Missal: The Order of Mass in English

by Catholic Church

The Order of Mass approved for use in the United States, handsomely printed in a durable edition that even children can afford; a permanent softcover book that's ideal for following the Mass on Sundays and weekdays, or for teaching adults and children about the Mass. The book carries the approval of the International Commission on the Liturgy and is ideal for use as a supplementary text in CCD and RCIA classes.

51 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 1998

About the author

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity. The Catholic Church is among the oldest institutions in the world and has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilisation. It teaches that it is the church founded by Jesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles and that the Pope is the successor to Saint Peter. Catholic doctrine maintains that the Church is infallible when it dogmatically teaches a doctrine of faith or morals. Catholic worship is centred on the Eucharist in which the Church teaches bread and wine are supernaturally transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ. The Church holds the Blessed Virgin Mary in special regard. Catholic beliefs concerning Mary include her Immaculate Conception and bodily Assumption at the end of her earthly life.

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the last few years, I have read over 150 volumes from the CTS. I have read books from many series. And many authors. Lately I have read several books that are part of the CTS Devotions and Prayer Series. I have read many in the CTS Biographies and also Saints of the Isles Series, and the Great Saints Series. This book does not have an attributed author. It does have an Imprimatur, Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark, and a Concordat cum originali by Martin Foster. The volume was first published in 1977, revised in 2003 and again for this edition in 2011. The description of the booklet is:

“The Order of Mass approved for use in the United States, handsomely printed in a durable edition that even children can afford; a permanent softcover book that's ideal for following the Mass on Sundays and weekdays, or for teaching adults and children about the Mass. The book carries the approval of the International Commission on the Liturgy and is ideal for use as a supplementary text in CCD and RCIA classes.”

And the chapters on facing pages in Latin on the left and English on the right are:

The Introductory Rites
The Liturgy of the Word
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
The Eucharistic Prayer
Eucharistic Prayer I
Eucharistic Prayer II
Eucharistic Prayer III
Eucharistic Prayer IV
The Communion Rite
The Concluding Rite

I was born after Vatican II. I have never attended a Latin Mass. But during the covid 19 lockdown of 2020, I have listened and watched a few Latin Masses by priests I know and follow. This little volume has been wonderful for following along and learning.

This book is well put together and very reasonably priced. As can be seen from the few sample pages. It is an excellent little volume and though I pass on most of the CTS booklets I read this one will be staying in my collection. A great resource.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by from the Catholic Truth Society.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Vincent Pham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever travelled internationally and was not able to attend Mass in English or a language you are fluent in? Want to participate actively in the Mass without bringing several missals when travelling? Liturgical Press published The Order of Mass in Nine Languages five years ago.
The Order of Mass is provided in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Tagalog and Vietnamese were compiled into one 80-paged booklet. Honestly, I was surprised that Vietnamese was included as one of the nine languages because honestly, I find Vietnamese is often excluded from multilingual publications.
The texts are laid out as nine boxes on a page (3 boxes by 3 boxes). At first, I thought the the text would be laid out in columns, but having nine languages in one book, I figured that would result in very narrow columns. The text is in readable 11 or 12 pt font. The people's responses are in bold, while the presider's parts are in regular text. The rubrics are not present in The Order of Mass in Nine Languages, as it would probably result in a thicker booklet. Some headings though, are printed in red.
Regarding the content itself, The Order of Mass in Nine Languages contains ALL of the dialogue and people's responses during the Mass, in the nine languages indicated. It even contains the text of the four standard Eucharistic Prayers (EP I, II, III, and IV). In one copy of the Order of Mass in Vietnamese, I only saw Eucharistic Prayer II printed. The booklet however, does not contain the propers such as Collects or Prefaces.
Reading the copyright page of the booklet, I see that the booklet has been "published with the approval of the Committee on Divine Worship United States Conference of Catholic Bishops". Below the notice, the copyright of every Ordo Missae from the Missale Romanum of each of the nine languages are indicated. Both the notice and copyright assures me that (1) The booklet is simply not a compilation Ordo Missaes of other languages from the internet and (2) The project has the approval of an episcopal conference.
The price of the booklet is affordable, $9.95 USD. I brought the booklet for my pastor to see for his interest, and joked with him, each language in the book would be worth a little more than $1! To me, it is a great deal.
The booklet is softcover, with a matte finishing which brings a really nice texture. I would like to see a hardcover version made for travellers, but I assume that would mean the book would rise in price.
On The Catholic Man’s Scale
★★★★★ 5/5
This book is probably one of the shortest and simplest reviews I will write on The Catholic Man Reviews as the booklet itself is simple. However, The Order of Mass in Nine Languages is an invaluable resource for those who attend Mass in a foreign language and would like to actively take part in the Liturgy. I will certainly bring The Order of Mass in Nine Languages when I am on my Europe trip next March.