Update on the new English-language translation of the Roman Missal for use in Canada

Revised English version of the Roman Missal for Canada
Friday, April 01 2011

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has received recognitio for all sections of the English translation of the revised Roman Missal for use in Canada. The Permanent Council has agreed that the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011, will be the date for the implementation of the English translation of the Missal. The official decree for this date has not yet been published, because our Conference is still clarifying the exact wording of one of the adaptations for Canada.

This process of clarification will not in any way slow down the preparation of the English translation of the revised Missal for Canada. Both the English Sector National Liturgy Office and the CCCB Publications Department are busy preparing the new publication and their work is proceeding on schedule.

Celebrate in Song - Pew EditionAs well, the National Liturgy Office is preparing to start the launching of the catechetical material it has already prepared. The resource Celebrate and Song, which contains the parts of the Mass spoken by the people, as well as three newly composed Mass settings and the ICEL chants, is now finished and will be available from the CCCB Publications Service during the first half of April. This resource, which contains the texts of Eucharistic Prayers I-IV and 40 hymns not currently found in the Catholic Book of Worship III, will be available from the Publications Service at http://www.cccbpublications.ca/.

Starting the first week of April, the National Liturgy Office will begin posting texts and power-point slides to be used for workshops at the local level – including workshops dealing with the theology of Eucharist, the process of translation and revision, and the history of the Eucharist. These will be available on the website of the National Liturgy Office, http://www.nlo.cccb.ca/.

Two DVDs will also be produced by the National Liturgy Office in collaboration with Salt + Light TV. These will be ready for distribution by the end of August. The first will be a two-hour presentation on the theological emphases of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. The second will be an hour-long presentation with a teaching DVD on the structure of the Mass and the meaning of each part of the Mass. The National Liturgy Office will provide a packet of material including suggested workshop formats and questions for discussion at the parish level. Early in September, the National Liturgy Office will have CDs ready with a cantor singing a dozen or so of the new prefaces to assist priests who do not read music but would like to sing the prefaces.

New Words: A Deeper Meaning, but the Same Mass

The International Commission on English in the Liturgy

MUSIC FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ROMAN MISSAL

Musical Settings of the Ordinary of the Mass

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1	Is it ok for a parent to “share” the Eucharist with their child who has not yet received first communion? I recently saw a parent taking the Eucharist after receiving from the Priest and upon returning to their seat they broke off a piece of the Sacred Host and gave it to their child; what should one do when they see this type of behavior? January 10, 2010
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1	This question requires several distinctions to answer it properly. First is that the only one who should “break” a host is the Priest or the Extraordinary Minister of Communion in the rare case that there is insufficient consecrated hosts for the people present. This is rarely done as the normal procedure is to stop giving communion once all is gone and there is no reserve in the tabernacle. Fragmenting a consecrated host to “share” with others would be wrong at any time. The next part of the question deals with a person who is not of age or has not been prepared to receive communion. The Church recognizes the age of seven as an age at which one is able to comprehend the mystery of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Age alone is not the criteria as one must be instructed to understand the great gift given to us in the Eucharist and prepared by first receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Where there are Catholic schools this is usually accomplished by co-operation between the parish and the school and instruction is part of the class lesson plan. One must remember that Sacraments come from the Church and when a school has students from a number of parishes children are encouraged to receive in their home parish. The same is true for children who attend public school with the exception that they must arrange for instruction that is coordinated by the parish in which they are registered. This instruction is often given by the parents at home. To give communion to one who has reached the age of reason may seem kind, however it diminishes the ability for the child to be instructed on the normal way and age of receiving communion and for this reason alone should never be done. The next part of this answer has to deal with responsibility of adults in this situation. First, the parent must realize the error of their action and should seek counsel from their parish Priest as to whether or not they have desecrated the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist and have need of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Any person who has witnessed such an event should approach the person and ask them to speak to the parish Priest, this is true of any act against the Eucharist. Finally it is possible for children of the Eastern rite who are in communion with the Catholic Church to receive communion from the time they are Baptized, in fact they are also Confirmed at this same time. An example of this is the Ukrainian Catholic Church, usually the children do not receive on Sundays outside of their own communities without first arranging this with the local pastor. In Flinton a family would come for vacation each year and this was the case although it was surprising for parishioners to see these young people receive communion. If you are ever in doubt regarding your child’s ability to receive Holy Communion, please speak to Fr. Gillis. Back to the top
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