Are you ready to “Like” the Roman Missal? Don’t look now: the new translation of the Roman Missal is coming to Facebook, according to America (www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?blog_id=2&entry_id=2972). USCCB liturgist Father Richard Hilgartner wants you to Like it (that is, go to the missal’s page and press the Like button). He told the Catholic Media Conference in June, “[The Facebook page will] be where people can ask questions and people who support the Roman Missal can rally around that.” Are you a doubter about the new missal? Catechesis is the solution: “It’s going to be challenging,” said Hilgartner, “it’s going to take some catechesis and some work, but I think the liturgy will be celebrated well. It’s the responsibilities of the bishops to get people on board.” This technological development begs the question of why prelates and liturgists spend so much time traveling for work. I suppose, if I were a consultant, I wouldn’t mind going to Rome to hobnob with theologians. But can’t they just do it on Facebook? Can you imagine the free-for-all if liturgical translations were run on the Wikipedia model? A totally open document is posted on the internet, and anyone could offer suggestions on how to translate. Thousands of conservatives and thousands of radicals would all be clawing at the same Latin. How do you say “shredded to bits” in Latin? I wonder if we will ever be able to dispense with the notion that if you oppose the church, you must be stupid, uninformed, or in need of some catechesis? Various drafts of the new translation have been floating around the net for about five years now. While many people have a knee-jerk reaction against anything Roman, the fact is that many detractors of the new translation have indeed seen it. And they don’t like it. Late Easter Most of you have planned your spring liturgies by now. You’ve also noted, no doubt, the very late date of Easter — April 24. It hasn’t been this late since 1943. It can only be one day later (never on the 26th), and that won’t happen until the year 2038. An Easter late in spring also means an Easter Vigil late in the evening, if one adheres to the “nightfall” rule. Depending on where you live in your time zone, sunset could be well into the 8 o’clock hour on April 23. That means nightfall (the period after twilight) could be as late as 9:30. Better plan for that Holy Saturday nap! German bishops nix funeral translation English-speaking Catholics aren’t the only ones with translation woes. Last Advent, the new Burial Rites of the Church in the Dioceses of German-speaking Regions was to go into effect, replacing the last edition (from 1972). Clergy from across German-speaking Europe objected, and the objections were strong enough that not two months into the promulgation a gathering of bishops addressed the problem. Much of the critique was along the same lines as that of the new English translation: a certain fussiness about the language, a lack of pastoral concern for the laity, and so on. One bishop refused to implement. The result of the forum was a statement that included permission to continue using the older edition and remanding the new texts for revision. In its spring 2010 meeting, the German Bishops’ Conference, according to a release from the Archdiocese of Salzburg, said that “the new ritual in its current form must be considered a failure. For the sake of good order in the liturgy, the conference thinks that measures are necessary to deal with the confusion in parishes, and to work for sure progress in the necessary reworking of the ritual.” That a Rome-approved translation would be pulled by bishops and sent back for more work is unprecedented in the post-conciliar church. The timetable is set for Advent 2011, when it is hoped that a revised second edition will be guided by the German-speaking bishops, approved by Rome, and then returned for use. (Material from PrayTell [www.praytellblog.com/], “Rome has spoken, the case is still open” [June 21, 2010], translated by Anthony Ruff, OSB) iPad on the altar When the new translation is out, there will no longer be “sacramentaries” and “lectionaries” — just the Roman Missal. I thought that the convenience of separate books would win out, but perhaps not. A free iPad application was unveiled this past summer: the entire Roman Missal — all the readings, prayers, and Mass parts. Father Paolo Padrini, an advisor for the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, and developer of the iBreviary, offers this app in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Latin. Future upgrades are expected to add audio, commentaries, homily notes, and even music. The new translations, too, no doubt. “Paper books will never disappear," said Padrini. “We shouldn’t be scandalized that on altars there are these instruments in support of prayer.” Maybe the iPad is a decent fit for the altar. Maybe if enough clergy request it, Apple can come up with something in shiny gold to blend in with the chalices instead of that smooth, sleek, silvery metallic look. East-West harmony in Russian concert Patriarch Kirill of Moscow gifted Pope Benedict XVI with a special concert of Russian Orthodox music at the end of a two-day conference on Russian culture and spirituality at the Vatican. The hoped-for inspiration for ecumenism was also in the air. “It seems to me that there are things which cannot be transmitted either through theological discourse or diplomacy, but can be transmitted through the language of art,” said Archbishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk, who contributed one of his own pieces for performance, “Song of the Ascension.” Federico Lombardi, SJ, head of the Vatican Press Office, said, “The echo of the notes of great Russian music in the Vatican was an eloquent sign of the profound harmony that has been established on these crucial perspectives between the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches.” The pope offered lengthy comments at the conclusion of the concert, including a statement of regard for the Orthodox liturgy: “Present in a profound way in these works, of which today we have heard significant passages, is the soul of the Russian people, and with it the Christian faith, which find an extraordinary expression precisely in the Divine Liturgy and the liturgical singing that always accompanies it.” Fake priest A former seminarian is excommunicated for posing as a priest in the Philippines. Xavier Eubra de Borja presided at Mass, heard confessions, gave good homilies, and was favored for his “reverence and strict compliance with the movements and rituals whenever traditional Latin Masses are celebrated.” De Borja falsified documents identifying him as a member of a French Augustinian order on “assignment in Russia.” On checking with missions in eastern Russia, no record of De Borja turned up, at least as a priest. Unscrupulous people may be posing as priests anywhere. Are you certain “vacationing” priests helping out are the real deal? It does seem interesting that traditional Latin Masses that exemplify “strict compliance” would attract a person wholly out of compliance with the church’s sacramental life. Soccer as religion No doubt many of soccer’s millions of fans treat their passion much like a religion. Hyundai positioned itself to capitalize on June’s World Cup with an ad that featured many liturgical motifs: a chapel with soccer-themed stained glass, a procession reminiscent of Corpus Christi with a soccer ball instead of a monstrance, pizza served in place of the Eucharist, a minister outfitted with his nation’s colors. Many Catholics objected and the corporation pulled the ad with this statement: “The unexpected response created by the ad, which combined both soccer and religious motifs to speak to the passion of international soccer fans, prompted us to take a more critical and informed look at the spot. Though unintentional, we now see it was insensitive.” ML   What do YOU Think? Send an e-mail to ML Editor or post an entry on the ML Current Issue Discussion Board. (All submissions become the property of RPI and may be edited for length.)