Text Revisions in the Order of Mass
On August 4, 2008, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments granted a recognitio, or confirmation, for that part of the Ordo Missae known as Order of Mass I as found in the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, which had been approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at its June 2006 meeting.
The revised Order of Mass I, along with a letter from Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli, Chairman of the Committee on Divine Worship, can be accessed from the USCCB’s Committee on Divine Worship home page:
The page contains other informational links, including the letter from Francis Cardinal Arinze that accompanied the recognitio.
An article from Catholic News Service, “Vatican approves new English translations for constant parts of Mass,” can be found at:
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0803857.htm
Bishop Serratelli’s letter states that the new Order of Mass I will not be promulgated until the entire text of the Roman Missal has been approved, though it is GIA’s hope that the bishops might reconsider this decision. The USCCB is presenting this text to the faithful “for study and formation,” and so that work may begin on new musical settings.
GIA fully understands the impact of the new translations on liturgical ministry and continues to monitor the situation with a commitment to providing whatever materials will be necessary to use the new translations once they are promulgated. As we have stated previously on this site, we intend to provide a hymnal supplement—available in print or electronically—containing musical settings of the new texts as soon as we are able to do so. This supplement will be free of charge to those parishes that purchased GIA hymnals within seven years prior to the implementation of the revised Order of Mass.
For those considering the purchase of a new GIA hardbound hymnal, the situation has not changed significantly because of the Bishops’ stated desire to wait until the full Ordo Missae has been approved. Keep in mind that the songs and hymns, which constitute the bulk of every GIA hymnal, will still be perfectly viable for many years to come. The changes in the Order of Mass I affect only certain parts of Mass settings, and—to reiterate—GIA is committed to providing a complimentary supplement that will satisfy the requirements of the revisions.
It is important to stress that the Bishops have stated that the new Order of Mass I may not be used for the celebration of the Mass at this time. Therefore, GIA is not in a position to approve any requests to alter existing Mass settings. Because of the stipulations of the USCCB, and because altered and new settings will be published only with the approval of the Committee on Divine Worship, it is important that parish communities do not take it upon themselves to alter existing settings. Furthermore, composers of existing settings have the exclusive right to alter their own works, and GIA believes it is in the best interest of the Church that a single revised version of earlier settings be circulated; therefore, neither individuals nor parishes will be granted permission to make their own alterations at any time.
Information on further developments can always be obtained at usccb.org and npm.org, as well as from GIA and the other liturgical publishers. Feel free to address any questions pertinent to GIA and its products to our customer service department at custserv@giamusic.com or 1-800-GIA-1358.