On Sunday, November 27th of this year Catholic Churches all over America (and in 10 other countries where the Mass is celebrated in English) began using a new English translation of the Roman Missal: the prayers and instructions of the Mass.

The announcement of a change in the Roman Missal was made by Pope John Paul II during the Jubilee Year of 2000 and the process has taken more than a decade to complete. This will be the third Missal since the Second Vatican Council and one of the goals is to more accurately reflect the Latin from which the Mass is translated. The new Missal contains prayers for the observances of recently canonized saints and some updated and revised instructions for the celebration of the Mass. It also includes updated translations of existing prayers, including some of the well-known responses and acclamations of the people. There is no change in the order of the Mass itself.
Our goal is to make the transition as smooth and easy as possible for the entire Parish.

The biggest changes will affect the prayers read by the priests but the congregation will have some new texts as well. Most of the congregational changes will be minor but some will take a little time to commit to memory (the Creed and the Gloria, for example, contain the greatest text changes). Easy-to-read pew cards can be found in the pews so that the congregation will have the new texts at their fingertips.

An important aspect of these changes will be the effect they have on our musical settings of the Mass, all of which will be affected by the new translations. We are currently looking at revised versions of existing Mass settings (Mass of Creation, Mass of Light, etc.) and new settings written specifically to address the changes. The hymns and song settings we are so familiar with are not affected by these changes and we will continue to use RitualSong into the near future until a suitable new hymnal is found.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Office of Music and Liturgy.

Please view the links below for more resources:
Bulletin Insert II - Changes in Congregational Prayers and Responses
Bulletin Insert III - Ten Questions on the Roman Missal
Bulletin Insert III - Effect of the Changes in the Roman Missal on the Music at Mass

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/
Archdiocese of Milwaukee - http://www.archmil.org/romanmissal.htm