The USCCB’s Committee on Divine Worship and the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions have announced that the Holy See’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments recently confirmed several new and newly translated texts for liturgical use in the dioceses of the United States of America.
Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery Outside Mass
On March 7, 2023, the Dicastery confirmed a new English translation of Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery Outside Mass, which contains descriptions of the rituals for bringing Communion to the Sick, Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction, Eucharistic Processions, and Eucharistic Congresses. In its confirmation, the Dicastery approved several US adaptations to the Order of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction, with the goal of harmonizing the book with existing customs for Eucharistic Adoration in this country.
Expanded Mass Formulary of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
On May 26, 2023, the Dicastery confirmed an expanded Mass formulary for the Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, which is celebrated on July 14. This formulary was approved in English and Spanish at the November 2016 USCCB plenary meeting. The Entrance and Communion Antiphons for this Mass formulary were selected from among the options given in the Common of Virgins. The collect was slightly revised to highlight Saint Kateri’s importance in both the United States and Canada. The Prayer over the Offerings and Prayer after Communion are newly composed.
The Mass formulary in both English and Spanish has been made available for free PDF download at the USCCB’s website.
Liturgical Texts for Saint Paul VI and Our Lady of Loreto
In a decree dated May 29, 2023 (Prot. n. 333/23), the Dicastery confirmed proper liturgical texts for the memorials of Pope Saint Paul VI and Our Lady of Loreto. These texts – each consisting of a collect, Lectionary readings, biography and Second Reading for the Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours, and Roman Martyrology entry – were approved by the USCCB at their November 2022 plenary meeting.
The Optional Memorial of Saint Paul VI is on May 29, and the Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto is on December 10. Both sets of newly approved texts have been posted on the USCCB’s website [Saint Paul VI – Our Lady of Loreto].
Readings for the Mass for Chastity
On March 20, 2023, the Dicastery also promulgated a new set of suggested readings for the “Mass for Chastity,” which is found within the Masses for Various Needs and Occasions in the Roman Missal. Until recently, this Mass had not been assigned a set of accompanying readings, as with most other Mass formularies of the Missal. The USCCB explained the impetus behind the formulation of this special set of readings in this way:
To live in chastity, or continence, frees the baptized Christian to put on Christ, fight every form of evil, and realize that his or her body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, a means to glorify God by following the path of life in step with the Spirit. The chaste Christian, having received a new heart and a new spirit, offers his or her body as a living sacrifice to God, observes the divine commandments, and seeks to not offend God by clinging to the desires and works of the flesh.
These themes of identifying with Christ, laying aside harmful practices, and respecting one’s body as an expression of the goodness of God’s creation are clearly presented in the given readings, which may be downloaded from the USCCB website.