CTS Missal Gorgeous

Fr Finigan has provided us with a link to a sample page from CTS's version of the corrected translation of the Missal - I have to admit I was salivating - it looks absolutely gorgeous.  Just last week I put our parish order into Veritas for three copies for the three churches in the parish - there is a special discount price if ordered before June.  I hope the Veritas edition will be just as nice otherwise I will regret submitting the order.  From experience Veritas tends not to do great publications, but I hope they rise to the occasion and in the spirit of the new translation, present us with a masterpiece. 

One commenter on the site shares my apprehension, but consoles himself by intimating he will buy the CTS version - I will probably do that myself for my own Missal, but I think our official Missals in diocesan churches will probably have to be the Veritas edition.  I also wonder if the Veritas edition will include the Latin Mass in the back as does the current translation - always good to have the basic Mass texts in the same volume.

A Missal should be a work of art, a book worthy of the Holy Mysteries for which it is used.   Our functional approach to the liturgy has meant we tend to be functional and boring in our liturgical books and use art more inclined to conceptualism than sacred realism.  Given the darkness of the times, the empty place art has deviated to and the rich tradition of faith and culture Pope Benedict has been at pains to revive in the Church, I hope beauty will be restored to our books. 

I know some liturgist somewhere will remind me of the "noble simplicity" of the Roman Rite, but I do not think Bauhaus modernism was what was meant by the ancients when they used this phrase.   As far I am concerned the above illustration is a perfect example of noble simplicity which is supposed to leave room for true beauty rather than cloak religious art and liturgy in gray and uniform ugliness.


UPDATE:  I see the self-styled Association of Catholic Priests has issued a statement following their meeting with the bishops in which they voiced their opposition to the corrected translation.  See Fr Z's (peace be upon him!) commentary on the statement - always very enlightening.  It seems all did not go well at the meeting - perhaps for the first time in their career as clerics they found they could not bully the bishops or frighten them into giving into their demands.  Congratulations to our bishops, when it comes to the implemetation of the corrected translation they have the full support of the orthodox priests of Ireland, and the young priests in particular: we are right behind you, fathers in God! 

The Association's intention to meet in Portlaoise to discuss their response sound ominious, I hope for the sake of unity they will not ferment any more dissent on this issue, we in Ireland have had enough! 

Related to this I hear Bishop John McAreavey of Dromore, who was involved in the translation process, has been giving some excellent workshops on the new Missal, and some of the accompanying explanatory books are quite good, so congratulations to the Bishop and all involved.