Missals Recalled

I got a letter from Veritas yesterday, it seems my Missals, and many others, are being recalled for "quality control issues".   I was hoping to have the blessing of the new Missals later this week, but that will have to be put on hold.  They say that the printer hs accepted full responsibility.

The letter says that a representative will be in touch with me "over the next number of weeks" to have my copies collected and replaced.  That means I will be using my Magnificat for a while yet.  CTS produced an interim Missal - I hear from priests in England that it is awkward, but at least they have something.  Apart from the little booklets CTS and Veritas have produced, there is nothing but the cards.  I notice, as have others, when you go into Veritas the cheaper CTS new Mass booklets are hidden away behind the more expensive Veritas ones: please make note of this if you are popping in to buy one.

There are indeed quality control issues.  I was with a priest friend of mine last evening and we were talking about this.  He has gone through his new Missal with a forensic eye and has noted many, many mistakes.  The one that really drove him nuts was that a number of the musical settings of prefaces for feasts/memorias, are spread over two pages in such a way that one has to turn the page mid note, mid word.  He was demonstrating how awkward this was and actually he was right.  Things like this can be dealt with with a little planning.  Perhaps this is one problem Veritas wants to correct.  I hope so.

On the subject of the Missal, William Oddie has a lovely article in the Catholic Herald Online.  I have to share his joy.  I was visiting some sisters on Monday evening and we were discussing the new Missal, we were all enamoured with the restoration of so many quotations and references to Sacred Scripture.  How could the translators back in the 70's have left out these references?  Were these not the people who were telling Catholics at the time to read more Scripture? 

Anyway, the long track continues.  I hear priests  in the Archdiocese of Armagh have been told by the Cardinal they are only allowed to use the people's parts of the new Missal: that which is on the congregation cards.  The rest: Prefaces, Eucharistic Prayers and Proper are not allowed until the First Sunday of Advent.  That's different from the rest of the English-speaking world.  In our diocese we can go ahead and use them with the exception of the Propers, as is the case in the UK.  Ah yes, there is still a long way to go......

UPDATE:   It seems a flurry of letters have been flying out from Veritas.  After inquiries I hear numerous priests have had their Missals recalled.  Brother priests who read my blog, have you had your Missals recalled?  Also, brothers in other English speaking countries - what are your new Missals like?