What I missed this weekend

Kristin and I drove (shudder) out to Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, this weekend. She's staying there for six weeks to take two courses, one in Latin and one in paleography. I flew back on Monday. I didn't do much email-checking or blog-reading while I was out in Indiana. When I got back, I had over 100 blog posts to read, and I'm still making my way through them. But a handful have really caught my eye.

The English Translation of the 2000 Roman Missal
The US Bishops are meeting to discuss, among other things, the upcoming translation of the 2000 Roman Missal. Some bishops are not thrilled with the translation (such as Bishop Donald Trautman of Erie, PA, and Bishop Robert Lynch of Saint Petersburg, FL) because the language used is not common or ordinary enough. Other bishops are pleased with it (such as Bishop Arthur Seratelli of Paterson, NJ). The translation uses such words and phrases as "ineffable", "the gibbet of the Cross", and "wrought". If you don't know these words, and the context they are used in does not help enough, I strongly suggest looking them up in a dictionary. I would also expect that a priest (or deacon) could, from time to time, speak about the Collect and other prayers in his homily (since the prayer is related to the celebration of the day) and in doing so, delve into its meaning.

See Fr. Z's take on this here (on an article from the Erie press about reactions to the translation), here (on an article by John Allen describing the discussion and voting problems), and here (on a diocesan "letter" from Bishop Seratelli in support of the translations). I suggest reading them in the order given.

The Tridentine, I mean Traditional Latin, I mean Extraordinary Form, I mean Gregorian Rite. In every parish!?
Two things here. First, Dario Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos referred to the Extraordinary Form as the "Gregorian Rite". Now, it turns out he had used this term on several prior occasions (here, here, and here, at the least), but I admit to have glossed over it somewhat. The second thing, though, is that its use is coinciding with his statement that the Holy Father ultimately wishes that this Gregorian Rite be available in every parish. Now, clearly, that's not happening overnight, or next week, or next month, or next year even. But it's an important recognition that this older form of Mass is a treasure for the whole Church, and that some people simply don't know about it at all and are thus deprived of the graces it can provide. There's a long way to go: the liturgical and spiritual formation of priests, deacons, seminarians, and laity. But the wish of Pope Benedict is to have the two forms of the Roman Rite existing side-by-side, not just on paper, but in parishes.

Here's the blog posts I recommend: one from Fr. Z (on an article by Damien Thompson), one from the New Liturgical Movement (on an interview with the Cardinal), and another from Fr. Z (on that same interview).