EUROPE : GREAT BRITAIN : NEW MISSALS USED SUNDAY NOV. 27

IND. CATH. NEWS REPORT: From the First Sunday of Advent, 27 November 2011, all prayers at Mass will be from the new translation of the Missal. In addition to the Order of Mass which has been in use by priests and people since September, prayers for the specific day (Collect, Prayer over the Offerings and Prayer after Communion) - the Proper - will also be used.
Bishop Arthur Roche, Chairman of the International Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL), and Chairman of the Bishops' Conference Department for Christian Life and Worship, said: “Over the last few months priests and people across the country have worked hard to introduce the new translation of the Missal to the faithful in England and Wales. This has been a great opportunity to learn about what we say at Mass but also to deepen our understanding of the Mass itself — Christ’s great gift to the Church. I am grateful for all the effort that has been made and also the patience with which people have begun to take the new translation. I am also grateful to the various publishers, the Catholic Truth Society for the beautiful Altar Missal, and with other publishers for the variety of publications which have assisted people’s participation in the Mass.

“As we approach the First Sunday of Advent I hope that the task of formation will continue, that the texts of the Missal will become both a source of prayer and devotion, and a foundation for a renewed appreciation of the mystery we celebrate.”

Publishers have been working for months to make sure that new missals are ready in time. In England and Wales, three publishers have permission to publish the people’s missals. These are the Catholic Truth Society (CTS), HarperCollins, and Redemptorist Publications.

Catholic Truth Society

The Catholic Truth Society is the publisher of the Altar Missal. The majority of customers have now received their copies, with only some of the most recent orders, and a handful of replacement copies, still to be delivered. Having monitored demand for the Chapel Missal both at home and abroad over recent weeks, CTS will be reprinting the Chapel Edition of the Roman Missal. Stock will be available in Britain in early February 2012.

CTS will distribute the Sunday Missals to customers in the last week of November / beginning of December. In early February 2012 CTS shall be distributing the Daily Missals (a single volume containing both Sundays and Weekdays – the first time an edition like this has been published for this country). A number of other resources are also in preparation, including the Rite of Marriage. Other new resources will appear in 2012.

HarperCollins

Collins will be publishing the Sunday Missal, available from 22 December 2011 (hardback, Blue or Red edition both available). This will be closely followed by the publication of the Weekday Missal available from 5 January 2012 (hardback, Blue or Red edition both available). The new Missals have been enhanced with classical illustrations in the Romanesque style and editor Rev’d Dr Robin Gibbons has worked closely with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference to include new editorial, commentary, carefully edited rubric and music to support and enhance the new translation.

Helena Nicholls, Senior Commissioning Editor, Collins said, “HarperCollins first started out as a religious publisher and we’re proud to say our religious list continues to flourish – we are delighted to be publishing the new People’s Missals. Our ambition for them is to offer excellent quality, a focus on additional, engaging content and a clear, beautiful setting to enhance the reader’s experience in communal and private worship and to complement the Church’s new translation. In these cost-conscious times, we are very proud that we are able to offer this exquisite and durable book at a very accessible price.”

Collins will also be producing special Deluxe White and Black Editions in the New Year, due for release in February, all with leather fine binding and slip cases.

Redemptorist Publications

Redemptorist Publications have produced ‘Your Sunday Missal’ which contains the revised texts for all Sunday services alongside a number of additional resources including a short introduction to the special character of each Sunday and a treasury of prayers, the Stations of the Cross by Redemptorist founder St Alphonsus and more. ‘Your Sunday Missal’ is available now. Designed to help anyone prepare for Sunday Mass and take an active part in its celebration, the Mass text is laid out in a straight-forward way. This Missal features a leatherette cover, gold-embossed lettering, colourful ribbons and high quality Bible paper as well as a thread sewn binding. See Sr Janet Fearn's review today: http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=19355

Redemptorist Publications also publish new Mass sheets, a fully redesigned and updated Mass Book and Let’s Go to Mass, a new Large print Mass book, and have produced laminated orders of service for adults and children.

Other publishers who have material using the new translation include: Catholic Printing Company of Farnworth, Decani, John F Neale, McCrimmons, Pauline Books and Media, and St Paul’s.

For Liturgy Office information about the new translation of the Roman Missal see:
http://www.romanmissal.org.uk/