Blogs - There’s Nothing Wrong with a Little Messiness

Christopher Carstens
D. Todd Williamson
Sandra Dooley

In Encountering the Words of Christ in the Mass, Christopher Carstens reflects upon the third edition of the Roman Missal, giving particular attention to the changes in the Mass texts.

Christopher Carstens holds a B.A. from the Oratory of St. Philip in Toronto, and M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Dallas and a M.A. (Liturgical Studies) from The Liturgical Institute. He is currently the Director of the Office of Sacred Worship for the Diocese of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, where he serves as Coordinator of Pontifical Liturgies, liturgical coordinator for the Permanent Deacon formation program, and diocesan Director of RCIA. He is an adjunct faculty member at the Liturgical Institute and a frequent presenter in liturgical conferences and parish education. He is a member of the Society for Catholic Liturgy and is married with four children. Mr. Carstens is one of the presenters of Mystical Body, Mystical Voice.

In this blog, Praying, Believing, and Living, D. Todd Williamson discusses the pastoral, spiritual, and ministerial ramifications of the revised English translation of the Roman Missal. Todd's blog is updated every other week.

Todd Williamson is the current Director of the Office for Divine Worship of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He is the author of two editions of Sourcebook for Sundays, Seasons, and Weekdays:The Almanac for Pastoral Liturgy (2007 and 2008, LTP) and has contributed to subsequent editions. He is also co-author of Bringing Catechesis and Liturgy Together: Let the Mystery Lead You! (2002, TwentyThird Publications), and he has written for numerous periodicals (Rite, Pastoral Liturgy, Catechumenate, and Religion Teacher's Journal).

In addition to writing, he is a teacher and national speaker in the areas of liturgy and the sacraments. He is co-host of the monthly radio program, Focus on the Liturgy, which airs on the fourth Wednesday of every month on Relevant Radio 950 AM, in the Chicagoland area.

Todd has been the director of the Office for Divine Worship for eight years. As such, he has dealt with countless pastoral situations in regards to the liturgy. It is from this unique experience that he writes in this blog: breaking open the English texts and making connections to our spiritual and ministerial lives as people of faith.

A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Sandra Dooley moved to Los Angeles in 1999 after 18 years in Orlando, FL. where she spent 10 years as the liturgy director of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Winter Park. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Master of Pastoral Studies degree from Loyola University in New Orleans, with emphasis in liturgy. She is an experienced church musician, religious educator and liturgist, and has been a committee member, coordinator and/or speaker at local and national conferences.

In June, 2001, Sandra joined the Office for Worship of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as Associate Director. She was Director of the Office from April, 2003 through July, 2009. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC) from 2004 until her return to FL in 2009.

Sandy currently serves as the director of liturgy at St. Margaret Mary Church in Winter Park, FL, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate.

Revised Roman Missal Blogs

	View All Recent Entries
	Encountering the Words of Christ in the Mass (13)
	Praying, Believing, and Living (21)
	Preparing for the Revised Roman Missal (65)

Blog Posts

There’s Nothing Wrong with a Little Messiness

Aug 17

Written by: Todd Williamson
8/17/2010 1:05 PM

Photo © John Zich I’ve been asked a number of times, “What will we do at other rituals that are not Mass once the English translation of the third edition of the Roman Missal is promulgated?” “How will we respond, for example, at the Liturgy of the Hours, or a celebration of the Liturgy of the Word or at infant Baptism, to ‘The Lord be with you?’” “What will we do then?” “Will we say, ‘And with your spirit?’ Or, will we say, ‘And also with you?’”

In thinking about this, I have just come to the conclusion that it will be a little “messy” in the first year or so once the revised translation is implemented. Undoubtedly, unless all of these other liturgies have worship aids in which all the liturgical greetings and responses are printed, some people will respond with the revised response (“And with your spirit”) and others will forget and respond with the current response (“And also with you”). I think this will be the reality. It will take us time to learn to respond with the revised text.

Similarly, I recently attended a weekend workshop on the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. At one point the question was asked, “What about when the rites [of the RCIA] are celebrated at Mass? What texts will we use?” Even here, it will be a little “messy”—since the texts from the Mass will come from the missal, and the other texts will come from the RCIA. Presiders will need to become adept at juggling two books!

Ultimately, all of our rites will have revised English translations. Of course, this won’t happen until after the revised English texts of the Mass are implemented.

In the meantime, the crossover and combinations of liturgies will need to be dealt with. All in all, I do not believe that it will pose that great of a problem—as long as we accept the fact that in these instances that are outside of Mass (or when other rites are celebrated within Mass), it may be a little awkward in the beginning. However, with time, we’ll get more comfortable, and the revised response will settle into people’s minds and hearts.

A little “messy”? Yes, but that’s how we learn; that’s how we get to experience new dynamics in our lives; that’s how we come to a comfortable level when we experience change. In the end, however, certainly none of this will be insurmountable