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Press release from the U.S. bishops' conference:
WASHINGTON -- A series of workshops slated from April 15-16 to November 4-5 will be offered around the nation to prepare priests and diocesan leaders for implementation of the revised Roman Missal.
The seminars are sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Divine Worship and the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions as part of educational efforts for introducing the latest version of the Roman Missal, which incorporates the most significant changes in the Liturgy since 1974. Other associates in planning include the National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy (NOCERCC) and the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM).
Seminar attendees will study the historical and theological context of the new Missal and will look at some of the new translations to deepen understanding of their depth and richness.
Seminars also will highlight the role of the priest celebrant in both proclaiming and singing the next texts. In addition, speakers will discuss the impact of change on both priests and laity and suggest strategies for implementation of the Missal locally.
Primary staff for each seminar will be either Msgr. Anthony Sherman, executive director of the USCCB Secretariat of Divine Worship, or Father Richard Hilgartner, associate director of the Divine Worship Secretariat. Msgr. Sherman holds a doctorate in sacred theology from the University of Innsbruck. Father Hilgartner holds a licentiate degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo, Rome and is a doctoral student in liturgy at The Catholic University of America. Both are members of the North American Academy of Liturgy and the Catholic Academy of Liturgy.
A second speaker at each seminar will be either Brian Reynolds, Ed.D, chancellor and chief administrator of the Archdiocese of Louisville; Dolly Sokol, Ph.D., director of development of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe or Peter Zografos, D.Min., director of campus ministry and adjunct faculty of Our Lady of the Lake University, in San Antonio.
Workshops will be offered in Cincinnati; Richmond, Virginia; Phoenix; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kansas City, Missouri; Helena, Montana; St. Paul-Minneapolis; Denver; Orange, California; Louisville; Baltimore; Milwaukee; Trenton, New Jersey; San Francisco; Oklahoma City; Boston; Seattle; Alexandria, Louisiana; Albany, New York; Honolulu; San Antonio; and Orlando.
Further details on the seminars can be found at www.fdlc.org, and registration for the workshops (limited to priests and diocesan leaders) is at www.usccb.org/romanmissal.
Other educational efforts include provision of a series of related articles to diocesan media outlets including diocesan newspapers, magazines and Websites. In particular, USCCB Publishing is preparing several resources, including a Roman Missal Parish Implementation Guide, which will be available soon after the final text of the Missal is approved by the Holy See.
