We are less than a week away from the implementation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal! Hard to believe, isn’t it. To put it another way, we’re at crunch time. Priests throughout the United States and other English-speaking countries should be pretty much well-versed with their new parts (if not, may God help them next weekend). That said, WE, as lay people, should also be getting ready to welcome the changes in the Mass with an open heart and mind.

Another publisher that has produced several resources to help those of us in the pews prepare for this history-making change is Ascension Press. A few weeks ago, they sent me some review materials that some of you may find helpful in the coming weeks as we embark on this new experience.

Ascension offers lay people—and maybe some priests and deacons—the opportunity to embrace the changes in the Mass by highlighting their biblical roots. “A Biblical Walk Through the Mass” was written by Edward Sri who received a doctoral degree from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Sri has authored several best-selling Catholic books and is the co-founder of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).

Beginning on November 26, 2011 at Vigil Masses across the country, the Catholic Church in the United States will begin utilizing the Third Edition of the Roman Missal for the celebration of the liturgy. As the First Sunday of Advent comes ever closer, individual Catholics are turning to every resource possible to find information on what types of changes they will experience at Mass.

In preparation for this historic moment for the Church, many Catholic publishing companies have begun to release materials that assist those in the pews. As we have discovered over the last few months, many of the changes may pose quite a challenge to some; others, however, may adapt fine to the new translation. No matter what your level of readiness, there is sure to be a publication that will help you make the transition to the new words and understand exactly why the Church has embarked on this unique journey.

One such publishing company, Our Sunday Visitor, has released a collection of materials to help every member of the Catholic family prepare for the implementation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.

The company has produced several items that help children understand the new words of the Mass. In “My Mass Book,” the Mass is broken down into a language that allows children to understand what the liturgy is all about. The book also includes the people’s responses and brief explanations of the various parts of the Mass. It also grabs the children’s interest with vibrant illustrations. I would absolutely recommend this book for children in Grades 2-4 so that they are able to recognize the importance and the beauty of the liturgy.

From August 25th through the 27th, the Diocese of Orlando hosted the tenth biannual Orlando Liturgical Conference. This year’s theme was “Ever Ancient, Ever New,” reflecting the much anticipated implementation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.

During the three day conference, faithful Catholics from throughout the Diocese who remain involved in some form of liturgical or catechetical ministry were invited to learn about the ways in which their ministry would be affected by the approaching changes to the Mass.

One of the main presenters of OLC 2011 was Reverend Paul Turner, pastor of St. Munchin and St. Aloysius Catholic Churches in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. We were very blessed and fortunate to have World Library Publications sponsor Fr. Paul for the conference this year as he gave all of us some valuable insights into the new translation. During his talks, Fr. Paul discussed various methods of catechesis for the upcoming changes to people’s Mass parts.

• Pastors should begin mentioning the forthcoming changes to the Mass during the homily so that members of the parish who are oblivious about the new translation of the Roman Missal can become informed.
• Diocesan officials should begin preparing bulletin inserts for the parishes within their regions in an effort to explain the reasoning for the changes. (To be honest, if this hasn’t been done yet, we’re in trouble.)
• Parishes should provide Catholics with valuable and insightful links to websites and other online multimedia to assist in the preparation.
• In order to be somewhat prepared by the First Sunday of Advent, parish music ministries should begin teaching the new musical settings to parishioners several weeks before. (This should have been taking place weeks ago, in my opinion.)

Throughout his sessions, Fr. Paul also made it a point to make the conference a catechetical opportunity. As many of us within the Catholic blogosphere have been learning over the last several months, the changes to the Mass parts are pretty extensive. Here are some of the examples Fr. Paul mentioned (these include scripture verses):