By Deacon Stanley Lange
Diocesan Liturgical Commission

   Priests and deacons lately have had a lot of questions from the congregation about the New Roman Missal English translation of the Mass.  It is an ordinary reaction of people.  After all, we are just being human.  God gave us free will and the ability to think and reason.  The questions I have been asked come from three different groups:  First, “Why are they changing things AGAIN?  Why can’t they just leave things alone?” Second, “Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.  Don’t explain anything and I’ll just follow along.”  Third, the silent ones who are not aware of any translation changes or just do not care about them.  I do hope there is a fourth group: those who are happy with the changes and are reading articles, checking for information in the West Texas Angelus, and researching on the Internet and elsewhere, taking advantage of the Diocesan workshops, and are pleased with what our Church is doing.
   To understand why the Church is making some word changes in the Mass, we first have to understand what the Eucharist, the Mass, is.  A simple definition is that the Mass is the greatest public prayer of the people of God.  It belongs to the Church
and everyone is encouraged to participate in it as fully as possible.  During the Mass we re-present the Son, body, blood, soul, and divinity, to the Father in an un-bloody way.
   The Mass has been celebrated since the Last Supper and has evolved into the prayer we have today.  The Mass is not something static that never moves or changes, but is dynamic, alive, constantly growing with the guidance of the Holy Spirit through the bishops, the successors of the apostles, doing their job as Jesus charged them to do.  What could be more meaningful to God the Father than to receive His Son back to Him through the offering of the Mass? 
   With an understanding of the Mass, we want our prayer to be as perfect as it can be so that we may worship God through the Son in the best way we can.  We are not merely gathering together on Sunday to be entertained by the priest and the deacon, or the choir, but we are worshipping God!  That is the ultimate reason to use the best translation (language, wording or phraseology) that is possible—to worship God.  It is a more formal response, a literal rendering of the original Latin texts, to express them more accurately in English.  Pope Paul VI, in an address to translators in 1965, explained:  “…the language should always be worthy of the noble realities it signifies, set apart from the everyday speech of the street and the marketplace, so that it will affect the spirit and enkindle the heart with love of God.”
   Let us use the most picked-on change, the response to the priest or deacon’s,  “The Lord be with you.”  The response will be changed from “And also with you,” to “And with your spirit.”  Up front, that does not seem like a big change.  In the old response “you” connotes what the priest or deacon personally feels at this time.  Does it depend on his mood, or what he had for breakfast this morning, or how the parish council meeting went last night, and all of the human element and feelings about “you?”  The new response, “your spirit,” does not mean his own personal spirit but the priest or deacon’s spirit of ordination, which when conferred, tied them to the Spirit of Christ through the Holy Spirit.  This removes any human weakness, connection, or intention.  It makes it about what Jesus Christ wants for humankind.  It is not dependent on the priest or the deacon, whether he is right, wrong, or indifferent, but puts all our hopes on Jesus and his intentions to minister to the people of God and to receive His forgiveness.
   The other texts of the New Roman Missal, from the opening prayer to the dismissal, have been translated with the same vigor so that we express our feeling a bit more elaborately and poetically in a way that the worship of God will be set apart from the language of the “street and marketplace,” and returned to the meaning of the original Latin text.  The simple answer to all of the questions regarding the changes is “So that we are able to pray at our best.”

WEST TEXAS ANGELUS 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. Here is an early screen shot of the cover of the September 2011 West Texas Angelus, our special 50th anniversary commemorative edition, which will be published and mailed out to all registered parishioners in the diocese in about two weeks.

By Ryan Rojo

   May God who has begun this good work in you now bring it to fulfillment.
    These words are commonly proclaimed by the Bishop when a young man is to be ordained for the priesthood. It is a proclamation that affirms that the very call of God is in-itself “good.” On June 28-30, more than 15 men gathered at Christ the King Retreat Center in San Angelo to pray and discern if God was calling them to this “good work.” The retreat was led by the seminarians from the diocese, and the retreatants heard a variety of talks and discussions on life in the seminary, priestly spirituality, and discernment. They were given the opportunity to participate in Mass, adoration, the Liturgy of the Hours, and a volunteer service project at Catholic Outreach. Justin Eccles, a young man from Odessa who participated in the retreat, said that the retreat was “a very good experience to discern with the seminarians. Hearing the seminarians’ testimonies were a big help in my discernment process.” Throughout the course of the retreat, many of the young men began the application process while working directly with our diocesan vocations director, Fr. Barry Mclean. Fr. Barry said that, “It [the retreat] was an awesome experience for the seminarians, but more importantly, for the young men discerning where God is calling them in their life.”
   A special thanks to all those who worked hard to make this discernment retreat possible. Please keep the young men who attended this retreat in your prayers, and may we all encourage vocations in our own parishes and families.
   Ryan Rojo is a seminarian for the Diocese of San Angelo at Conception College Seminary in Conception Missouri.

By Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI

   The annual celebration of Family Day, focusing on eating together as a family, is celebrated every year on the fourth Monday of September, which this year is September 26. Parents, mark this special day on your calendars and plan a wonderful dinner together with your children. I encourage all of our parishes to celebrate this day, as it is a unique way to give life to our number one diocesan priority—Family Life and Marriage.
   Parents, dinner time is the perfect time to connect with your kids on a daily basis. Through the reflective prayers said during grace plus the array of favorite meals served and the loads of laughs shared about the day’s events, you can help continually feed your child’s mind, body and soul.
   Family Day is a national movement that encourages parents to frequently eat dinner with their children. The parental engagement fostered during your frequent family dinners can also help keep your kids substance free. More than a decade of research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.
   Moms and Dads, here is a guide -- the Family Day Star Pledge -- to bring families together:
   Spend time with your kids by having dinner together;
   Talk to them about their friends, interests and the dangers of drugs and alcohol;
   Answer their questions and listen to what they say;
   Recognize that YOU have the power to keep your kids substance-free!
  To learn more about Family Day and to join parents all across America in taking the Family Day Pledge, log on to CASAFamily Day.org. To learn more about the book How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid: The Straight Dope for Parents, visit www.straightdopeforparents.org.

Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo, will preside over his annual Pro-Life Mass in Midland at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, September 3. The Mass will be located across the street from the new Planned Parenthood location, 314 Secor St., in Midland.

“I strongly encourage all to be present for this special Pro-Life Mass to show our support for the precious unborn that are killed weekly at this Planned Parenthood center,” Pfeifer said in announcing the Mass.

The Pro-Life Mass, normally on a weekday, is being offered on a Saturday morning so that more people, who might ordinarily have to work during the week, can be present, and especially so that can many youth can be present for the Mass. 

Abortion has claimed more than 53 million lives since the Supreme Court gave legal permission to kill the unborn in 1973.

For more information, please contact Jimmy Patterson, Director of Communications for the Diocese of San Angelo, 432-889-6640 or email JimmyLeePatterson@gmail.com.

Correction
Reverend Patrick Akpanobong’s name has been misspelled in earlier editions of the West Texas Angelus. Father Akpanobong was ordained in June and is now serving the churches on the Southside of Odessa.
   The Angelus regrets the error.

San Angelo Concert
“On That Holy Mountain”
Choir Concert
August 14, 7:30 p.m.
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
   Come join us after 6 p.m. Mass to praise and glorify god through song! This summer, the choir has been under the direction of Josh Diaz, recent graduate of the University of Notre Dame. We would like to share our gifts with you as we “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!”

Bishop’s Golf Tournament
   Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer’s Annual Golf Tournament, benefiting Catholic Schools in Midland, Odessa and San Angelo, is Sunday, August 28 at Nueva Vista Golf Course in Midland.
   Format for the tournament is a four-person scramble. Registration is $100 per person, which includes green fees, cart and lunch.
   Entry form deadline is August 25. Mail entries to St. Mary’s Central Catholic Schoo, 1703 N. Adams, Odessa, TX, 79761.
   For more information, in Midland, call William Hernandez, 432-684-4563; in Odessa, David Balerio, 432-352-2064, and in San Angelo, call Angelo Catholic School, 432-325-655-3325.

ACS Endowment
     Since its inception December 2004, Angelo Catholic Scholarship Endowment Fund has provided $7,030 in funds to help families send their children to ACS in San Angelo. The fund is administered by the San Angelo Area Foundation and has an asset value of $61,566.12. For more information, or to make a donation or endowment, call 325-947-7071

Help Wanted
   Job Announcement: Teacher
   St. Mary’s Central Catholic School is currently looking for a 1st grade teacher.  The candidate needs to hold a valid teaching license and a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education, preferably with a specialization in Math and Science.  Please send resume and transcripts to the School; 1703 Adams Ave. Odessa, TX 79761.  For more information call the Principal, Bethany McKee-Alexander at 432-337-6052

2012 Lenten Holy Land pilgrimage
   A Lenten Pilgrimage to the Holy Land is being sponsored by Sacred Heart Cathedral in San Angelo. Dates for the trip are February 27 to March 7, 2012. Msgr. Maurice Voity, cathedral rector and veteran pilgrimage director, will be with the group as they explore the Fifth Gospel -- the Holy Land. The current pricing is only $3,090 per person in double occupancy, but may fluctuate because of air taxes and fuel supplements. Pilgrims will depart San Angelo via chartered motor coach to the DFW Airport, and then will fly together to Tel Aviv. Those on the pilgrimage will see many of the holiest sites of our faith, and will also have the privilege of attending daily Mass offered by Msgr. Voity at these locations. Some of the locations to be visited include Galilee and the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of the Beatitudes, Cana, Nazareth, the Mount of the Transfiguration, Jericho, the River Jordan, Qumram, Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the Holy Sepulchre and Calvary. Last year's pilgrimage was a sell-out, so book your space early! Reservations are first-come, first-served. For more information, or to request a flyer, please call Sacred Heart Cathedral at 325-658-6567, or contact Msgr. Voity by email at monsignor@sacredheart-sanangelo.org.

Catholic Life scholarships
   The deadline is drawing near for two seminarian scholarships currently being offered by Catholic Life Insurance, available to college graduates enrolled or who will enroll in the fall in a Catholic Seminary. The Henkes and Stuebben Scholarship programs are now accepting applications, and all required materials must be received at the Home Office by September 15, 2011. Materials may be sent to the Communications Department at P.O. Box 659527, San Antonio, Texas 78265
   A list of criteria and application for both of these scholarships can be found online at www.cliu.com under “Living Benefits.” If you have questions regarding scholarships, call the Communications Department at (210) 828-9921 or (800) 262-2548 ext. 141.
 

Correction
Reverend Patrick Akpanobong’s name has been misspelled in earlier editions of the West Texas Angelus. Father Akpanobong was ordained in June and is now serving the churches on the Southside of Odessa.
   The Angelus regrets the error.

San Angelo Concert
“On That Holy Mountain”
Choir Concert
August 14, 7:30 p.m.
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
   Come join us after 6 p.m. Mass to praise and glorify god through song! This summer, the choir has been under the direction of Josh Diaz, recent graduate of the University of Notre Dame. We would like to share our gifts with you as we “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!”

Bishop’s Golf Tournament
   Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer’s Annual Golf Tournament, benefiting Catholic Schools in Midland, Odessa and San Angelo, is Sunday, August 28 at Nueva Vista Golf Course in Midland.
   Format for the tournament is a four-person scramble. Registration is $100 per person, which includes green fees, cart and lunch.
   Entry form deadline is August 25. Mail entries to St. Mary’s Central Catholic Schoo, 1703 N. Adams, Odessa, TX, 79761.
   For more information, in Midland, call William Hernandez, 432-684-4563; in Odessa, David Balerio, 432-352-2064, and in San Angelo, call Angelo Catholic School, 432-325-655-3325.

ACS Endowment
     Since its inception December 2004, Angelo Catholic Scholarship Endowment Fund has provided $7,030 in funds to help families send their children to ACS in San Angelo. The fund is administered by the San Angelo Area Foundation and has an asset value of $61,566.12. For more information, or to make a donation or endowment, call 325-947-7071

Help Wanted
   Job Announcement: Teacher
   St. Mary’s Central Catholic School is currently looking for a 1st grade teacher.  The candidate needs to hold a valid teaching license and a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education, preferably with a specialization in Math and Science.  Please send resume and transcripts to the School; 1703 Adams Ave. Odessa, TX 79761.  For more information call the Principal, Bethany McKee-Alexander at 432-337-6052

2012 Lenten Holy Land pilgrimage
   A Lenten Pilgrimage to the Holy Land is being sponsored by Sacred Heart Cathedral in San Angelo. Dates for the trip are February 27 to March 7, 2012. Msgr. Maurice Voity, cathedral rector and veteran pilgrimage director, will be with the group as they explore the Fifth Gospel -- the Holy Land. The current pricing is only $3,090 per person in double occupancy, but may fluctuate because of air taxes and fuel supplements. Pilgrims will depart San Angelo via chartered motor coach to the DFW Airport, and then will fly together to Tel Aviv. Those on the pilgrimage will see many of the holiest sites of our faith, and will also have the privilege of attending daily Mass offered by Msgr. Voity at these locations. Some of the locations to be visited include Galilee and the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of the Beatitudes, Cana, Nazareth, the Mount of the Transfiguration, Jericho, the River Jordan, Qumram, Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the Holy Sepulchre and Calvary. Last year's pilgrimage was a sell-out, so book your space early! Reservations are first-come, first-served. For more information, or to request a flyer, please call Sacred Heart Cathedral at 325-658-6567, or contact Msgr. Voity by email at monsignor@sacredheart-sanangelo.org.

Catholic Life scholarships
   The deadline is drawing near for two seminarian scholarships currently being offered by Catholic Life Insurance, available to college graduates enrolled or who will enroll in the fall in a Catholic Seminary. The Henkes and Stuebben Scholarship programs are now accepting applications, and all required materials must be received at the Home Office by September 15, 2011. Materials may be sent to the Communications Department at P.O. Box 659527, San Antonio, Texas 78265
   A list of criteria and application for both of these scholarships can be found online at www.cliu.com under “Living Benefits.” If you have questions regarding scholarships, call the Communications Department at (210) 828-9921 or (800) 262-2548 ext. 141.
 

On August 17, Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI, will travel to Madrid, Spain, for the 11th World Youth Day. This year’s event will be at the Palacio de Deportes, in Madrid.

Rev. Ariel Lagunilla, of Rowena-Olfen-Miles and Rev. Joey Faylona, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Andrews, will be joined by Sister Adelina Garcia, OSF, diocesan youth ministry director and other adults who will accompany the youth from the diocese in attending this unique worldwide celebration. Over 1 million young people from around the world are expected to be present to receive Pope Benedict XVI at World Youth Day in Madrid.

The pope will take part especially in two major WYD celebrations, on Saturday Aug. 20, and at the closing mass on Aug. 21, where more than a million people are expected to be present.

During his time in Spain, Bishop Pfeifer will be visiting the Franciscan cloistered monastery in Agreda, Spain, at which resides the uncorrupt body of Sor Maria de Jesus de Agreda, who is known in West Texas as “The Lady in Blue.” Historical evidence indicates that this cloistered nun, who had never left her monastery, had the gift of bi-Iocation and was the one sent by God to visit the native people in San Angelo in the early 1600s. Several years ago the bishop designated June 20 as “Lady in Blue Day” in San Angelo and for the entire diocese.

In addition to Bishop Pfeifer, traveling to WYD2011 will be Father Ariel Lagunilla (Rowena, Miles, Olfen pastor); Father Joey Faylona (Our Lady of Lourdes-Andrews); Deborah Light (Holy Trinity-Big Spring); Natalie Barrer, Missy Hernandez, Samantha Bryand (St. Joseph-Stanton); Samantha Martinez, (St. Joseph-Odessa), Rachel Mendoza (Holy Redeemer-Odessa), Sonya Sanchez, Yesenia Gomez, Diana Martinez (Sacred Heart-McCamey); Elesea Villegas, Joshua Figueroa, Aljandro Figueroa, Teresa Figueroa (Good Shepherd-Crane); Westin Zamarippa (Sacred Heart-San Angelo), and Sister Adelina Garcia, OSF, Pastoral Center-San Angelo.

Please click here to access the June 2011 issue of the Diocese of San Angelo's Office of Education and Formation Newsletter.