PREPARING FOR THE NEW TRANSLATION OF THE MASS

On the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011, Catholic parishes in the United States will begin praying the texts of the Mass using a new English translation of The Roman Missal.

Date

November 27, 2011

Other Helpful Materials

- Changes in the Parts of the People, Roman Missal
- Changes in the Parts of the Priest, Roman Missal
- Ten Questions on the Roman Missal, Third Edition
- The Order of Mass
- The Order of Mass - Annotated
- Words in the Roman Missal, Third Edition
- Parts of the Mass

Read more about The New Translation at www.usccb.org

PREPARING FOR THE INTRODUCTORY RITE

† The Introductory Rite

Every time we gather for Eucharist, each of us comes with our own preoccupations and concerns. The Introductory Rites of the Mass are intended to draw us out of our own little worlds and form us into an assembly of God's people, the Body of Christ, ready to render our praise and thanksgiving to God. Each element is designed to play its own role in uniting us as a worshiping people and calling us into God's presence. We hear each other's voices in the opening song and the Glory to God; we remember who we are as God's people through the Sign of the Cross, the Greeting, and the Penitential Act; and we prepare ourselves for today's particular celebration in the opening prayer or Collect. If we allow the Introductory Rites to do their work, we will be ready to celebrate the Eucharist as one people in God.

† New Words in the Introductory Rites

Now, we will look more closely at some of the changes in the words and phrases that we will pray. At first some of these may seem awkward or uncomfortable, but over the course of time they will become familiar.

After the Sign of the Cross, when the priest says, "The Lord be with you," our response will be "And with your spirit." This response will occur at three other very important moments in the Mass (Gospel, Eucharistic Prayer, dismissal) as well, each one a time when we recognize the Holy Spirit moving in our midst.

The Gloria will be mostly familiar, but some words will be in a different order, and there will be a few small additions as well. For example, at the beginning of the Gloria, we will now pray for God's peace upon people of good will, and the invocation "we bless you" has been restored from the Latin to the litany of praise.

Take some time during your daily prayer this week to help familiarize yourself with these new texts.

Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.