Cardinal George announces Vatican approval of new Roman Missal

(August 21, 2010) The new English-language translation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition has received Vatican approval and will be implemented on the first Sunday of Advent 2011, Cardinal Francis George has announced. One bishop said the new text will enable the “ongoing renewal” of the liturgy in parishes. Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, announced the Vatican’s approval in an August 20 letter to the U.S. bishops. According to a Friday press release from the Conference, he issued a proclamation that the use of the third edition of the Roman Missal will begin in U.S. dioceses on Nov. 27, 2011. “From that date forward, no other edition of the Roman Missal may be used in the dioceses of the United States of America,” the proclamation reads. “We can now move forward and continue with our important catechetical efforts as we prepare the text for publication,” the cardinal commented. The date of implementation was chosen to allow publishers time to prepare texts and to allow parishes and dioceses time to educate parishioners. The approval of the Missal was accompanied by a June 23 letter from Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The Congregation also provided guidelines for publication. Staff of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship will prepare the text of the missal for publication and will collaborate with the staff of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. On July 24 the Vatican also approved several adaptations to the Missal, including additional prayers for the Penitential Act at Mass and at the Renewal of Baptismal Promises on Easter Sunday.