Digital Areopagus

The approved “Order for the Blessing on the Fifteenth Birthday,” the quinceañera ritual, will be published Sept. 19.

Communities can celebrate this bilingual ritual both within and outside of Mass. The Mexican-American Cultural Center in San Antonio developed the original text of the rite in 1999. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops acquired the rights to the text in 2007 and has collaborated with the Secretariat of Divine Worship in completing the final text.

Jesuit Father Allan Deck, executive director of the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity, said the quinceañera ritual will be one of “many resources Latinos can use to preserve both Catholic and cultural identity.”

The quinceañera ritual can help young Catholics “learn more about the importance of upholding one’s baptismal commitment in a spirit of thanksgiving,” said Msgr. Anthony Sherman, executive director of the USCCB Secretariat of Divine Worship, because the ritual allows baptismal godparents or other couples serving as sponsors the option of presenting religious articles.

USCCB Publishing

This is pretty interesting and maybe it'll be something that will help young people to grow and stay strong in their faith as they start to make their way into the more trying times of adolescence.

This come to us courtesy of the American Papist.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has received approval (recognitio) from the Holy See’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for the new English-language translation of the Order of Mass (Ordo Missae).

This is the first section of the translation of the third edition of the Roman Missal. It includes most of the texts used in every celebration of the Mass, including the responses that will be said by the people.

In its letter, the Congregation pointed out that while the texts are binding, the approval “does not intend that these texts are to be put into use immediately.”

Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation, explained the reasons for providing the text at this time. The purpose is to provide “time for the pastoral preparation of priests, deacons and for appropriate catechesis of the lay faithful. It will likewise facilitate the devising of musical settings for parts of the Mass.”

Read the rest here.

Cardinal Pell celebrates World Youth Day Opening Mass with over 140,000 people

Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd greeted pilgrims prior to the Mass, in several different languages. “You are here for this great celebration of life, this great celebration of faith and this great celebration of hope," said the Australian Prime Minister. "For this you are so much the light of the world at a time when the world has so much darkness."

This is a great message to be sending to our youth and one that I hope to carry with them back home.

In his homily Cardinal Pell called all to listen to Christ’s message saying,
“Christ’s call is to all who are suffering, not just Catholics or other
Christians, but especially to those without religion. Christ is calling you
home; to love, healing and community.”

We need to all pray for this...

This seems like a great start to what I'm sure we all hope will be a great and spiritual experience for all involved.

There really are no words to describe this so I'll let it speak for itself.

I try to go to daily mass a few times a week, I don't always make it but I always feel better when I do get to go. Given the number of different Masses I've attended both on Sunday and during the week it's inevitable that you'll hear a bad homily or two. Sometimes a homily just doesn't speak to you or half way through you wonder where Father is trying to go with this. I never fault anybody for swinging and missing, at least they gave it their best shot. What frustrates me, and everyone out there will have to let me know if they've ever experienced anything like this, is when you can tell that the priest just didn't really put any effort into it. I remember a couple of times sitting there after the homily was over and thinking "that's it?". I think it's even more fustrating when the homily doesn't actually have anything to do with the reading for the day.

Oh well, I guess I didn't have any real point...just wanted to rant.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Receiving the Eucharist on the tongue while kneeling
before the pope will become the norm at papal liturgies, said the Vatican's
liturgist.

Sounds like a good idea to me...

Kneeling and receiving Communion on the tongue highlights "the truth of the real
presence (of Christ) in the Eucharist, helps the devotion of the faithful and
introduces the sense of mystery more easily," he said in a June 26 interview
with the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.

Exactly, we as Catholics need to come back to the understanding of what the Eucharist is. It is not just a symbol, it is truly the body and blood of our Lord.

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