Liturgy Newsletter — February 2008

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News

Roman Missal — Green & Grey Books

The bishops have completed their review of the first ‘Green Book’ stage of the Missal. ICEL announced the release of the last Green Book in November (see November 2007 Liturgy Newsletter). Comments and suggestions from the bishops on four Green Books were reviewed at a meeting of the Department for Christian Life and Worship in January and the conclusions of the meeting were passed on to ICEL to assist with the production of the next ‘Grey Book’ stage. The four Green Books were: Proper of Saints II (July – December), Votive Masses and Masses for the Dead, Introductory Documents, and Appendices.

The Bishops’ Conference at its Easter meeting will consider the third Grey Book: Order of Mass II. This contains texts such as the Prefaces and Blessings. After that they will receive the next three: Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children, Ritual Masses, and Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Intentions.

Vox Clara on the progress of the English Translation

Vox Clara, the body set up by the Congregation for Divine Worship to advise and assist it on matters to do with the English translation of the liturgy, met for the fifteenth time in December 2007. They reviewed the ICEL Green Books of Votive Masses and Masses for the Dead, Antiphons and Proper of Saints II. They found the texts to be of high quality. They also reviewed the Grey Book translation of the Proper of Seasons. Cardinal Arinze indicated his thanks for the advice of the members of the Vox Clara Committee and shared their satisfaction that the completion of the project is in sight.

Year of St Paul

Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemol, the archpriest of the Basilica of St Paul outside the walls in Rome, has announced some more details of the Year of St Paul which begins on 28 June 2008. These include a pastoral programme together with an artistic-cultural programme. One of the themes of the year is to encourage prayer and work for Christian unity. The Cardinal noted that the chapel currently used as the baptistery, located between the basilica and the cloister of St. Paul Outside the Walls, will become an ‘Ecumenical Chapel, maintaining its characteristic baptismal font but designated as a place in which to offer our Christian brethren a special place for prayer, either within their own groups or together with Catholics, without the celebration of the sacraments’. A website has been set up a source of information on the year. An English language version is in preparation.

Three more Liturgy Office leaflets on the letters of St Paul, Titus, 1 Corinthians and Romans, have been uploaded to the the Liturgy Office website.

Mass setting for World Youth Day

Missa Benedictus Qui Venit by George Palmer has been released as the official Mass Setting for World Youth Day in Sydney in July. The spirit of the Mass is described as ‘rejoicing’ and an arrangement has been released for parish use in Australia prior to the event. Permission has been given to use the new translations of the Gloria and Sanctus. On the World Youth Day website the full music for the Mass setting can be downloaded arranged for cantor, congregation, keyboard and guitar together with melody lines for services booklets and a recording of the Mass.

Preparation for the Synod of Bishops

Work continues on the preparation for the Synod on the Word of God later this year. A first draft of the Instrumentum Laboris, the working document of the Synod, was considered in Rome in January. The document is based on the replies to the Lineamenta (see Newsletter 7:4) sent in by Bishops’ Conferences across the world. Pope Benedict in his address to the preparatory group emphasised the place of ‘evangelization and ecumenism. They are centred on the Word of God and at the same time are justified and sustained by it.’