How Many Of You Use A Missal or Missalette?

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JimG:
Wow! Missals and missalettes are forbidden?? Now I’ve heard everything. Would the ushers show you the door if you brought one in?

JimG
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The priest never issued an order from the pulpit, and no one ever stopped me when I did bring one in. (In fact, several people asked me where I got mine because they wanted one too!). However, when the GIRM updates were ‘explained’ weekly in our bulletin, I remember reading the directive to “listen” and “hear” and not to be reading along… At a general meeting that adults of the parish were invited to attend to ‘make our voices heard’ last year (before the new GIRM), I brought this issue up. This meeting was led by our “Ministry Coordinator” who seems to be the one in charge. I said that I understood the reasoning behind them wanting us to “hear the Word of God”, but that some of us needed the text to concentrate. I also mentioned that there are people like my father who are hard of hearing but refuse to get a hearing aid and certainly don’t understand sign language, who really need the text. The other attendees agreed with me that it would be nice just to have a few missals available at the church entrance for those who desired to use them. She replied that it had been brought up in the past, but the parish would not provide missals because the readings are meant to be proclaimed and listened too…:banghead: . There were so many other bigger issues of concern that I didn’t think this one was worth fighting over.
 
Like Karen Marie, I don’t use a Missal but almost always have my Breviary to pray Lauds. I would be tempted to wander in a Missal during Mass.
 
I use one often. Sometimes I like to read along, sometimes I like to listen. Sometimes I can’t find where we are either! A very confusing arrangement but when you know how to use it, if you can figure it out, it can be helpfull.

I am amazed at just how much Scripture is in our mass! And to think so many X-Catholics never even knew it? I also found the spot this past Sunday in it where it says we become God too. Very interesting. I had to do lots of research on that and CCC 460. I did find the correct answer and no more crisses of Faith. I thought I was in a Mormon temple till I ‘learned’ what it meant. You could say I ‘assumed’ the worst and I was wrong.

Proud to be Catholic
 
If the people are expected to vocally participate by reading various prayers, they have to have them in front of them.

Otherwise how would they know what to say?

Now,under the old latin mass, the missals were a lot less necessary for the people, because the priest and altar boys did almost all the talking.
 
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Fullsizesedan:
If the people are expected to vocally participate by reading various prayers, they have to have them in front of them.

Otherwise how would they know what to say?

Now,under the old latin mass, the missals were a lot less necessary for the people, because the priest and altar boys did almost all the talking.
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LOL This is a good point. We all called to active participation in the Mass and a missal provides all the responses that the congregation is expected to make. For those who say the missal is for use before Mass, what are you supposed to do, memorize all the responses? :whacky: What about visitors or new Catholics? :hmmm:

Some responses, of course, don’t change and should be memorized, but by no means are all of them constant (like the responsorial psalm). No wonder many people at Mass sit there like lumps or resort to ridiculous hand gestures. Missaletes, IMHO, contribute to more active participation in the Mass, not less. 🙂
 
I find using a missal helps me focus my attention on praying the Mass. I grew up using the old St. Joseph Missal that had Latin on one page and English on the opposite page. I suppose old habits die hard. The back of the missal also has an extensive collection of prayers that I find helpful.
 
I always use my Daily Roman Missal. Like some of the other posters, reading and listening together improve my understanding. Besides - many of our readers (including the pastor) are totally untrained in how to proclaim the Word of the Lord. It’s amazing the different meaning that can be given a phrase by simply changing the word that is given emphasis! :eek:

Also, this Missal has the Latin for the Ordinary, the Prefaces, etc., so it is even more useful for Mass in Latin.

And, finally, my husband and I use the Missal to prepare for those days when we read. I wouldn’t dare do what it seems to me most readers do - get up there and read without even having looked the reading over, much less practiced! 😉
 
I must admit I use a missal everyday and on Sunday. I missed having all of the various prayers, psalms, preface etc in addition to the readings at Mass. The missalette that we have in the pews just omitted so much of the variable prayers that get used in the Mass.

Hearing the various prayers is okay but I find it distracting if the priest and lector don’t pronounce the words with clarity so that you don’t have to try and guess what is being said. I certainly understand that none of us is perfect and this is not intended to be a critical comment on other people including religious but it really helps me to focus on why I am at Mass.

I can also see where with some folks that having to fumble around through a book to find prayers and readings could be a distraction. I try to take a few moments before Mass to get things in order so that I don’t usually have to go searching during the Mass itself.

God Bless to those who use missals and those who don’t.

Carl
 
I use the Magnificat up to the Gospel. I always listen to the Gospel. After the Gospel I never between the Santus and the AMEN. It is nice to be reading during the blessings when there are several Amen’s along the way. Sometimes I am the only one who gets every one.
 
I use one.

Then again, I’m not Roman Catholic, and I would be even MORE lost if I didn’t follow along.

I also brought a St. Joseph’s Sunday Missal (or something like that) along with me too…and read a little bit of it before I went. Mom let me borrow it.

~mango~
 
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mango_2003:
Then again, I’m not Roman Catholic, and I would be even MORE lost if I didn’t follow along.
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Parishes that have completely removed missalettes (one nearby did so as an interpretation of the directive that the readings are to be “listened to”) seem to have overlooked this consideration altogether.
 
"Parishes that have completely removed missalettes (one nearby did so as an interpretation of the directive that the readings are to be “listened to”

As if we can’t read and listen at the same time:rolleyes: - I like to read along while I listen - sometimes even the best intentioned reader gets lost or misreads something that actually changes the meaning.
 
There’s a Puerto Rican Conference of Catholic Bishops? How many bishops are their in Puerto Rico? How’s thier leader,an archbishop,or metropolitan, or does Puerto Rico have a primate?
 
I am proud to say that I carry my Missal, Prayer book, and Psalm book every Sunday to mass. I dont have a daily one, but I feel that during the week I am more relaxed and more focused on the Word.

My Missal has short instighful paragraphs before the readings. They are great to read and reflect over after mass.
 
Good Afternoon Church

I don’t use one. My Bible has a list of the readings for cycles A, B and C and I use that at home before Mass.
At my age, I know every bit of the Mass by heart. I cannot understand why the Priest still has to read the Creed, for Heavens sakes! I use the music issue for music.

I had heard quite sometime ago that eventually all of the Missalettes would be taken out of the pews and handed out to folks who needed them such as young folks and visitors.

I am also ADD and do better by just listening. Go figure!
 
I requested and received a missal from my wife for my birthday. I read it more at home than use it in Church. I find it useful when reciting some of the long stuff like the Nicene Creed I just can’t memorize. I especially like the Mass themes reference section.
 
I used to use the Vatican 11 Weekday Missal, and then a friend of mine showed me her Magnificat and now I use it. The Magnificat is very handy and has many interesting articles, information on the Saints and prayers.

Annie
 
Melman:
Parishes that have completely removed missalettes (one nearby did so as an interpretation of the directive that the readings are to be “listened to”) seem to have overlooked this consideration altogether.
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Amazing, isn’t it. We used to have a priest who got furious over the idea that people wanted to follow the text in a book because the Word must be “proclaimed.” Is it less “proclaimed” or less “received” if I am reading along? In any synagogue, people follow every syllable in their books, and people will correct out loud any mis-reading . . .
 
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mercygate:
Amazing, isn’t it. We used to have a priest who got furious over the idea that people wanted to follow the text in a book because the Word must be “proclaimed.” Is it less “proclaimed” or less “received” if I am reading along? In any synagogue, people follow every syllable in their books, and people will correct out loud any mis-reading . . .
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You know, I’m sure some people will sniff at this as legalism, but I think it shows a high regard for God’s word and a desire that it be proclaimed in its fullness. Would that all Gods people have such a love for the sacred page.
 
Another source for daily readings can be found at mobilegabriel.com/

In addition, Liturgy of the Hours is available at universalis.com/.

Both links can be downloaded to PDAs, useful for folks on travel or can’t make daily mass.

I prefer to read the readings before mass, then my kids will upset me less when they get active during the readings.
 
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