"Praying the Mass" receives Seal of Approval from the Catholic Writers' Guild

I'm happy to report that the first two volumes of my series on the Mass have received the Catholic Writers' Guild Seal of Approval.  As we move forward into the new liturgical year using a new translation, I hope that people find thorough and enriching resources to help them receive the new words and personalize them in their own prayer.

"And with your spirit" and the new Gloria

Thursday morning at 8:10 AM (Eastern) tune into your local EWTN radio affiliate to hear me speaking with Brian Patrick of the Son Rise Morning Show about the new English translation of the Mass, specifically our response "And with your spirit" and the changes to the Gloria.

Looking for the following books...

If you own any of the following books, and would be willing to part with it briefly so that I can read them and take notes from them, I would be most grateful!

Leave a comment letting me know which book(s) you can provide.

• Understanding the Mass by Charles Belmonte
• The Mass by Lucien Deiss
• The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by Martin Hellriegel
• The Eucharistic Prayer by Josef Jungmann
• Study the Mass by Pius Parsch
• The New Mass by A. M. Roguet
• The Canon of the Mass and Liturgical Reform by Cypriano Vagaggini
• Discovering the Mass by Gerard Calvet
• The Mass of All Time by Marcel Lefebvre
• Christian Life and Worship by Gerard Calvet
• Beyond the Prosaic by Stratford Caldecott

Son Rise Morning Show, Tuesday, 7:45 AM (ET)

I'll be on the Son Rise Morning Show on EWTN radio this Tuesday morning at 7:45, to talk about my second book on the Mass and the new translation, Praying the Mass: The Prayers of the Priest.

Book Signing at Ave Maria Shop in Morrisville, PA

Jeffrey Pinyan will be doing a

Book Signing at the Ave Maria Shop

312 West Trenton Ave, Morrisville, PA

On Saturday, May 7, 2011, from 11 AM to 3 PM

Books on the Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite

Starting in June, I will begin work on the third volume of Praying the Mass, which looks at the Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite (and their new English translation in the third edition of the Roman Missal).  As of right now, I am not planning on including the Eucharistic Prayers for Children, but I may change my mind about that.

What follows is my research list; these are books that do at least one of the following:

• provide a commentary on the whole Mass (including the Roman Canon and/or other Eucharistic Prayers)
• provide a commentary on the Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite (whether just the Roman Canon or other Eucharistic Prayers as well)

If you know of any books not on this list that you think I should get, please provide them in the comment-box!

• The Bible and the Liturgy (Danielou)
• The Bible and the Mass (Stravinskas)
• The Canon of the Mass and Liturgical Reform (Vagaggini)
• Catholics and the Eucharist (Clark)
• The Church at Prayer (Martimort)
• A Commentary on the Prefaces and the Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Missal (Soubigou)
• Discovering the Mass (Calvet)
• The Eucharistic Prayer (Jungmann)
• The Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite (Mazza)
• Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (von Cochem)
• Explanation of the Prayers and Ceremonies of Holy Mass (Gueranger)
• The Great Prayer (Williamson)
• The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Gihr)
• The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Hellriegel)
• How to Understand the Mass (Lefebvre)
• The Liturgy of the Mass (Parsch)
• Loving and Living the Mass (Kocik)
• The Mass (Deiss)
• The Mass (Fortescue)
• The Mass (Jungmann)
• The Mass (Oury)
• The Mass of All Time (Lefebvre)
• The Mass and its Folklore (Matthews)
• The Mass of the Roman Rite (Jungmann)
• The Mass and the Saints (Crean)
• New Mass (Roguet)
• The Origins of the Eucharistic Prayer (Mazza)
• Prayers of the Eucharist (Jasper and Cuming)
• The Reform of the Liturgy (Bugnini)
• The Splendour of the Liturgy (Zundel)
• Study the Mass (Parsch)
• Understanding the Mass (Belmonte)
• The Wisdom of Adrian Fortescue (Davies)

Responding to criticism about my books

In a recent thread on the Catholic Answers Forum (now locked, because the conversation went off-topic), I had a bit of a back-and-forth with a clergyman (whether deacon or priest, I do not know) who goes by the handle FAB about my books.

I was bit short (and rude) with him as you can see below, but I'm trying to mellow out and be more civil and charitable as our conversation continues.

Apr 1, '11, 5:35 pm

FAB Regular Member Join Date: July 11, 2007 Posts: 1,126 Religion: Catholic

Re: New translation of Mass question I read the parts of your books on Amazon. Even though they contain great historical information, they lean two much on the practices of the extraordinary form of the mass as well as explanations from that mass in attenpts to explain the Novous Ordum. Vatican II in what I read gets only brief mention and the quotes are given from various popes to particularly drive what seems to be a more traditional view. You talk of particiaption in the mass, but not of the communial nature of it, maybe you cover it else were, but since I'm not planing on buying them I'll won't find out. In my opinion there are many other books which cover the mass which do focus on it alone.

Apr 1, '11, 9:57 pm

japhy Forum Supporter Book Club Member   Join Date: February 28, 2007 Location: Ewing, NJ, USA Posts: 5,381 Religion: Catholic (Roman Rite)

Re: New translation of Mass question By all means, make your judgment based on only those parts of the book you could read for free on Amazon. My books are about the Ordinary Form of the Mass. I draw on material about the Roman Rite, both old and new. Much of the source material is about the older forms of the Mass, because the Ordinary Form has only been around for a few decades. But because the Mass is the Mass, a lot of what was written 50, 100, 200, and 1500 years ago is applicable to our liturgy today. I do cover the communal nature of the liturgy, especially when talking about the "communion of saints", the Confiteor (where we ask our brothers and sisters to pray for us, and they ask US to do the same for THEM), and other places throughout the books. I do talk about what Vatican II said about the liturgy. But Vatican II is very recent in our liturgical history, and there's a lot more to be said about the liturgy than Vatican II said. But again, I do quote Sacrosanctum Concilium a great deal. And the modern Catechism too. It's pointless for me to defend my book against someone who hasn't read it.

Yesterday, 9:51 am

FAB Regular Member   Join Date: July 11, 2007 Posts: 1,126 Religion: Catholic

Re: New translation of Mass question Amazon has the first chapter of each of you books on line, which is enough to get a flavor of them. You talk about past practices, and speak of them as though they should still be done, instead of using them as a reference and expaining why some practrices are no longer used. In doing so you mislead by implying that those practices were better or more sacred than the Novus Ordum. In doing so you implant seeds of doubt. They are promoting a certain agenda and not particularly a renewal of the understanding of the mass that the Bishops are promoting as part of the institution of the revised missal.

Yesterday, 11:17 am

japhy Forum Supporter Book Club Member   Join Date: February 28, 2007 Location: Ewing, NJ, USA Posts: 5,381 Religion: Catholic (Roman Rite)

Re: New translation of Mass question Quote: Originally Posted by FAB Amazon has the first chapter of each of you books on line, which is enough to get a flavor of them. If you want another free sample, visit my web site and read a chapter from each book (free) on the Liturgy of the Word. Please, let me know what you think of them. Quote: Originally Posted by FAB You talk about past practices, and speak of them as though they should still be done, instead of using them as a reference and expaining why some practrices are no longer used. Please give examples. You're being far too vague for me to make a sufficient response. Are you perhaps referring to the vesting prayers, which were once required but are no longer? And a longer fast before the Eucharist? Generally speaking, I employ the "hermeneutic of reform in continuity", endorsed by Pope Benedict, whereby I believe that former liturgical practices can help inform and form our modern liturgical practices. There is value even in those things that have been, for one reason or another, discarded from the liturgy over time. Two examples which you won't see from the free samples of the books are the ancient (and discontinued) practices of the fermentum and the sancta (rites which predate and are not present in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass) during the Fraction of the Eucharistic Host. The introduction of both books begins at the start of papal interest in the modern liturgical reform movement, which was Pius X's Tra la sollecitudini, then Pius XI's Divini cultus, then Pius XII's Mediator Dei. All three of those documents are sources for Vatican II's Sacrosanctum Concilium. For example: When the faithful assist at the sacred ceremonies they should not be merely detached and silent spectators. (Pius XI, 1928) The Church earnestly desires that Christ’s faithful, when present at Mass, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators. (Vatican II, 1963) We are filled with a most ardent desire to see the true Christian spirit flourish in every respect in all the faithful, who acquire it from its foremost and indispensable font, which is the active participation in the most holy mysteries and in the public and solemn prayer of the Church.(Pius X, 1903) Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithfulshould be led to that fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy … for it is the primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit. (Vatican II, 1963) Especially in the book on the priest's prayers, I use (discarded) elements of the Extraordinary Form to provide context for the (remaining) elements of the Ordinary Form. Quote: Originally Posted by FAB In doing so you mislead by implying that those practices were better or more sacred than the Novus Ordum. In doing so you implant seeds of doubt. I do think that certain practices (like the use of the vesting prayers and a longer fast before the Eucharist) are better than our present ones, but I do not force that opinion on anyone. But I will certainly share those opinions, as well as the reasons for them. It's my book, after all. I do not think I would call them "more sacred", however. I don't think I'm qualified to make such a judgment. And I do not think my books plant seeds of doubt -- in any case, that was certainly never my intent at all. Quote: Originally Posted by FAB They are promoting a certain agenda and not particularly a renewal of the understanding of the mass that the Bishops are promoting as part of the institution of the revised missal. What is the "they" here? These older liturgical practices? My books? Again, if you have not read the books, you have completely no way of knowing whether they promote "a renewal of the understanding of the mass that the Bishops are promoting." Tell you what. If you're sincere about offering a critique of my books, I'll send you the PDFs of both of them free of charge. It's the least kindness I can do to a reviewer.

At this point, the thread was locked because the content of my books was not the topic, and the conversation on the topic had ended.  So we went to messages.

Today, 11:28 am

FAB Regular Member   Join Date: July 11, 2007 Posts: 1,126 Religion: Catholic

book Japhy, since the thread we were having our discussion has been closed, I did want to answer your last questions concerning your books. I understand from the bio I read on you that you are by trade a computer programer, I didn't see any educational background on Theology, no did I see any colaboration in the righting of the books. Besides the prayers for vesting which are no longer in use, to include these in a book to try to instruct clergy on praying the mass seems very much out of place. I not certain what he point of including it was except for a historical reference. Since I am part of the Catholic Clergy, I hope you were not in some way presuming to lecture on a practice that you feel should still be performed. The other issue I found in the segment that I read had to do with the presentation of the gifts and the Chalice veil. You referenced that the GIRM in dacted that the the use of the veil was still laudable. Just to make certain I hadn't miss something, I went back this morning and read the sections on the GIRM conscerning the preparation of the altar and sacred vessels and found no such comment. The other point I found an issue with was the presentation of the gifts, the idea that they represent Christ being lead to be crucified. Even in an pre Vatican II Explaintion of the gifts it describes them as the people offering themselve to God, and since the gifts come from Christ, the people join in that giving. The current description is thast these are gifts from the people going back to the early Church when the faithful would bring gifts of food to be shrared. Christ said you cannot put new wine into old wine skins. This seems to be waht you are attempting with your books. Trying to instruct on how to pray the Novous Ordum through the focus of previous lituries. Peace and blessings

Today, 12:40 pm

japhy Forum Supporter Book Club Member   Join Date: February 28, 2007 Location: Ewing, NJ, USA Posts: 5,381 Religion: Catholic (Roman Rite)

Re: book Quote: Originally Posted by FAB you are by trade a computer programer, I didn't see any educational background on Theology, no did I see any colaboration in the righting of the books. That is completely correct. I have a C.S. degree and am a computer programmer. I have no formal education in theology or liturgy. I've just done a lot of reading. Quote: Originally Posted by FAB Besides the prayers for vesting which are no longer in use, to include these in a book to try to instruct clergy on praying the mass seems very much out of place. I not certain what he point of including it was except for a historical reference. Since I am part of the Catholic Clergy, I hope you were not in some way presuming to lecture on a practice that you feel should still be performed. The vesting prayers may no longer be required, but that does not mean they are not in use. They have been included in other resources for the liturgy, such as Bishop Peter Elliot's Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite. I included them because I consider them to be a valuable means of preparing for the Mass. The prayers have good spiritual and doctrinal content. Meditating on them (whether you're ordained or not) might bear some spiritual fruit for someone. And I do not think it is out of my place to suggest something to a priest. I am not ordering priests to pray these prayers, I am only reminding them of the prayers (or maybe they never knew of them in the first place?) and making a suggestion that they be used. Quote: Originally Posted by FAB I went back this morning and read the sections on the GIRM ... and found no such comment. I referred directly to GIRM 118 in my book. I do not know what version of the GIRM you have, but here is what I see: 2002 GIRM: "It is a praiseworthy [laudibiliter] practice to cover the chalice with a veil, which may be either the color of the day or white." (#118) If you're referring to the footnote which mentions the use of a veil in covering the tabernacle, the supporting documentation is: Eucharisticum Mysterium 57 (1967), Eucharistiae Sacramentum 11 (1973), and Inaestimabile Donum 25 (1980). I should have included at least one of those references in my footnote. Quote: Originally Posted by FAB The other point I found an issue with was the presentation of the gifts, the idea that they represent Christ being lead to be crucified. That was simply one interpretation of the action, from Theodore of Mopsuestia (died in A.D. 428). It is presented simply to give another perspective, a perspective which interpreted the liturgy as depicting various stages of the Lord's life and/or Passion. Quote: Originally Posted by FAB Even in an pre Vatican II Explaintion of the gifts it describes them as the people offering themselve to God... (Theodore certainly was pre-Vatican II. He was pre-Ephesus and pre-Chalcedon!) As for "the people offering themselves to God", I do cover that, for example, pages 124-125 of Priest (with a quote from JP II). It is also addressed more fully in People (pages 106-107 and 109-112). Quote: Originally Posted by FAB The current description is thast these are gifts from the people going back to the early Church... That is also covered in my books. Believe it or not, both of these explanations are still valid and current. Quote: Originally Posted by FAB Christ said you cannot put new wine into old wine skins. This seems to be waht you are attempting with your books. Trying to instruct on how to pray the Novous Ordum through the focus of previous lituries. (It's spelled Novus Ordo.) Our Lord also said that the "scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." (Matt. 13:52) And I think what I'm doing is taking old wine and putting in a new wineskins, not new wine in old wineskins... but I could be wrong. If the use of older catechisms and older writings and older liturgies is forbidden or doomed to failure for catechizing people about the Ordinary Form of the Mass, then my efforts will not work at all. That's not what I've seen, though. There's plenty of "old stuff" in our modern Roman Rite. Lots of the prayers are old. The Roman Canon is pretty ancient. Even older is Eucharistic Prayer II, which was plucked from the 3rd century, cleaned up a bit, and inserted into the modern Roman Rite a few decades ago. A lot of the explanations of these old prayers are old as well, such as the five catechetical lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, yet they remain ever-relevant to our modern liturgy. I'm trying to teach about about the Ordinary Form of the Mass in the context not only of the 1962 Missal, but of the whole liturgical history of the Church. I think an approach which shuns everything before 1969 (or at least, everything that is not present in the modern Roman Rite) is short-sighted and unnecessarily strict.

The Prayers of the Priest now in print!

The second volume of the Praying the Mass series is now in print!  I am thrilled to announce that The Prayers of the Priest is available for sale as of February 23, 2011.  The book is 250 pages and is $16.00 plus shipping.  Orders in the USA and Canada can be made through PayPal.  Details on purchasing the book are found here.  The book is not yet available overseas

The book's foreword was written by Fr. Tim Finigan (of The Hermeneutic of Continuity).

"Praying the Mass" at Incarnation Catholic Church in Collierville, TN

Here are the four talks (and Q&A session) of my recent parish retreat on "Praying the Mass" at Incarnation Catholic Church in Collierville, TN.

First Talk (33:28)

Second Talk (49:36)

Third Talk (53:10)

Fourth Talk (58:18)

Q&A Session (27:03)

Parish Retreat at Church of the Incarnation in Collierville, TN

This Saturday, from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM I will be leading a parish retreat at Incarnation Catholic Church in Collierville, TN.  Through four sessions, I will talk about how the Mass is a prayer that engages the mind, soul, strength, and heart.

My wife and I are driving out there.  The trip from Trenton to Memphis is about 17 hours.  We're driving two days out there and two days back.  So... we'd certainly appreciate prayers for a safe trip and a fruitful retreat!

"Praying the Mass" at St. Gregory the Great in Hamilton, NJ

I'll be at St. Gregory the Great in Hamilton, NJ, on Wednesday, December 1st, at 7pm to talk about a prayerful approach to the Mass. Here's the announcement from their bulletin:

If you're in the area, I recommend you stop by for an hour of solid liturgical catechesis in the spirit of Luke 10:27.

Theology on Tap notes — New Translation

Here are my notes and translation examples for this Tuesday night's Trenton diocese Theology on Tap at Kilarney's Publick House in Hamilton, NJ.

New Translation at Theology on Tap

This coming Tuesday, October 19, at 7:30 pm, I will be the presenter for the Trenton diocese's Theology on Tap.  I will be talking about the new English translation of the Mass at Kilarney's Publick House in Hamilton. (1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Rd., Hamilton, NJ 08619)  If you're in the area, stop by!


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Praying the Mass on the Radio!

Praying the Mass is hitting to the radio waves!  This Wednesday, September 15th — which happens to be the two-year anniversary of WFJS 1260-AM Trenton (Domestic Church Radio) going on-the-air — I will be recording two episodes for a 13-part radio series on the Mass, based on my books.

Today (Tuesday, September 14th) around 5:45 PM, I will be doing a test-run of these two shows at home, making sure I can fit the content into the allotted time.  Tomorrow (Wednesday) around 5:15 PM, I will be recording them at the radio station.

Both today and tomorrow I will be simulcasting and recording those two shows on my ustream channel.  I encourage and welcome you to visit ustream.com to watch and listen as I record and speak about the Mass.  If you watch and listen today, please send me feedback!

English Translation Approved

This just in from the USCCB:

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Cardinal George Announces Vatican Approval of New Roman Missal English-Language Translation, Implementation Set for First Sunday of Advent 2011

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Francis George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has announced that the full text of the English-language translation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, has been issued for the dioceses of the United States of America. ...

Cardinal George announced receipt of the documents in an August 20 letter to the U.S. Bishops and issued a decree of proclamation that states that “The use of the third edition of the Roman Missal enters into use in the dioceses of the United States of America as of the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011. From that date forward, no other edition of the Roman Missal may be used in the dioceses of the United States of America.”

The date of implementation was chosen to allow publishers time to prepare texts and parishes and dioceses to educate parishioners.


“We can now move forward and continue with our important catechetical efforts as we prepare the text for publication,” Cardinal George said. ...

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The USCCB Roman Missal web site has already been updated to reflect this final edition of the translation. Volume 1 of the Praying the Mass series, The Prayers of the People, has undergone another slight revision, but I will not be releasing it just yet. Volume 2, The Prayers of the Priest, which is still in production, has already been adjusted to reflect the new texts.

Ad in H&PR

I attended a one-day conference on devotion to the Sacred Heart a few months ago in New York City.  One of the presenters was Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ, editor emeritus of Homiletic & Pastoral Review (H&PR).  Last week, I received a free trial issue.  It sure looks like a solid resource, and I've heard good things about it in the past.

So I decided, with all these good priests and laity writing for and subscribed to the periodical, I should look into advertising the Praying the Mass series in it.  I'll have a quarter-page ad in the October, November, and December issues.  With only about 8 square inches of space, I had to choose my words carefully:

That's what it will look like.  Hopefully the bold-face catches the eye of a pastor or director of religious education!

Contemplating Mary as a model for offering the Eucharist

What follows is an excerpt from Praying the Mass: The Prayers of the Priest chapter 6, "The Eucharistic Prayer", pp. 180-181.

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In addition to Jesus Himself, we have been given another model to imitate in the Eucharistic offering. While Jesus is the model par excellence, especially for ordained priests, His mother is an excellent model for the lay faithful to look to.

Our contemplation of Mary as a model for offering the Eucharist begins at the foot of the cross, where St. John tells us she stood. (cf. John 19:25) A 13th century hymn about the sorrows of Mary at the Passion of her Son, Stabat Mater, opens with Mary “At the Cross, her station keeping.” [Footnote: One of the priest's prayers before Mass is a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary which asks her to stand by the priest as she stood by the cross on Calvary.]

In the Offertory, the priest is presented with gifts from God, and in the Eucharistic Prayer they are offered to God. Mary experienced this first-hand: she received the Word as a “gift” from God and offered Him back to God on the cross. This theme occurs in some papal documents from the past few centuries, such as Pope Leo XIII’s 1894 encyclical on the Rosary:

As we contemplate [Jesus] in the last and most piteous of those [Sorrowful] Mysteries [of the Rosary], there stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother, who, in a miracle of charity, so that she might receive us as her sons, offered generously to Divine Justice her own Son, and died in her heart with Him, stabbed with the sword of sorrow. (Iucunda Semper Expectatione 3)

The role of Mary in offering Christ to the Father was also described in Ven. Pope Pius XII’s encyclical on the Mystical Body of Christ:

It was [Mary], the second Eve, who, free from all sin, original or personal, and always more intimately united with her Son, offered Him on Golgotha to the Eternal Father... (Mystici Corporis Christi 110)

More recently, Ven. Pope John Paul II reflected on Marian aspects of the Eucharist at the end of his encyclical on the Eucharist and the Church:

Mary, throughout her life at Christ’s side and not only on Calvary, made her own the sacrificial dimension of the Eucharist. … In her daily preparation for Calvary, Mary experienced a kind of “anticipated Eucharist” – one might say a “spiritual communion” – of desire and of oblation, which would culminate in her union with her Son in his passion… (Ecclesia de Eucharistia 56)

Mary does not represent the priest at the crucifixion, for Jesus is the priest, victim, and altar of His sacrifice; so what role does that leave for her? Mary is a figure of the Church (cf. Catechism 967, 972), so in her is represented all the faithful who offer the sacrifice with the priest. She joined her suffering with that of her Son (cf. Luke 2:34-35); she offered Him, even as He offered Himself. Thus Mary is a surpassing model for the lay faithful at Mass, she who inaugurated the exercise of the common priesthood by assisting at the first “Mass” on Calvary.

Praise for Praying the Mass God

Today I received a very encouraging email from the President and Rector of Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri:

Dear Mr. Pinyan,

This past spring you sent me a copy of "Praying the Mass" along with a donation to our seminary. I am happy to report that Fr. Dan Merz, vice-rector of our seminary and doctoral candidate in liturgy at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome read your book and thought it to have been quite well-written.

May God bless this endeavor!

Fr. Samuel
President-Rector
Conception Seminary College

I have been receiving good feedback about the book for some time now. I received a note on Facebook near the end of June that delighted me as well:

I had to tell you, my husband came home from a business trip the other day and asked if we had a book called "PRAYING THE MASS." (I have a lot of books) He had heard about it from a friend in the Cincinnati area who is in a men's group which is studying it. His friend said that even after 12 years of Catholic education, he feels that he must have missed something, because studying your book has made the mass come alive for him. (And that's before the new translations are even out!) I know if I were you, hearing that would make it all worth it. Congratulations and God bless you in your work!

I am sure that God is behind (and above) this endeavor of mine. I can only hope He will bless and approve the offering of the second and third books in the series, enabling them to bear fruit in the lives of others, for His good and the good of all His holy Church!

The Prayers of the People goes to Steubenville!

My book, Praying the Mass: The Prayers of the People, will be for sale at one of the display tables at the St. John Bosco Conference at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio this week.  24 copies were ordered (although I understand there is a cover defect with a few of them) for Martha Drennan, who will be speaking about magisterial documents.  (I don't know exactly how she will be mentioning my book in her two sessions, but I do quote several Church documents in the book...)

There will also be two talks by Fr. Douglas Martis on the new English translation.  I wish I could be there, but I've got work to do!

Catechetical Literature (Catechesi Tradendae 49)

This is what I am striving for with my Praying the Mass series of catecheses on the Mass.  From Catechesi Tradendae 49:

One of the major features of the renewal of catechetics today is the rewriting and multiplication of catechetical books taking place in many parts of the Church. Numerous very successful works have been produced and are a real treasure in the service of catechetical instruction.

But it must be humbly and honestly recognized that this rich flowering has brought with it articles and publications which are ambiguous and harmful to young people and to the life of the Church. In certain places, the desire to find the best forms of expression or to keep up with fashions in pedagogical methods has often enough resulted in certain catechetical works which bewilder the young and even adults, either by deliberately or unconsciously omitting elements essential to the Church's faith, or by attributing excessive importance to certain themes at the expense of others, or, chiefly, by a rather horizontalist overall view out of keeping with the teaching of the Church's magisterium.

Therefore, it is not enough to multiply catechetical works. In order that these works may correspond with their aim, several conditions are essential:

1. they must be linked with the real life of the generation to which they are addressed, showing close acquaintance with its anxieties and questionings, struggles and hopes;
2. they must try to speak a language comprehensible to the generation in question;
3. they must make a point of giving the whole message of Christ and His Church, without neglecting or distorting anything, and in expounding it they will follow a line and structure that highlights what is essential;
4. they must really aim to give to those who use them a better knowledge of the mysteries of Christ, aimed at true conversion and a life more in conformity with God's will.