Everyone seems to be talking about the 'new' Mass.  There is no 'new' Mass coming.  I believe people are referring to the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.  It is not a new Mass; rather a more accurate translation of the Latin texts which were originally translated after the Second Vatican Council.   Over the course of the next two months you will have an opportunity to learn more about the changes to the texts of the Mass. It is not enough to simply learn the new words.  Now is the time to increase your understanding of the Mass itself.  If one uses the next two months as a time of relfection and prayer about the Mass, not only will they be prepared for the implementation of the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal, but they will have a greater understanding and love of the celebration of the Eucharist.  Check back here often for updates.   On this page you will find a document on the parts of the people in the Mass.  Become familiar with the changes to prayers we pray at Mass.

Explaining the history of the Roman Missal

The Roman Missal is the book containing the prescribed prayers, chants, and instructions for the celebration of Mass in the Roman Catholic Church.  Published first in Latin under the title Missale Romanum, the text is then translated and, once approved by a recognitio by the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, is published in modern languages for use in local churches throughout the world.  In 2002, Pope John Paul II introduced a new edition of the Missale Romanum (editio typica tertia, the “third typical edition” [since the Second Vatican Council]) for use in the Church.  Soon after, the complex work of translating the text into English began.  As the Church in the United States and throughout the English-speaking world prepares to introduce the new edition of the Missal, so does the Church in other countries as the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia is translated into other languages.  The process of implementing a new edition of the prayers of the Mass is not new, but has occurred numerous times throughout the history of the Church as the Liturgy developed and was adapted to particular circumstances to meet the needs of the Church.

The first true liturgical books which could be called “missals” were found in monasteries beginning around the 12th and 13th Centuries.  A missale contained not only the prayers but the biblical readings, the chants, and the rubrics for the celebration of Mass.  It is difficult to trace exact origins of the first missal.  The first book bearing the name Missale Romanum appeared in 1474, perhaps not coincidentally in the same century as the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg (1440).  But it was not until after the Council of Trent that Pope Pius V, in 1570, promulgated an edition of the Missale Romanum that was to be in obligatory use throughout the Latin Church (except in cases where another rite had been in place for at least 200 years).  This marked the first official attempt at uniformity in the celebration of the Mass in the history of the Church.

Since that time, to accommodate the ongoing evolution and development of the Liturgy, new editions of the Missale Romanum were promulgated by Popes for use in the Church:

• 1604 – Pope Clement VIII
• 1634 – Pope Urban VIII
• 1884 – Pope Leo XIII
• 1920 – Pope Benedict XV
• 1962 – Pope John XXIII
• 1970 – Pope Paul VI
• 1975 – Pope Paul VI
• 2002 – Pope John Paul II

In addition, there were a number of other minor revisions to the text, published as “reprints” which incorporated minor changes.  The most recent of these were in 1957 after Pope Pius XII’s revisions to the rites of Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum in 1955, and in 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI incorporated a number of additional prayers, included those for recently canonized saints as well as for the celebration of an extended Vigil for Pentecost.

2010, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.