By Charles Muchiri
 |
| The New Roman Missal - Third Edition |
Here
in Kenya, the Daughters of St Paul were hugely instrumental in piecing together
the Roman Missal, Third Edition.
And
they went beyond that; as they embarked on visiting various parishes within the
Archdiocese of Nairobi, popularizing it.
Basically,
the Roman Missal is the liturgical book which contains the texts and rubrics
(instructions) for the celebration of Holy Mass in the Roman Catholic Church.
Amongst
the changes in the new Roman Missal are additional prayers for recently
canonized saints, some extra preludes on Eucharistic Prayers, additional Votive
Masses and prayers for diverse needs and occasions.
Besides
these; the new Missal also does have some updated instructions for the
celebration of Mass and some newly composed musical settings as well as pew
cards for helping with the translation.
So,
what’s the big deal with this Roman Missal? Here’s my take:
- The Holy Mass now feels different:
They say a change is
always as good as a rest: This is certainly a change that is much welcome. A
tool to get some Christians who may have been caught in the mechanism of things,
off their perfunctory corner!
- Something to catch up about:
Those who’ve not
attended Holy Mass for ages will certainly have something to catch up about.
- It’s a manifestation of the Church’s growth:
This edition is a sign;
that the Church is consistently in transit: From the Council of Trent to the
Second Vatican Council; to this new millennium’s 3rd edition, the
Church is clearing on a move towards aptness.
- Shaking off the breakaway sects:
Think about it; some of
the breakaway sects. (Oh, yes. I dare call them Sects) like the Married Priest
Now or the Reformed Catholic Church claim to follow the Roman Rites of the
Catholic Church to the letter. Whether they adapt to these new changes or not
will certainly be determined by their ties with the church. Chances are that
this 3rd Edition my just s well catches them off-guard.
Here
at the Archdiocese of Nairobi, quite a number of Churches have made an effort
to print pamphlets that have these new responses on the people’s parts during
Mass – that have been extracted from the Missal.
And
the congregations are truly doing well with regards to adopting to the new
people’s parts.
But
as they say, old habits die hard. The Church should also be patient enough with
its members in their efforts to internalize the new phrases.
(Follow
this writer on Twitter: @muchirimuchoki)
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