The time is now: catechesis and the Roman Missal

Intermountain Catholic

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Over the last year, we have had the opportunity to discuss some basic history and provide some mystagogical reflection on the various elements of the Eucharistic Liturgy. I hope that this series began to break open some of the rich aspects of our Sunday worship and strengthen your relationship with Christ. As part of our rumination, we addressed many of the major changes in the third edition of the Roman Missal. This final piece in the series will discuss the process of catechesis and implementation for the third edition of the Roman Missal.

As we prepare for the date of implementation (Nov. 27, 2011), we need to turn our focus to the formation of the faithful. "The time is now," has been the mantra at various workshops across the country and I would agree – the time is now! It is time to begin concrete and pastoral catechesis in each parish. As of the writing of this article, we are about 230 days away from implementation and it is time to focus on concrete ways to catechize the faithful about the changes.

The changes to the Roman Missal affect everyone, so the process of implementation needs to concern every Catholic. The process of implementation and catechesis is not just about learning or memorizing the new texts, but it is ultimately about reflecting on the liturgy and deepening our relationship with Christ through the prayer of the Church. Our preparation must lead us to a fuller and more active celebration of the liturgy.

Each parish will be providing various formation opportunities to 1) share a little history about the Missal. 2) Do catechesis on the new text (e.g. words like dewfall and consubstantial) and the various elements of the liturgy. 3) Music ministers will invite you to learn and sing new Mass settings. 4) Parish religious formation teams will invite everyone to participate in opportunities for mystagogy and theological reflection. 5) Schools will take a lead in forming our young members. The goal is that each parish becomes an assembly that can celebrate fully, actively, and consciously at both the Table of the Word and the Eucharistic Table.

Please talk with your pastor, deacon, or parish implementation coordinator to see how you can help or to learn about upcoming formation opportunities. The best online resource for more information is http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/.

This time of preparation provides us with a wonderful opportunity to renew our faith and the tremendous responsibility to respond to our commitment to proclaim the good news of salvation. The time is now to come to the liturgy with an open heart and open mind. The time is now to be challenged by the word proclaimed and the meal shared to live the gospel. The time is now to invite each other to fall more deeply in love with Christ!

Timothy Johnston is the director of liturgy for the Diocese of Salt Lake City.