BISHOPS APPROVE ICEL GRAY BOOK TRANSLATION OF THE PROPER OF SEASONS AND REVISED GRAIL PSALTER

BALTIMORE—The U.S. bishops approved the ICEL Gray Book Translation of the Proper of Seasons November 11, at their General Assembly in Baltimore, in a 189-30 vote. The bishops also approved the Revised Grail Psalter by the Monks of Conception Abbey for liturgical use in the United States in a 203-5 vote.

            The Committee on Divine Worship placed the Gray Book edition of the Proper of Seasons, the Mass prayers for special parts of the liturgical year like Advent and Lent, before the bishops at their June 2008 meeting in Orlando, but the vote taken was inconclusive. After a subsequent mail ballot was sent to the Latin rite members of the conference who had not voted, the translation did not receive the necessary two-thirds approval. The bishops proposed modifications, which were reviewed by the Committee on Divine Worship. Now that the bishops have approved the modified text, it will be submitted for recognitio, or approval by the Holy See.

The Revised Grail Psalter will also require recognitio by the Holy See. The Revised Grail Psalter, which is already used in the breviary used by priests, was recommended to the bishops by the Committee on Divine Worship because it can be easily sung and chanted, it is faithful to the original Hebrew, it is familiar to those who read the breviary, and it is critically aware of Christological references.

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