If you read the dissident or otherwise discontented Catholic blogs and websites you will know those folks are steamed about practically everything. A year ago they were beside themselves at the prospects and then the implementation of a long-needed new translation of the Missal. The English translation was generally considered not only weak but out … Read more
The long-awaited introduction of the new translation of the Roman Missal on November 27, the First Sunday of Advent, offers the Church in the Anglophere an opportunity to reflect on the riches of the liturgy, its biblical vocabulary, and its virtually inexhaustible storehouse of images. Much of that vocabulary, and a great many of … Read more
As the forthcoming new translation of the Roman Missal debunks the myth that liturgical language must be so banal that even the muppets on Sesame Street can understand it, it’s a good time to examine five other untruths that have been wreaking havoc on the Church’s worship in recent decades. 1. Mass facing the … Read more
The spirit of our Catholic liturgy is the spirit of music and song. To give glory and praise to the living God, human speech alone can only take us so far. Words alone can never be enough. We need to pay him homage with songs of joy and with instruments made for praise. St. Augustine … Read more
The much-discussed new English-language translation of the Roman Missal has been issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Read the article here. The USCCB has set a date for implementation throughout all US parishes of the First Sunday of Advent, which is November 27 2011. “Cardinal George announced receipt of the … Read more
It’s taken eight long years, but according to Catholic News Agency (CNA), the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has approved a new translation of the Roman Missal, including next text for the English Mass. It will be incorporated into parishes across the country gradually and at the discretion of local … Read more
In this Crisis Magazine classic, Rev. Michael Enright outlines the features of a truly Catholic church building… and no, churches-in-the-round don’t qualify. In about 10 A.D. the Roman writer Vitrivus wrote that there are three qualities for good building, “venustas, firmitas et utilitas” — delight, firmness, and utility. What happens when these criteria … Read more