This blog is part of the resources Life Teen has available for the New Roman Missal.

The days are passing. Now is the time to get started.

Well the Triduum has ended, Jesus has risen from the dead and our churches are probably a bit quieter than they were on Easter Sunday. Although many of us are still busy with graduations, Confirmations and First Holy Communions, all the busyness of the spring is coming to a close and we should all be able to take a deep breath…right? Well, not exactly.

The New Roman Missal is right around the corner and if you haven’t already begun planning ahead for its implementation, there’s no better time than the present. Many parishes have already introduced their Liturgical Ministers to the new changes. If you haven’t done so at your parish, it’s time to make sure it’s at least on the calendar and the planning has begun.

Many times in parishes, the fall is a time to focus on recruiting volunteers for upcoming programs as well as stewardship campaigns, but this year, the priority really needs to be given to educating our parishioners about the new changes to the Liturgy as well as making sure our priests and musicians are practicing and learning the new texts and getting comfortable with their meaning and execution. Planning should also take place with our priests to talk about which parts of the missal will be discussed on which Sundays to possibly bookend them with publications in the bulletin or on parish web sites and newsletters. Will the education in your parish be done mostly during Sunday Mass in the homilies or are a few nights of general education the direction you will go? These are all things to be discussed with your Liturgy Committee if you have one or whoever is responsible for planning Liturgies in your parish.

If you yourself or your priests or Liturgist doesn’t feel knowledgable enough about the changes to be able to present them, you may want to consider studying the changes with someone who is well versed in the Liturgy or possibly even bringing in someone from outside the parish to introduce the changes to the community. If you are bringing in a presenter to speak about the changes, many presenters are booking up fast so you want to act quickly. If you need help finding a presenter, you can contact the Office of Worship at your Diocese or check with the Catholic Music publishers such as Oregon Catholic Press (OCP) and World Library Publications (WLP).

The USCCB also has many resources and videos available on their website to help with the education process. If budget is a concern for resources or presenters you may consider teaming up with one or two other parishes in your area to share the cost and make it more affordable. If you need more ideas of implementation, we have provided an implementation guide for parishes and especially with young people to help guide the process.

Download: New Roman Missal Planning Guide

Many blessings to you and your parish as we all enter in to furthering our education on the Liturgy so we can be more aware what we do, say and pray at our highest form of worship.