Saturday, October 4, 2008

BYE BYE EPC'S

In recent (and happy) news, the Vatican is eliminating the Eucharistic Prayers for Children from the Roman Missal - you know, the ones that invoke responses from the kiddies in spots other than the Mysterium Fidei?

Story from CWN / RSCT NLM:

Vatican will drop Eucharistic Prayers for Children

Washington, Oct. 3, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican plans to remove the Eucharistic Prayers for Children from the authorized prayers of the Roman Missal.

Bishop Arthur Serratelli of Paterson, New Jersey, the chairman of the US bishops' liturgy committee, has disclosed the Vatican plans in a letter to the American bishops. He reported that the Congregation for Divine Worship plans "to publish a separate text at a later time."

The Eucharistic Prayers for Children, like many other liturgical texts, have been criticized for failing to convey an adequate sense of the sacred in the liturgy. In recent years the Vatican has made special efforts to recover that sense of the sacred, and to curtail the proliferation of liturgical texts in order to encourage consistency in the liturgy.

"This does not change our present practice," Bishop Serratelli wrote in his September 29 letter. The change will take effect at an unspecified future date.

However, the US bishops' committee has decided to suspend work on a new translation of the existing Eucharistic Prayers for Children. In light of the coming change, Bishop Serratelli said that he was removing that item from the agenda for the November meeting of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Peace,
BMP

2 comments:

DominiSumus said...

Finally! The actual prayers aren't that bad, but the "acclamations" inserted within them are ridiculous.

I have been wondering when someone with authority was going to do something about them.

On a good note, I have never been in a parish where the EPC was used as written. I have always seen the acclamations omitted.

Would you consider that a liturgical abuse? lol!

Brian Michael Page said...

I had a pastor who wanted me to help him with Haugen's version of the EPC. Thankfully, it fizzled quickly.

I don't know so much about abuse. As long as it was in the Roman Missal, it was (I shudder to admit) an available option. I am relieved to see them go, though.

My personal take on the EPC is the same as my personal take on music for the kiddies. This bastardized form of prayer is something the kiddies would get spoiled with and once they're all grown up, they haven't got a clue when they hear the Roman Canon. Just like weaning a young one on "Young People's Glory and Praise", "Hi God", "Rise Up and Sing", "Spirit and Song" - once they're older and hear chant, or even "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty", they are without clue.

On the other hand, the newly grown-up might ask, "why didn't they teach us that when we were kids instead of all that crap they forced down our throats?"

Going on like a cross between Jason and the Geico Gecco, I remain,
BMP :)