…and Why is it changing?
The Roman Missal is the ritual book that contains all the prayers, chants, and instructions for the celebration of the Eucharist for the entire Roman Catholic Church. This book is always issued in a Latin text called the editio typica [typical edition].
In 1970 Pope Paul VI announced the official text of the liturgy as it was reformed after the Second Vatican Council. The Latin text was then translated into various languages for use around the world. The use of various languages was a change that the bishops at the Second Vatican Council decided was necessary since the primary goal of the liturgy is the full, conscious, and active participation of the people of God. The first English edition was published in the United States in 1973.
Why does the Church change the Liturgy?
In its Liturgy, the Church always attempts to follow the “norm of the Holy Fathers.” This effort “requires not only the preservation of what our immediate forebears have handed on to us, but also an understanding and a more profound pondering of the Church’s entire past. . . . this broader view allows us to see how the Holy Spirit endows the People of God with a marvelous fidelity in preserving the unalterable deposit of faith, even though there is a very great variety of prayers and rites” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 9). The Liturgy must, therefore, always celebrate and make present the Paschal Sacrifice of Christ—His saving Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. However, over time, it may become necessary to make certain changes, such as adding prayers for recently canonized saints and adding texts that reflect the needs that the People of God wish to bring to God in prayer. The third edition of the Roman Missal makes such additions and provides a fresh translation of the Latin texts of the existing content of the Missal.
Who decides that the Liturgy should change?
Pope John Paul II approved the promulgation of the third edition of the Missale Romanum, the Latin text, on April 20, 2000. The final Latin edition of the revised text was published in March 2002. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments was responsible for preparing the text. The Congregation is the Vatican office that the pope has charged with overseeing all matters related to the Liturgy and the sacraments. Any changes in the words of the sacramental formulas—the essential words in the celebration of each of the sacraments (either in Latin or in vernacular translations)—must be approved by the Holy Father personally. In addition, church law also gives to conferences of bishops (such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) as well as individual bishops certain responsibilities with regard to the Liturgy.
What exactly is changing?
The structure of the Mass (the order of the elements, the actions of the priest celebrant, and so forth) remains unchanged in the new edition of the Roman Missal. However, the translation of the prayer texts will change to more closely reflect the original Latin texts. In some cases, new options for prayers may be available, and some old options may no longer be present.
2010, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Based upon Roman Missal Formational Materials provided by the Secretariat for the Liturgy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2010.
