March 2011

Dear Parishioners,

             As you may have read about or heard in the news, the Holy See has given recognito -confirmation or approval- to the English version of the third edition of the Roman Missal.  The American Bishops have been working on this translation of this edition of the Roman Missal since Pope John Paul II ordered its revision in 2000.

             No significant changes have occurred in the Mass since we began to worship in the vernacular after the Second Vatican Council. Because of this, you are probably wondering how this translation will affect the way we celebrate the Mass in our parish. New feast days for saints have been added.  Mass prayers and responses have been retranslated into English to reflect more closely the wording and meaning of this new Roman Missal now in use for the universal Church.

             One thing that has not changed is the structure of the Mass.  There will still be two major parts of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  Our postures - sitting, standing, kneeling, singing, listening, proclaiming, and praying at Mass - will also be the same.  What will change are some of the words we hear, some of our responses, and some parts of the Mass that we sing.  With these changes, we as a parish will be more conscious of how and what we are praying during the Mass as a community.

             We will not be making this change immediately.  We will say these revised prayers of the Mass on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011.  There will be plenty of time for preparation in our parish, which will help us to understand better the changes and the reasons for these changes.

             In response to complaints about his new "teachings", our Lord once said, "no one who as been drinking old wine desires new", for he says, "The old is good." (Luke 5:34).  He understood that nobody likes change, especially from the old and traditional.  The priest's parts and the responses may sound familiar, but different for a while until we adjust.  In the meanwhile, we will need one thing: to be patient with each other.

             There will be many resources that our parish and diocese will use to help us understand the Mass better.  We will also have materials available in the pews with the new responses to the prayers until we are comfortable with them.

             We will continue to discuss the preparations that the Liturgy Committee has been working on as the weeks and months go by, so we will be ready to implement these changes in our parish. One thing that will help is that we have time to explain the changes in language and vocabulary.  Beginning this week, there will be a Liturgy Corner in the bulletin introducing some of the words of the new translation with which you may be unfamiliar as well as helpful websites.  There is also a New Liturgy page on the parish website. 

             But most importantly, we will pray that we remain open to the work of the Holy Spirit within our Church.

Yours in Christ,

Father Joe Cosgrove, Pastor
and the OLPH Liturgy Committee