Dr. Glenn Byer is Director of the Publications Service of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. He holds a doctoral degree in liturgy from the Pontifical Institute of San’ Anselmo, Rome. A listing of resources to help dioceses and parishes prepare for the revised English-language edition of the Roman Missal for use in Canada is available on the website of the CCCB Publications Service, http://www.cccbpublications.ca.
The Vision for the Canadian English-language Edition of the Roman Missal:
‘Nothing More Beautiful’
"There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ."
These words of Pope Benedict XVI have been a major focus for the work of the Executive Committee, the National Liturgy Office and the Publications Service of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and their partners in the publishing industry. These are exciting days, and the CCCB wants to take this opportunity to assure Canadian Catholics that no detail has been spared in preparing the new English-language edition of the Roman Missal for use in Canada. The beauty of the printer's craft, the attention to every detail in font and colour selections, the inspired page designs, the talents of proofreaders, and by a review for readability and avoiding odd page turns -- all these have been in service of preparing the new book for the altars of Canada. The art of binding such a large book (1480 pages!) for durability is an amazing thing to consider. It is also important to assure everyone that our Bishops have been involved in every stage of this process, ensuring that the choices being made will reflect the preferences of clergy from across our country.
But in the end, all of this pales in comparison to the encounter with the Gospel itself. There is nothing more beautiful than the contents of the prayers and antiphons. The instructions that the CCCB received from the Holy See made it clear: the words are what matter. Any illustrative art in the Roman Missal needs to be in the service of the liturgy, in service of the text. The words of Jesus at the Last Supper, the quotes from the Psalms and the allusions to the Scriptures: these are the “stars” of the book. This is the vision from Rome which has been shared among the staff of the Publications Service by the leadership of the CCCB. What we are producing is in full accord with the directives of the Holy See, and follows the example of the Latin edition of the Missale Romanum published by the Vatican Publications Service. The Canadian edition will use two-colour art on the same paper as the rest of the Roman Missal, and this will support and enhance the words on the page.
Once Bishops, priests, deacons and other ministers of the liturgy have seen the completed work, the CCCB Publications Service will take some time to evaluate how well we have done. Following the same process, we will then see if there is a need for a deluxe version, one with a limited use of four-colour plates and leather binding. Such an edition would clearly not normally be for everyday use, but would be reserved for special occasions.
For the present two editions, skilled artists and craftspeople have been able to use two-colour printing processes to create a number of breathtaking images for the book. Consider the attached test images of the Last Supper and of our Holy Mother praying the Magnificat, both by Tissot. Clearly, the Canadian English-language edition of the Roman Missal will be a beautiful book.
There is a more practical reason why this edition of the Roman Missal is good for Canada: it is Canadian. From the designers and layout team, to the harvesting of sustainable wood for pulp, to the paper manufacturers, to the printers, to the binding, tabs and ribbons, to the boxes and the shipping, the entire process is Canadian, providing work for Canadians and supporting Canadian industry. There is a beauty in this too.
As the publishers of the only version of the Roman Missal that the Holy See and our Bishops have approved for use in all of Canada, our Publications Service has been able to take the necessary time in producing the full-size and chapel editions. The revised Missal will not be officially implemented before November 27 of this year. Given that length of time, the National Liturgy Office has been able to focus on the whole transition from the former Sacramentary to the present Roman Missal, preparing catechetical resources to assist clergy and laity in this transition, and providing workshops across the country over the past two years.
Two beautiful editions (full-size at $250.00 and chapel at $125.00) are being prepared for Canada. As the coming weeks unfold, the CCCB will continue to provide all that dioceses and parishes will need to make the transition to this new English-language edition of the Roman Missal.
9 June 2011
Glenn Byer
Director
Publications Service
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
