Lift up your hearts!

With only a day before the Mass is prayed using the 3rd edition of the Roman Missal, it's worth taking a moment to consider what the heart of the Mass is, the true depth of meaning underlying the words and the gestures.  

Here is a short video that may offer some food for thought:

Well done, good and faithful servant!

After serving the church for many years, the book of prayers for Mass currently known as the Sacramentary is about to 'retire from active duty'.  Tomorrow morning's Mass will be the last time the Sacramentary will be used in the Liturgy.  A short prayer at the end of Mass will mark the moment.

As Advent begins for the church a new liturgical year, the anticipated Mass for the First Sunday of Advent will witness the debut of the long-awaited 3rd edition of the Roman Missal.  After weeks and even months of preparation, we are about to experience the perennial truths of the faith with a certain newness of expression. 

Of course, both time and a light-hearted sense of patience will go a long way in helping the cause as we 'de-program' and 're-program' ourselves in the way of prayer. With the help of God's grace, may our prayer life continue to deepen and bear much fruit for the glory of God.

"Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,

the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ

with righteous deeds at his coming,

so that, gathered at his right hand,

they may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom."

Welcoming the New Missal...

It won't be long now!  Here is an overview of some of the ways we will be preparing on the parish level for the long-awaited and much-anticipated New Roman Missal:

• An October workshop will be offered for all parishioners focusing on the background, purpose and content of the new translation.  (Date to be determined). One of the resources for this workshop will be the DVD entitled “A New Translation for a New Roman Missal” produced by Midwest Theological Forum.
• The new translation will perhaps affect us most on the level of liturgical music.  With the new Missal also comes the invitation to rediscover the beauty of the sung Mass by drawing from our rich heritage of sacred music.  Parishioners will be invited to join in music practice sessions which will focus on praying the texts of the Mass through sacred song.  Stay tuned for practice times!
• Pew cards with the text of the new translation for the congregation will be placed in the pews for use during the time of transition.  (For those who purchase them, the Sunday Missals for the new liturgical year will also include the new translations).
• A short service of de-commissioning of the Sacramentary will take place at the end of the 9 AM Mass on Saturday, November 26, to mark the last time this book will be used for the sacred liturgy.
• The Masses of the weekend of November 26/27 will begin with a service of blessing for the New Roman Missal and the Advent Wreath. 
• A great resource on the new translation is available for you in our religious goods cabinet.  An offering of $5 is being requested for the CD/Booklet package by Dr. Edward Sri, professor of scripture and theology.  The booklet includes a tear off reference card with the new text for the people.
• Finally, over the next few weeks, the weekend homilies will begin to explore different parts of the Mass with special emphasis on why we say the things we say.

In the meantime, a thought to ponder:

"The liturgy is never a mere meeting of a group of people, who make up their own form of celebration.... Through our sharing in Jesus' appearing before the Father, we stand both as members of the worldwide community of the whole Church and also of the communion of saints.  Yes, in a certain sense this is the liturgy of heaven."

      - Pope Benedict XVI, God and the World