The New Missal

At the end of November 2010, on the first Sunday of Advent, we began to use new translation of the Mass, especially in the responses made by the congregation.

At the end of November this year, again on the first Sunday of Advent, the rest of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal will be introduced: this will particularly affect the priests.

The texts for Mass that have been in use for over 40 years, including the Second Eucharistic Prayer that is probably the one that is most frequently heard in this parish, have been newly translated, according to different criteria from those that were used in rendering the texts into the vernacular following the Decree of the Second Vatican Council on the Liturgy.

When will the new missal be available for the people?
It will depend on the content of the missal, how much of the actual Mass text it is decided that people actually want in front of them

The priests were told at a Study Day on the Third Edition of the Roman Missal that the Eucharistic Prayers themselves would be included, but that the Prefaces would probably be excluded.  It was expected that this new missal, being less comprehensive than present missals, would not be as expensive.  


Will these new less expensive missals have the Sunday Readings?
No.

The Lectionary is being revised also, but there are problems securing a copyright for a translation that is both suitable for reading aloud to congregations and of appropriate linguistic stature that the message is not compromised.   The holders of copyright to the various translations that are approved do not necessarily want their Bibles to be printed in the week by week, day by day, piecemeal fashion of a Lectionary at Mass.