I was very excited to read on Catholic World News about the talk of bringing the Mass of Vatican II more into keeping with what the council had in mind. It was nice seeing a high ranking Vatican official recognize that things like Mass versus populum, Holy Communion in the hand and altogether giving up on the Latin and Gregorian Chant had not even been contemplated by the council documents. Do you think we will see changes anytime soon in these areas?
First of all, I’ll offer a small correction: the Missal of 1970 (the OF) is
not the “Mass of Vatican II.” If anything was, it was the short-lived (and ill-fated) “interim Missal” of 1965.
Anyway, what is called the “reform of the reform” is the OF with all the rubrics followed as written, with the Propers, offered
ad orientem, and done all in Latin. Although I haven’t seen it myself, the “reform of the reform” actually does exist but it seems to be a rare duck. I know it’s done in Chicago (at S John Cantius, and maybe elsewhere there) and I think in Toronto (at the Oratory?). From what I’ve heard, it’s done elsewhere too, but as I said, it’s rather rare. Most people are not likely to find it at their local parish. Variations (e.g. mixed language, etc) are done as well. One might say that the normal EWTN style is one of the variants.
Does anyone know what is taking so long with the release of the new missal? You tend to hear alot on the subject and then alot of time goes by where you hear nothing.
It’s not exactly a “new missal” and doesn’t mandate the “reform of the reform” (whether in whole or in any of its variants). Rather, it’s a new English translation of the current OF missal, designed to correct some of the most glaring mis-translations of the past 40 years, and to restore some dignity to the English used.
