Pastor's Page: November 27, 2011
The Roman Missal
The Roman Missal and the Faith of Catholics
When I was ordained in 1973, Catholics in the United States had only just begun to become comfortable with the Mass in English. Initially, pew cards were used to help the whole congregation become involved in full,
active and conscious participation in the Mass. Catholics were not used to singing in liturgy for hundreds of
years, since choirs had taken on that role. The priest had been chanting the Latin at the Sunday High Mass, but
the people of God had not been participating in song. The Second Vatican Council document on the liturgy, (one
of sixteen documents that returned us as a church to the best of the tradition) opened the way for greater
harmony with other Christian churches. We began using the same Sunday readings and similar prayers as our
‘separated brothers and sisters’ during worship.
With the first edition of the Roman Missal, introduced in 1970 and commonly called the Sacramentary,
Catholics began participating actively in the songs and responses of the Mass. 40 years have passed, with an
interim second edition in 1990, and now we have begun the third edition of the Roman missal.
The Mass, of course, remains the same. We begin as always with the Opening Hymn, the Reconciliation Rite,
Opening Prayer (collect), Liturgy of the Word (Old Testament reading, Responsorial Psalm, New Testament
reading (usually a letter of St. Paul), and Gospel), Profession of Faith (the creed), Offertory prayers, and the
Liturgy of the Eucharist, (remembering the great events of our salvation in the death and resurrection of Christ),
and sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ at Holy Communion, Prayer after Communion, the Final Blessing,
the Dismissal, and the Recessional Hymn.
In the seminary I was taught "pray each Mass as though it were your first Mass or your last Mass". This
principle applies to all of us who gather for Mass. Perhaps after decades of praying together, we have begun to
tune out the full impact of the words and actions of the Mass. This revision of the Roman Missal hopes to
reinvigorate our faith with a new translation of the ancient Latin prayers. The translators have moved from the
more dynamic translation that we have been using to a more literal translation. There is an effort as well, to
draw connections in our prayers with the biblical foundations of our faith.
We are all aware these days that many baptized Catholics no longer are affiliated with our church. Studies
have shown that over 30 million baptized Catholics no longer identify themselves as Catholic. In addition, of the
66 million who do profess commitment to our church, less than 20% identify themselves as highly committed
Catholics. This means that the church is the most important or among the most important parts of their life.
Less than 20% nationally attend Church once a week or more often; and indicate in surveys that they
would never leave the church. Two thirds of the 66 million Catholics, or 44 million, are moderately committed.
The other 14% have low levels of commitment to our church. For Catholics today, moderate commitment has
become the norm.
It is the hope of church leaders today, that the new translation will invigorate our worship and over time
draw Catholics to place God and our church as the number one priority in their lives.
Over the past 25 years the number of highly committed Catholics, presently at 19%, has declined from the
27% it was in 1985. There are multiple reasons for this diminishment of faith. Our bishops believe that the new
Roman Missal will help halt the decline in church attendance and begin to move us positively as a church.
Peace and love,
Father Bruce
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