New missal to include more prayers
When parishes start using the third edition of the Roman Missal, the texts of the prayers won’t be the only changes Catholics in the pews see. The new missal will include 17 additions to the Proper of Saints, the part of the missal that includes prayers for the observances of saints’ days. The Proper of Saints follows a calendar established by the Vatican and modified by the bishops of each country to include Saints of local importance. Any changes to a national or diocesan calendar require the consent of the Vatican.
The new missal will be the first time these saints’ prayer texts have been available in the printed book. Other added saints appeared on the liturgical calendar until 1969, when the calendar was simplified and many saints’ observances were removed. Also restored to the calendar are observances for the Most Holy Name of Jesus and the Most Holy Name of Mary. Still others saints and observances added to the missal highlight important teachings of the Church such as the teaching on Mary (Our Lady of Fatima) and on the Eucharist as the Sacrament of Christ’s love (as promoted by St. Peter Julian Eymard).
By canonizing these holy men and women, the Church presents them as models of Christian living. The added saints come from all eras and areas of the Church’s life – from the 4th century to the 20th century and from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. They include priests, religious women and such martyrs as St. Catherine of Alexandria, known for her deep faith the power of her intercession. The new missal also includes a married woman and missionaries.
Whether or not Catholics hear about these saints at their local parishes will depend on the priest. With the exception of the memorials of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (better known as Edith Stein) and St. Pio of Pietrelcina (better known as Padre Pio), all of the new observances are optional memorials. That means the decision about whether or not to celebrate them at a particular Mass rests with the celebrating priest. While a priest may not add the observance of a saint or blessed not on the approved calendar, he is free to decide which, if any, optional memorials he will celebrate. In choosing among the possible observances, priests might highlight saints who offer a particular example to their people.
These new additions are not the final word about saints on the calendar. The Church will continue to canonize new saints as models for the faithful. Some of these saints will be celebrated in those parts of the world where they served. Others will be placed on the general calendar, celebrated by the Universal Church to unite the liturgy of heaven with that of earth.
Mary Elizabeth Sperry holds a master’s in liturgical studies from the Catholic University of America.
This is one in an occasional series of news and opinion articles on revisions to the Roman Missal. “The Roman Missal, Third Edition,” the ritual text containing prayers and instructions for the celebration of the Mass, has been approved for U.S. dioceses by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The first use of the new text will be on the First Sunday of Advent, Nov. 27, 2011.
By Mary Elizabeth Sperry
From November 12, 2010 issue of Catholic San Francisco.
