The Ministry of Lector for Women

The synod recommends that the Ministry of Lector be opened to women.  Read the Zenit piece below for an excellent overview of the issue, since I know many of you are thinking, “aren’t they already lectors?”

Among the 55 propositions presented to Benedict XVI at the conclusion of the synod of bishops on the Word of God, is the suggestion to open the formal ministry of lector to women.

The proposition is No. 17 on the list and it makes reference to indications from Pope Paul VI after the Second Vatican Council regarding “instituted,” not “ordained” ministries.

A translation of the proposition reads: “The synod fathers recognize and encourage the service of laypeople in the transmission of the faith. Women, in particular, have in this regard an indispensable role, above all in the family and in catechesis. In fact, women know how to stir up the listening to the Word and the personal relationship with God, and to communicate the meaning of forgiveness and the Gospel capacity to share.

“It is suggested that the ministry of lector be opened also to women, so that in the Christian communities, their role as announcers of the Word is recognized.”

The proposition was approved, meaning at least two-thirds of the assembly voted in favor of it.

Canon 230 of the Code of Canon Law states that only qualified men may be “installed on a stable basis in the ministries of lector and acolyte.” The canon adds that “laypersons can fulfill the function of lector during liturgical actions by temporary deputation,” which is why women currently read at Masses all over the world.

The ministries of acolyte and lector are not ordained ministries, unlike the deaconate, the priesthood and the episcopacy.

In “Ministeria Quaedam” of 1972, Paul VI reformed what were known as “minor orders,” conserving only the ministries of lector and acolyte. Normally seminarians are officially instituted into these ministries in the process leading to their ordination.

Bishops to Consider New Psalter

Which hopefully will lead to a new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours that’ll include the countless saints canonized by Pope John Paul II, from Catholic Culture:

During their November 10-13 meeting, US bishops will consider a new Psalter for liturgical use in the United States, according to a press release issued Monday by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The new Psalter– the Revised Grail Psalter– has been prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey in Missouri. According to the Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship, now chaired by Bishop Arthur Serratelli, the Revised Grail Psalter has been prepared in accord with Liturgiam authenticam, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments’ 2001 document that called for more accurate liturgical translations.

Currently, two translations of the Psalms are approved for liturgical use in the United States. The Grail Psalter (1963) is used in the Liturgy of the Hours, while the translation of the Psalms in the original edition of the New American Bible (NAB, 1970) is used at Mass. Slight modifications were made to the 1970 NAB text in the lectionary following the publication of Liturgiam authenticam; for example, ‘Israelites; was rendered anew as ‘children of Israel.’

The 1970 text that Catholics in the United States hear at Mass is different from the one currently in print. The revised New American Bible (RNAB) contains a 1986 translation of the New Testament and a 1991 translation of the Psalms. In 1991, the US bishops’ conference submitted to Rome two new lectionaries for liturgical use, one based on the RNAB. Three years later, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith rejected the proposed lectionaries because of problems with inclusive language. Revisions to the Grail Psalter using inclusive language were published in the 1980s and 1990s, but these revisions were not approved for liturgical use despite their adoption by some religious communities. Inasmuch as it is faithful to Liturgiam authenticam, the Revised Grail Psalter that the bishops will consider in November is altogether different from previous revisions of the Grail Psalter.

At a June meeting of the Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship, Father Joseph Jensen, OSB, who was chairman of the NAB Psalter Revision Committee from 1988 to 1991 and has served as executive secretary of the Catholic Biblical Association since 1970, discussed the merits of the 1991 RNAB Psalms, while Abbot Gregory Polan of Conception Abbey discussed the merits of the Revised Grail Psalter. After hearing their presentations, the committee recommended the adoption of the Revised Grail Psalter rather than the RNAB.

At their November meeting, the US bishops will also reconsider a translation of Proper of Seasons that failed to garner the necessary two-thirds approval at their June meeting despite its prior approval by the bishops of England and Wales, Scotland, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Some American bishops at the June meeting had expressed concern that sacral words such as ‘gibbet,’ ‘wrought,’ and ‘ineffable’ were too far removed from common language.

New Mass Endings

From Zenit:

The Holy See has approved three alternatives to “Ite, missa est,” the final words said by the priest at Mass.Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, today notified the participants in the synod of bishops on the word of God about the new alternatives. The final message is currently rendered in English: “The Mass is ended, go in peace.”

Benedict XVI has approved the alternatives, which were requested at the 2005 synod on the Eucharist to express the missionary spirit that should follow from the celebration of Mass.

According to Cardinal Arinze, the Pope had asked for suggestions to be presented. The congregation received 72, from which they prepared nine proposals. The Holy Father has chosen three.

The alternatives are in the revised third “editio typica” of the Roman Missal, which was printed last week, the cardinal said.

The alternatives are:

–”Ite ad Evangelium Domini nuntiandum”
–”Ite in pace, glorificando vita vestra Dominum”
–”Ite in pace” with “alleluia, alleluia” added during Easter season.

In English, these could be rendered along the lines of “go to announce the Gospel of the Lord”; “go in peace, glorifying the Lord with your lives”; and simply, “go in peace (alleluia, alleluia).”

The original Latin final message, “Ite, missa est,” has not been modified.

Eucharistic compendium

Cardinal Arinze also announced that a Eucharistic compendium, also suggested by the ’05 synod on the Eucharist, is nearly finished.

The book will define Eucharistic doctrine, benediction, Eucharistic holy hours, adoration, and prayers before and after Mass, he explained.

The cardinal further said that the Holy See, at the request of the Pope and the 2005 synod, is studying the most adequate moment during the Mass for the sign of peace.

The Holy Father indicated that episcopal conferences should consider two options: either before the “Agnus Dei” or after the Prayers of the Faithful. Each bishops’ conference is to respond by the end of October, though there is a three-week grace period for late responses. The proposals will then be presented to the Holy Father, who will make a decision on the matter.

Finally, Cardinal Arinze announced that his congregation is preparing a volume with thematic materials for homily, with the aim of assisting and supporting priests throughout the world with their preaching.

Cathedral of Christ the Light

Father Jeffrey Keyes has tons of pictures and commentary at his site:

Many bloggers who write from a distance have the audacity to judge a building based on pictures and news reports. Both Whispers and the American Papist are young catholics who seem to make gossip their hobby, and they are host to many comments calling the Cathedral hideous, and a monstrosity. Well, last Thursday I was a participant in one of the most beautiful liturgies I have ever been part of. It was an amazing event.

First of all, the building sings. The acoustics are wonderful andf the sound of singing in the place is worthy of any cathedral.

Secondly, the heart of any worship space is the people. No one who was there had a single word of complaint.

Yes, I am a bit more traditional. This might not have been what I would have built. But I believe this is a place for the ages, and future ages will judge it differently after it has had years of experience. Cathedrals are built over hundreds of years.