Dear Parishioners,
By now, many of you have heard that there will be some changes in the Mass starting the First Sunday of Advent. It’s nothing to get concerned about as the changes will be relatively minor, affecting some of the responses and prayers. The format will remain the same – Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, and Concluding Rites. Why is the Church doing this now? Actually the Church has been making changes in the Mass since the beginning. (See page 2 of the Sept. 11 bulletin). Early on, the Mass was prayed in Greek (Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison), then in Latin, and forty years ago in the local language of the people. From the fourth through the eighth century, there were different forms of the Mass in France, Spain, and Italy before the Roman rite became more the norm in Europe. However, it was not until after the Council of Trent (1545-1563) that the Roman Missal was mandated by the Church in 1570. Still some areas in Europe didn’t conform to the changes for over 300 years. That won’t happen here in the USA.
Now that the summer is over and Advent approaches, it’s a good time to prepare by reading the short articles and inserts in the bulletin. There will also be a series of five 30 minute videos on the biblical basis of the Mass on Saturday mornings from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. in the Muth Room starting October 8th. Contact the Parish Office if you would like to attend.
Why not begin by reading the insert today from the United States Catholic Conference?
- Fr. Carl
For more information, see http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/.
Rev. Stephen Hook is Pastor of the Pastorate of the Visitation which includes the Catholic Churches of Pasadena, Maryland: St. Jane Frances de Chantal (Riviera Beach) and Our Lady of the Chesapeake (Lakeshore). He is assisted by Associate Pastor Rev. John Belinki, Deacon Howard Klohr, and Deacon Rick Clemens. To learn more about our pastorate, please visit www.catholicpasadena.org.
