Faith In Fifteen

1. Faith In Fifteen Get ready to learn some new responses both spoken and sung for, with apologies to Bob Dylan, “the mass it is a changing”. On November 27th, 2011 (The First Sunday of Advent) these changes take effect.

2. How Come? The changes are due to a revision in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal a.k.a the GIRM. The GIRM will not make you sick (yes it is pronounced germ). The GIRM is an important document from the Vatican that is at the front of the Sacramentary (the book the priest uses at mass with the Eucharistic prayers in it).

3. What’s the Purpose of the GIRM? The GIRM “seeks to provideguidelines for the catechesis of the faithfuland to offer themain criteria for eucharistic celebrationto be used by those who take part in the celebration ….” In other words, it’s supposed to provide guidelines to educate people about the mass and to set out the criteria (the Church now uses the term rubrics which basically means rules) for those participating in the mass (bishops, priests, deacons and laypeople).

4. Why is the GIRM Changing? The GIRM changes as circumstances dictate. Actually, this is the fifth edition of the GIRM. The others were released in 1969, 1970, 1972, 1975 and the latest is dated 2002. The 1969 GIRM was a rushed document. It came out right after Vatican II when the mass went from being celebrated in Latin to being celebrated in the vernacular (language of the people).

5. Why is the GIRM Changing 2? The 1970 edition of the GIRM even admits that the 1969 edition was rushed. It was rushed because people were excited about celebrating the mass in the vernacular and with the priest facing them. When you rush you tend to make mistakes. The subsequent versions of the GIRM were attempts to correct these mistakes.

6. Why is the GIRM Changing 3? The 2002 edition of the GIRM is markedly different than the other versions. The Church went back to the original Latin texts of the mass and had them re-translated using formal rather than dynamic equivalence. Dynamic equivalence means translating the meaning of the text from one language to another while formal equivalence means translating precisely word for word from one language to another.

7. Is One Style of Translation Better than Another? There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches to translation. Dynamic equivalence translation is easier to understand while formal equivalence translation is more faithful to the original language. Here are a couple of examples: 1) In Eucharistic Prayer III, the phrase “look with favour upon your Church’s offering” now becomes “look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church.”

8. Translation 2 2) The response “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed” now becomes “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” This translation is much closer to the scriptural verse which it is based on (Matthew 8:8 and Luke 7:6).

9. Translation 3 The end result of this new translation is that the Eucharistic prayers the priest says will sound quite different and so will some of our responses at mass. Laypeople have it relatively easy as there aren’t too many changes to our responses. Our priests have it hard as they will have to learn brand new translations of the Eucharistic prayers.

10. Who Was Behind this New Translation? • The new translation was done by a commission of scholars and bishops called Vox Clara (Clear Voice). However, the person who wanted the new translation and had it begun during his pontificate was Pope John Paul II. • The topics that receive new emphasis in the translation are the ones that John Paul II felt needed to be emphasized about the mass.

11. Some New Emphases of the New GIRM • Transcendence-a greater sense of reverence and awe before God at mass. • Continuity and tradition-the way the mass was celebrated before and after Vatican II is part of the continuous tradition of the Catholic Church. • The priesthood-more discussion about the role and nature of the priesthood. • Unity-in spirit, prayer, action and posture. (e.g. in the archdiocese of Regina some parishes stand and some kneel during the Eucharistic prayer. We are to be united at mass in what we say and do)

12. Some New Emphases 2 • A more “sacral” (sacred) language. • Communion under both species (body and blood) should be the norm rather than the exception. • Dignity, beauty, and solemnity of the mass-a call for greater dignity and reverence in the mass and greater use of the beauty of the sacred space (church), of music, and of art to enhance this dignity. • Local autonomy-“the local bishop must promote, regulate, and be vigilant over the liturgical life in his diocese.” (GIRM # 387)

13. Examples of more sacral language (Paul Turner, Pastoral Companion to the Roman Missal, World Library Publications)

14. Why Did They Wait so Long to Introduce the New GIRM? The 2002 GIRM was released only to a select audience of bishops and scholars. They proofed it, noted mistakes and suggested changes. This process takes a long time. A corrected version of the 2002 GIRM was then sent to every bishops’ conference in the world. Each bishops’ conference can request slight changes based on local circumstances. They then send these requests to the Vatican for approval. This process takes a very long time. Hence, the delay in implementation.

15. Strengths of the 2002 GIRM • Is more consistent and coherent. Much easier to understand than earlier editions. • Includes clearer theological foundations and explanations for why we do what we do at mass.

16. Also, it eliminates the distinction between male and female lay ministers • The earlier editions stated that lay men, even if not in instituted ministries, could provide all the functions below those reserved to deacons. • Women could be appointed only to ministries exercised outside the sanctuary (area around the altar). Even for lectors, each bishop’s conference was to establish a place outside the sanctuary for women readers. (GIRM, 1975, # 70) • Any such distinctions have now been completely eliminated

17. Weaknesses of the 2002 GIRM • Unclear understanding of the nature of participation and the role of the assembly (congregation) at mass. • At times, the emphasis seems to be on “spiritual” or interior participation, which can be seen as more important than external participation in the mass (e.g. responding, singing etc). • Participation of the assembly could seem to be participation in the celebration of the priest.

18. Weaknesses of the 2002 GIRM 2 • Over-clericalization (too much emphasis on the clergy at the expense of laypeople). • The sacrificial character of the Eucharistic celebration is too closely identified with the action of the priest rather than the action of the entire assembly. • the restriction of the purification of the vessels after communion to “the priest, the deacon, or an instituted acolyte” (No. 278) • the constant use of the word “instituted” with both “lector” and “acolyte”

19. What’s the Bottom Line about the Changes? • Change is always challenging and these changes will be no exception. For a while we will feel that we are stumbling along because we are not sure what to say and do. That’s okay. Your priest and the rest of your parish will be in the same boat. • In the end, you will feel at home in any parish as all Roman Catholic parishes in Canada will be saying the same responses and doing the same actions (e.g. sitting, standing or kneeling).

20. Will Any Help Be Provided to Get Us Ready for These Changes? • The Archdiocese of Regina has a plan to assist both priests and laypeople prepare for the changes. Check your Sunday bulletin for details. • Catholic Education Services (C.E.S.) will provide staffs with monthly powerpoints like this one that detail the changes. The October and November powerpoints will explain the new responses and postures (e.g. sitting standing or kneeling ) for laypeople. • C.E.S. will also provide a workshop the afternoon of October 25th about the changes. Further information and a registration form will be forthcoming shortly.

21. Will Any Help Be Provided 2? • C.E.S. will provide schools with a powerpoint that can be used during mass which tells people what to do and say throughout the mass. • C.E.S. will also provide schools with an updated edition of My Mass Book that can be photocopied for student and staff use. This book tells people what to do and say throughout the mass. • C.E.S. will meet with any staff , class or individual that would like further information about these changes.

22. Words of Advice for Dealing With the Changes We started with Dylan so let’s end with U2. Yes, there are changes on the horizon but “don’t let the changes drag you down” because “it’s still a beautiful day, don’t let it get away”. If you are still worried about the changes, take the advice that was in a church bulletin “don’t let worry kill you, let the church help.”