The genius of the Roman Rite : on the reception and implementation of the new Missal

The translation of sacred texts has been one of the most hotly debated issues in the Church since the inception of Christianity, and the same has been true in our own day as bishops and translators have worked for a number of years now on the forthcoming English translation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. This moment offers Catholics a fresh opportunity for liturgical catechesis and formation which was not possible in the years immediately after the Second Vatican Council. Beginning with a short history of how the Roman Rite evolved over the centuries and the implementation of the Vatican II liturgical reforms, Keith Pecklers traces the shift in the principles and process of liturgical translation over the past forty years from the Latin typical editions into vernacular languages. Building on that historical background, this volume then treats the new General Instruction on the Roman Missal and significant changes in the texts which English-speaking Catholics around the world will be using for the forseeable future when they pray at Mass. As the English speaking world prepares to receive and implement the English translation of the "Missale Romanum", this book is offered as an instrument of catechesis in helping clergy and laity alike to better grasp the rationale for the new translations by considering the wider context of the Rite itself.