the new English translation of the Roman Missal, the text used to celebrate Catholic Mass.

The first non-Queensland born Archbishop appointed in almost 50 years comes to serve the city after serving in Canberra and country New South Wales.

He made headlines earlier this year while serving as Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn by proposing to cancel Masses if they are not attended by at least 15 adults and making claims that Canberra had twice the number of Catholic schools, parishes and churches as the city needed.

The Apostolic Administrator, Bishop Jarrett of Lismore, continues in office as arrangements are made to welcome the Archbishop-elect and the plans are completed for Archbishop Coleridge’s installation in St Stephen’s Cathedral.

An Installation Mass will be held in the Cathedral of St Stephen on Friday May 11.