The history of the Roman Missal
November 8, 2011
DEC. 4, 1963
SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM
Core document of reform — first document promulgated at Vatican II. Full active and conscious participation is the "aim to be considered before all else." (SC 14)
JAN. 25 1964
THE CONSILIUM IS FORMED
To facilitate the implementation of the reform of the Liturgy, Pope Paul VI established the Consilium, a task group of bishops and scholars, to undertake the work of implementing the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. He stated: "[I]t seems evident that many prescriptions of the Constitution cannot be applied in a short period of time, especially since some rites must first be revised and new liturgical books prepared. In order that this work may be carried out with the necessary wisdom and prudence, we are establishing a special commission whose principal task will be to implement in the best possible way the prescriptions of the Constitution on Sacred Liturgy itself."
APRIL 1964
ICEL TAKES SHAPE
In October 1963, during one of the sessions of the Second Vatican Council, the bishops of ten English-speaking countries (including the United States) agreed to form a mixed commission to aid in the work of the liturgical reform, the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. Other language groups, including French and German, form similar commissions. ICEL is formally established with the formation of its mandate as a commission for the preparation of English translations of liturgical texts.
JAN. 25, 1969
COMME LE PRÉVOIT
The Concilium, to prepare for the promulgation of the new Roman Missal, issued this text which contained guidelines for translators. The guiding principle of the document was "dynamic equivalency," which means to translate basic thoughts rather than words. Those who use this principle say that they are aiming for a transfer of the same meaning from the original to the receptor language. The original words and form are important only as a vehicle for the meaning; therefore, it is the meaning alone that is truly important in the translation.
APRIL 3, 1969
MISSALE ROMANUM PROMULGATED
Liturgical books are issued by the Holy See (the Vatican) as "typical editions," the authoritative Latin texts which are used for the celebration of the Liturgy in Latin, or as the basis for translation into local (vernacular) languages, which must then be approved by the Holy See.
NOV. 13, 1969
ORDER OF MASS APPROVED
Eight months after the promulgation of the Missale Romanum, the Bishops of the United States approve the translation of the Order of Mass which had been prepared by ICEL. The Order of Mass contains the "fixed" texts of the Mass: the basic outline and structure of the Mass, the people's responses and acclamations, the Eucharistic Prayers, and the other prayers of the priest that remain the same in every Mass.
JAN. 5 1970
ORDER OF MASS CONFIRMED
Holy See confirms English translation of Order of Mass for the Dioceses of the United States. After a translation of a liturgical text is approved by a Conference of Bishops, it must be confirmed by decree (called a recognitio) from the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Once a text receives the recognitio, the Conference of Bishops establishes a date when the text can be used in the Liturgy.
1972
PROVISIONAL ORDER OF MASS APPROVED
U.S. bishops approve and publish a provisional text containing prayers for Sundays and feastdays.
NOV. 12, 1973
U.S. SACRAMENTARY APPROVED
Complete text of the Sacramentary (The Roman Missal) approved by the U.S. Bishops. After completing the text of the Order of Mass, ICEL and the Conferences of Bishops began translating the other prayers of the Roman Missal. After consultation on a draft in 1971, a provisional text containing prayers for Sundays and other feast days had been approved and published in 1972.
FEB. 4, 1974
U.S. SACRAMENTARY CONFIRMED
Sacramentary (The Roman Missal) confirmed by the Holy See; text published in the U.S. The Sacramentary is the large book used by the priest at the celebrant's chair and at the altar containing all the prayers of the Mass.
MARCH 27, 1975
MISSALE ROMANUM REISSUED
Only one year after the publication of the U.S. edition of the Roman Missal, the Holy See issued a revised authoritative Latin edition, the "second typical edition," containing additional prayers and modifications of existing prayers and rubrics.
MARCH 1, 1985
U.S. SACRAMENTARY SECOND EDITION
Revised Sacramentary (The Roman Missal) published in the U.S. This revised edition, based on the 1975 edition of the Missale Romanum, also included prayers for recently canonized saints such as St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Neumann, as well as the Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children and the Eucharistic Prayers for
Reconciliation. Existing texts remained largely unchanged.
1987
SACRAMENTARY REVISION BEGINS
In the Fall, ICEL reports its work on a more thorough revision of the English translation of the Missale Romanum, editio typica altera. A number of questions and observations had been made about the English translation of the Roman Missal, which had been in use for more than 10 years. Many bishops were asking for a thorough retranslation of the prayers
NOV. 1996
U.S. SACRAMENTARY APPROVED
U.S. Bishops approve the revised edition of the Sacramentary. After nearly 10 years of extensive study, consultation, and review, the texts prepared by ICEL, along with a number of particular adaptations for the Dioceses of the United States, were approved by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Holy See raised a number of questions about the work, but ultimately never approved the text because of its intention to promulgate a third edition of the Missale Romanum in observance of the Jubilee Year.
APRIL 10, 2000
MISSALE ROMANUM THIRD EDITION
Pope John Paul II issued the "third typical edition" of the Roman Missal during the Jubilee Year 2000. The Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani (General Instruction of the Roman Missal) had been published in March, 2000 as an introduction to the revised Missal. The ritual text would not be published until March, 2002. Once the full text of the Missale Romanum was available, the work of translating it into various languages would begin.
MARCH 28, 2001
LITURGIAM AUTHENTICAM
To guide the work of preparing translations of the revised Roman Missal, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issues new instructions for the translation of liturgical texts. The guiding principle for translation is expressed as "formal equivalency." Liturgiam authenticam #20 states: "While it is permissible to arrange the wording, the syntax and the style in such a way as to prepare a flowing vernacular text suitable to the rhythm of popular prayer, the original text insofar as possible, must be translated integrally and in the most exact manner, without omissions or additions in terms of their content, and without paraphrases or glosses."
APRIL 2002
VOX CLARA ESTABLISHED
The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments gathered bishops and consultants from English–speaking countries to assist in the review and approval of the English translation of the Roman Missal.