Question For Our Readers

Tridentine Community News (July 4, 2010):

The Church implemented a revised Latin Psalter (text of the Psalms) in 1945. Which Bible translation(s) are appropriate for use for this new Latin text which was in force between 1955-65? The Douay-Rheims does not reflect the meaning of the reworded Latin. What was the authoritative source of the English text?

There was – and will be shortly once again – a version of the Extraordinary Form Breviary with both Latin and English. It was published circa 1964; copies today are extremely scarce. Whatever English translation was used in this edition likely answers this question.

If any of our readers are aware of the answer to this question, please e-mail the address at the bottom of this page.

New LLA Keynote Speaker: Fr. Kenneth Myers

We are pleased to report that one of North America’s most renowned figures on the Tridentine Mass front has accepted our invitation to serve as keynote speaker for the Latin Liturgy Association Convention. Our previously scheduled keynote speaker, Dr. Alcuin Reid, had to withdraw because of a personal matter and sends his apologies.

Fr. Kenneth Myers is a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Since 2001 he has been chaplain of the Latin Mass Community at Pittsburgh’s St. Boniface Church, the largest Extraordinary Form Mass Community in North America. As this column reported on December 31, 2006, 600-900 souls attend most Sundays. St. Boniface was one of the first Tridentine Mass sites post-Vatican II to offer two Masses each Sunday. St. Boniface has grown in part because of superlative marketing efforts, ranging from glossy brochures to radio and billboard ads, to signs on the side of public buses. Credit must also be given to the dedication of Fr. Myers, whose compelling homilies and writings display a gift for oratory rarely found in the Latin Mass world. Recordings of several of his homilies are available on-line at www.4marks.com. For the LLA Convention Fr. Myers will deliver an updated version of his best-known talk, “A New Look at the Old Mass.”

One edition of the LLA advertising brochure identified chant expert Dr. William Tortolano as our replacement keynote speaker. Dr. Tortolano will indeed be speaking, however it is only fitting to give a figure such as Fr. Myers the keynote speaker designation.

As an aside, many readers of this column are aware of the challenges we face scheduling celebrants at St. Josaphat and elsewhere. Fr. Myers presented us with perhaps the greatest scheduling challenge we have yet encountered: We had to secure a priest to substitute for him in Pittsburgh. Please pray for Fr. Louis Madey, who offered to skip the LLA Convention and make the trip so that Fr. Myers could come to Detroit.

NPM Convention

Immediately preceding the July 16-18 Latin Liturgy Association Convention, the National Association of Pastoral Musicians will hold its Annual Convention, July 12-16, also here in Detroit. Based at Cobo Hall, the NPM Convention is the primary gathering of parish music ministers in North America. Points across the Catholic liturgical spectrum, from the modern to the traditional, are given attention. Those of our readers who are interested in musical topics outside of the Latin Mass world may wish to take a look at the NPM Convention schedule at www.npm.org and are invited to register for the conference.

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@stjosaphatchurch.org. Previous columns are available at www.stjosaphatchurch.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Josaphat bulletin insert for July 4, 2010. Hat tip to A.B.]