Roman Missal workshops to prepare clergy and officials for revised liturgy

Washington D.C., Feb 18, 2010 / 19:35 pm

As the implementation of the revised Roman Missal approaches, a series of workshops will be offered around the United States to prepare priests and diocesan officials for the changes to the liturgy.

The latest version of the Roman Missal incorporates the most significant changes in the liturgy since 1974, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reports.

The workshops will be held from April to November in various cities. They are sponsored by the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship and the Diocesan Liturgical Commissions.

Groups which helped plan the seminars include the National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy and the National Association of Pastoral Musicians.

Attendees at the seminars will study the historical and theological context of the new Missal and will study some of the new translations to deepen their understanding of them.

The seminars will highlight the role of the priest celebrant in both proclaiming and singing the new texts. Speakers will discuss the impact of changes on both priests and the laity and will suggest strategies for the local implementation of the Missal.

Workshops will be offered in Cincinnati; Richmond, Virginia; Phoenix; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kansas City, Missouri; Helena, Montana; St. Paul-Minneapolis; Denver; Orange, California; Louisville; Baltimore; Milwaukee; Trenton, New Jersey; San Francisco; Oklahoma City; Boston; Seattle; Alexandria, Louisiana; Albany, New York; Honolulu; San Antonio; and Orlando.

Primary staff for each seminar will be either Msgr. Anthony Sherman, executive director of the USCCB Secretariat of Divine Worship, or Fr. Richard Hilgartner, associate director of the Divine Worship Secretariat. Both have advanced degrees in sacred theology and are members of the North American Academy of Liturgy and the Catholic Academy of Liturgy.

Possible second speakers at each seminar are Brian Reynolds, Ed.D., chancellor and chief administrator of the Archdiocese of Louisville; Dolly Sokol, Ph.D., director of development of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe or Peter Zografos, D.Min., director of campus ministry and adjunct faculty of Our Lady of the Lake University, in San Antonio.

Other education efforts for the Roman Missal include a series of articles provided to diocesan media outlets. A Roman Missal Parish Implementation Guide will be published by USCCB Publishing after its approval by the Holy See.

More information on the seminars can be found at http://www.fdlc.org. Registration for the workshops, which is limited to priests and diocesan leaders, is at http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal.