CHANGES TO the text of the Catholic missal will be introduced at Masses in some dioceses throughout Ireland from September 11th.
Over the following 10 weeks all alterations in prayers and responses from the congregation will be used at Masses.
The changes include the response to the greeting “the Lord be with you”, which changes from “and also with you” to “and with your spirit”.
From November 27th, the first Sunday of advent, the new edition of the missal will be used in its entirety for prayers at Masses throughout Ireland and in all English-speaking countries.
In making this announcement, Ireland’s Catholic bishops have said “changes to the current text that affect the congregation are relatively small in number, but Mass will sound different”.
The new missal was “an opportunity to deepen our understanding of all that we are doing as we, the Christian community, gather to worship”, they said.
However, they were “acutely aware of the impact of these changes in prayers that have been used and loved for almost 40 years”.
Because of this concern they have made special resources available at catholicbishops.ie and liturgy-ireland.ie
A leaflet introducing the new missal will be available in parishes by next Sunday week.
Last month the Association of Catholic Priests expressed regret at the bishops’ decision to go ahead with the new missal.
“We remain convinced that introducing the new texts next November will have serious repercussions for parishes. While some priests may welcome them, it is clear that others will resist them.
“In such circumstances it is, we believe, unwise to introduce them,” they said.
The association will meet in the parish centre, Portlaoise, on Thursday, June 2nd, to discuss the matter further.
