Essays on the New English Missal: History

The goal of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal is to create a means through which to understand the faith by examining the liturgical structure in use.[i] Following the lead of the Tridentine Fathers, who sought to unify the liturgical practices of the Church in the 16^th Century, the current age has seen the Church renew the Liturgy in ways appropriate to current understandings and practices. The newest edition of the Roman Missal brings with it clarifications intended for greater unity of all the Church in its celebration of liturgy, and follows in a line of renewal within the Latin Church’s primary means of worship.

The Tridentine Missal of the 16^th Century was the first in a line of reforms of the Roman Rite of Mass that worked to prevent inaccuracy and safeguard the purity of the liturgy. During the Protestant Reformation, the Church began to construct its public liturgical practices in ways that conformed to the Roman Rite approved by the Council of Trent.[ii] The Tridentine Missal, which in many ways unified the Roman Rite of Mass for over three hundred years, was based on the notion of structured rubricism.[iii] In addition, it sought to bring about a desirable catechesis of the Faithful by frequent and succinct explanation of the various parts of the Mass by the priest.[iv] Because of its success, this missal set a precedent in language structure that the Second Vatican Council would utilize in its own response to reforming and renovating the liturgy, while following the examples of past pontiffs in “renew[ing] and adapt[ing] the Liturgy to the needs of our time.”[v]

The introduction of the Novus Ordo Missae of Pope Paul VI continued the renewal of the Liturgy by reforming and partially refurbishing liturgical books for the Latin Church, while keeping in mind the dignity and harmony inherent within it. [vi] Using Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the Church wished to guarantee an orthodox and conservative approach to translation of the Mass into vernacular. In its decrees, it states:

“In this restoration, both texts and rites should be drawn up so that they express more clearly the holy things which they signify… This investigation should be theological, historical, and pastoral.”… Translations from the Latin text into the mother tongue intended for use in the liturgy must be approved by the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority.” [vii]

After the release of Missale Romanum in 1969, a working English translation of the Novus Ordo Missae was produced, followed shortly after by a revision in1975.[viii] In 2001, Pope John Paul II ordered that a new instruction of the proper translation of liturgy be issued, entitled Liturgiam Authenticam.[ix] This was followed one year later with the Missale Romanum Editio Typica Tertia, giving the Church its most recent edition of the Mass of Paul VI.

This most recent edition of the Roman Missal is close to publication to the English-speaking world. Although the translation is restructured in many areas, particularly in the Nicene Creed and the Words of Consecration, its essence is undeniably rooted in the tradition and practices of post-conciliar reform.[x] It seeks to make the Mass, although translated into various languages, truly and substantially universal through a clearer and more focused translation of the original Latin text.[xi] The intention of this new translation is to continue the process of unification and catechesis that stands at the heart of the Church’s internal mission.

Bibliography

· Benedict XVI, Pope. Motu Proprio Datae: Summorum Pontificum. Vatican City: The Holy Apostolic See, 2007.

· Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Liturgiam Authenticum: Fifth Instruction on Vernacular Translation of the Roman Liturgy. Washington D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2001.

· Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, promulgated by Pope Paul VI. Huntington: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1963.

· "Decrees of the Council of Trent: Doctrine on the sacrifice of the Mass." Dogmatic Canons and Decrees. Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc, 1977. pages 131-142.

· Jesson, Nicholas A. Lex orandi, lex credenda: Towards a liturgical theology (written at Toronto School of Theology, November 2001). Available online at: http://ecumenism.net/archive/jesson_lexorandi.pdf.

· Martimort, A.G., editor. The Church at Prayer Volume I: Principles of Liturgy. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1983.

· New Words: A Deeper Meaning, But the Same Mass. Available online at: http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/.

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[i] Nicholas A. Jesson, Lex orandi, lex credenda: Towards a liturgical theology (Toronto: November, 2001) pg. 7

[ii] “Decrees of the Council of Trent: Doctrine on the Sacrifice of the Mass.” Dogmatic Canons and Decrees (Rockford: Tan, 1977) pg. 131

[iii] Martimort, A.G., editor, The Church at Prayer Volume I: Principles of Liturgy (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1983) pg. 70

[iv] Ibid.

[v] Pope Benedict XVI, Motu Proprio Datae: Summorum Pontificum (Vatican City: The Holy See, 2007) para. 7

[vi] Ibid.

[vii] Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, promulgated by Pope Paul VI (Huntington: Our Sunday Visitor, 1963) pgs. 14,19

[viii] C.D.W. & D.S., Liturgiam Authenticam: Fifth Instruction on Vernacular Translation of the Roman Liturgy (Washington: U.S.C.C.B, 2001) pg 17

[ix] Ibid, pg. 19

[x] New Words: A Deeper Meaning, but the Same Mass (USCCB website)

[xi] Ibid.