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15 April 2003 - CNS report GIRM took effect March 2002

Translation of General Instruction posted in USA

Links to paragraphs of the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal approved for the USA:

1 - 15
16 - 26
27 - 90
91 - 111
112 - 287
288 - 318
319 - 351
352 - 367
368 - 385
386 - 399
Index

The USCCB have published an approved translation of the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

It was posted as a PDF file on their website on 31 March 2003. This was changed on 2 April to a HTML file.

The letter of approval is dated 17 March 2003 and signed by Cardinal Arinze and Archbishop Tamburrino. It is dated 17 March 2003, shortly after a meeting of the Vox Clara committee at the Vatican.

It only gives approval for the General Instruction, not for the whole Roman Missal. Its publication is difficult to reconcile with n. 389 of the document: "The Roman Missal, whether in Latin or in lawfully approved vernacular translations, is to be published in its entirety." It appears that a judgement has been made that since this since the rest of the Roman Missal does not yet have an approved translation, this part should be published.

Bishop Wilton Gregory wrote on 19 March that it is "published by authority of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops".

This copy of the GIRM is specific to the United States of America. It includes the adaptations of the Conference of Bishops.

I was informed of this by email. I have not yet seen any publicity about it.

The internet page can be accessed from www.usccb.org/liturgy by clicking on the "Roman Missal" link. This puts it in the list of materials that:

"You may feel free to download and reproduce these materials in any form which you find meets the needs of your diocese or parish, provided that the materials are not sold in any form. ...".

From this page the link to choose is "General Instruction of the Roman Missal".

As well having the General Instruction, there is an index of 19 pages. The whole document has 131 pages.

By J.R. Lilburne, 1 April 2003. Updated 3 April 2003, 14 April 2003, 15 April 2003, 23 June 2003. Links updated 14 November 2004, 1 February 2012. I give what I have written on this page to the public domain.

Other sites:

2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal at www.usccb.org

Mentioned in April Adoremus Bulletin

CNS report of 10 April 2003 (2nd story of News Briefs)

CNS "Vatican approves U.S. English version of instructions for Mass" by Jerry Filteau