The General Instruction of the Roman Missal

by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

The third edition of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal underscores the nature and importance of the Sacred Liturgy in the life of the Church.

Genres: Catholic, Reference, Theology, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, Faith

205 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (USCC), it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic hierarchy (i.e., diocesan, coadjutor, and auxiliary bishops and the ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter) in the United States and the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the bishops in the six dioceses form their own episcopal conference, the Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference (Spanish, Conferencia Episcopal Puertorriqueña). The bishops in U.S. insular areas in the Pacific Ocean – the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Territory of American Samoa, and the Territory of Guam – are members of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (Latin, Conferentia Episcopalis Pacifici).

The USCCB adopted its current name in July 2001. The organization is a registered corporation based in Washington, D.C. As with all bishops' conferences, certain decisions and acts of the USCCB must receive the recognitio, or approval of the Roman dicasteries, which are subject to the immediate and absolute authority of the Pope.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), is a guide to everything about the Mass. Concelebrating priests? Check paragraphs 199-251. Are you a reader and unsure about how to approach the ambo? Paragraph 195 (mixed with 275) is a little helpful.
Don't know the difference between a bow and a profound bow, paragraph 275 is perfect (I was seriously confused).
It contains all the necessary instructions for all sorts of situations, and shows how well thought out the Mass is. The Church wants to be sure that Holy Scripture and the Eucharist are able to be of central importance, that we might be better able to encounter Christ.
If you serve in any way (usher, reader, lector, EMHC), you should read this book. It is important to understand how each role is meant to serve the ultimate purpose of the Mass, Christ's eternal sacrifice.

Within this book are also the "Norms for Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States" and "Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the General Roman Calendar."

The Church is very particular about Communion, and goes so far as to say that, if abuses of Extraordinary Ministers (as the Ordinary Ministers are priests and deacons) exist, then parishes should switch to Intinction (which is only done by a priest/deacon). I find that to be especially important.

The Norms on the Calendar are equally fascinating. I didn't know that we should celebrate our home church's namesake as a solemnity. Or that the Bishop is responsible for our local calendar recognizing the saints of local/regional importance. Nor did I know that the Church reorganized the calendar because the bishops felt that all the special pious observations were beginning to distract from the primary purpose of the Mass. I still have no idea what Ember Days are, but the purpose wasn't to describe every type of piety, just describe how the Local Calendar should work.

Seriously, this is an instruction manual, but I didn't know how important silence was to the Mass, nor how much the priest said quietly, and was only beginning to understand the Church calendar. This is an amazing read, and could be quoted from in catechetical classes or when someone misunderstands the meaning of the Mass.

A useful tool.

[Fr. Benj · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Reviewing” this work is certainly uncalled for but fun. It’s a great read despite the fact that few people read it and fewer follow it. Highly pertinent to the liturgy, though not always clear. Must be read in conjunction with accompanying liturgical texts.

[Lila Niko · Rating 4 out of 5]

trochę nudne, ale treściwe
paragrad 245 jest naprawdę szalony
a na okładce jest ołtarz gandawski!
w ogóle autor bardzo upodobał sobie słowo "szlachetność" ("szlachetna prostota" wskazuje na fana klasycyzmu?!!)

[Ross Allen Geiger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did read it cover to cover over a long period of time. It is enlightening if you are a Catholic and want to understand more why we do what we do during Mass. It is a good reference to answer questions and to explain to others the proper ways to participate in the rites of the Church.

[Sean Whelan]

It is what it is.

[Kathleen Kirchner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference

[Gen · Rating 5 out of 5]

being Catholic is so cool.

"25 Lord’s Supper be so ordered that the sacred ministers and the faithful taking part in it, according to the state proper to each, may draw from it more abundantly 26 those fruits, to obtain which, Christ the Lord instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his Body and Blood and entrusted it as the memorial of his Passion and Resurrection to the Church, his beloved Bride."
"27 the entire celebration is arranged in such a way that it leads to a conscious, active, and full participation of the faithful, namely in body and in mind, a participation fervent with faith, hope, and charity, of the sort which is desired by the Church and which is required by the very nature of the celebration and to which the Christian people have a right and duty in virtue of their Baptism."

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catholic Church in General Instruction of the Roman Missal pushes the idea that we've stopped being bored on purpose, and our brains are paying for it. I felt like it was solid, because the examples are so everyday, like pulling out your phone in an elevator that only takes thirty seconds. The chapter on waiting in line got me thinking about the last time I let my mind just wander without reaching for a screen. I honestly can't remember. You don't have to agree with everything, but it definitely forces you to rethink what you're avoiding when you scroll.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please get the one for the new translation.

[Chris Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read to get a lot of vision and background about the Mass, as well as liturgical norms. However, it does start to get rather boring around 2/3rds is the way through

[Bob & · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good civic illness read

[Clara Oswald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta love the second Vatican council 🤷‍♀️

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 3 out of 5]

General Instruction of the Roman Missal hits you right in the gut because Catholic Church shows how quickly human solidarity breaks down when survival incentives are manipulated from above.

[Fr. Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately, it was the first time I read it. Connecting it with the new edition was great, How do you review a legal document? Not the most excited, but certainly preeminently informative.

[Joyce]

Good. Reference, so it's difficult to rate. Anyway, I'm glad I read it, so I can stop making guesses about what are actually the instructions for the Mass.

[Andrewhoover · Rating 3 out of 5]

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