IHM COMMUNITY NEWS
Spring 2010
FR. MIKE’S MUSING’S
NEW MASS TRANSLATION
On April 28 a new official translation of the Mass in English was presented to Pope Benedict XVI. The translation has been in the works for over nine years, with consultation taking place between translators, bishops of the English speaking countries of the world, and the Vatican. There is not yet an official date for when the new translation will be put into place, but speculation is that it will be the First Sunday of Advent in 2011.
As we are part of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, the official text of the Mass is in Latin. All other languages are translations of the Latin text. Immediately after the Second Vatican Council called for a major revision of the Mass, work was begun that resulted in the Latin text of the Mass that we now use. In the year 2000 a revised version of that Mass was promulgated in Latin by Pope John Paul II. After that the work of translating the text into English began.
The revisions were called for because there was a feeling among bishops and others throughout the world that, although the post-Vatican text had much that was well done, overall it had been put together in a hurry, and decades of experience had shown the Church where it needed to be fine tuned. In addition to these revisions, there were serious concerns about the quality of the translation that we have been using for almost forty years.
Two major concerns were in the minds of the translators, the English speaking bishops, and the Vatican, as this translation was worked out over the past nine years. First of all there was concern that the translation be faithful to the original text. Some of the translation that we now use was considered to be too free and creative, rather than faithful, and that the original meaning was sometimes lost or distorted. Secondly, it was thought that the English used in the present translation was too bland. It lacked the sense of the sacred and the holy, and was lacking in beauty and poetry.
Pope Benedict has commented that “many will find it hard to adjust to unfamiliar texts after nearly forty years of continuous use of the previous translation.” Because of this he stated that they should be introduced with adequate preparation and sensitivity. We will have to learn slightly altered versions of prayers and responses that we have taken for granted for decades. It will take time before these feel comfortable. The changes are not nearly as dramatic as was the change from the Tridentine Liturgy to the New Order of Mass, and from use of Latin to the vernacular.
One example of a change will be in the dialogues between the priest and the congregation. The priest says to the people, “The Lord be with you.” We are used to the response, “And also with you.” In the new translation the response will be, “And with your spirit.” This is a literal translation of the Latin text, “Et cum spiritu tuo.” All other languages have translated the phrase literally, while in English it was altered, the argument being that this is not the way we speak in English. This one phrase has resulted in a great deal of debate on both sides of the issue, but the concern for accuracy was the deciding factor.
Similarly, we are used to beginning the Creed with the words, “We believe in one God…..” The Latin text is “Credo” which actually means “I believe.” When the present translation was done, the thought was that since we are praying this together that we should say, “We believe,” rather than “I believe.” The new translation will be, “I believe.” There are other minor changes in Gloria, in the Holy, Holy, Holy and significant changes in the wording of the Eucharistic Prayers.
It will take time for the new translations to feel comfortable to us, but it will happen. A year into the changes and we will have difficulty recalling how we used to do it. Patience and good will on behalf of us all will make the process easier.
If you wish to see some of the new texts you can go to the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops www.usccb.org/romanmissal
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EVERYONE COUNTS: THE DIOCESAN CENSUS
The U.S Census is not the only census taking place this year. The Diocese of Covington is making plans to count those within its boundaries who identify themselves as Catholic. Immaculate Heart of Mary will be an integral part of this process, and hundreds of volunteers will be needed to go out in teams of two and canvass Boone County.
The diocese has not taken a census since the 1930’s, so this project is long overdue. This will help us to determine how to best meet the evangelization needs of the area, and to locate those who consider themselves Catholic, but who do not necessarily take part in a parish.
Father Comer will be organizing a corps of volunteers in the Fall of 2010 to begin this project. If you can, please consider volunteering to help.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: IT’S A BLAST
This year’s
Vacation Bible School (VBS) will take place Monday June 21st through
Friday June 25th. This year’s
theme is Baobab Blast, and will be directed by Stephanie McManama. Our previous dedicated director, Lisa
Tippett, will be stepping into the music director’s role.
VBS doesn’t
happen without a dedicated group of youth and adult volunteers, and we are
still in need of both. Youth must be in
5th grade or older to be volunteer and adults have to be Virtus
Trained. If an adult volunteers for the
entire week, their child gets to attend the VBS program for free.
Our registration
deadline is May 21, 2010, and registration forms are in the gathering
space. Children who are coming into 4
year old preschool through incoming 3rd graders are eligible to
attend this year.
In addition to
volunteers, we can always use supplies.
Look for the “Baobab Tree” in the gathering space. If you can help, you can pull a leaf off the
tree that shows what supplies are needed.
This year
promises to be great fun with crafts, gym, snacks, music and, of course, 5
interesting Bible Stories.
Contact
Stephanie McManama at stephanie.mcmanama@gmail.com with questions. So don’t let your child be bored this
summer! Come and join “The Blast!”
First Communion Created Special Memories for 152 Children
Spring is a
busy time for the Religious Education ministry at IHM, and Director Sister
Armella shared her experience with this year’s large group of First
Communicants.
We had 152
children make their First Communion this year at Immaculate Heart of Mary. Of those children, 71 were from public
school, 3 were home-schooled or from Villa Madonna Academy,
and 78 were from IHM’s school.
To accommodate
everyone, Father Mike Comer, Pastor, held three First Communion ceremonies which
were held on April 24, May 1 and May 2 at 1 pm.
The First
Communion ceremonies were the culmination of months of preparation. Children are enrolled in PREP or receive
religious education starting in 1st grade and continuing through 2nd
grade. Parents of all children seeking
First Communion also attend a preparation meeting, which was held on February
22.
The ceremony
itself is a very special experience for each child and their family in that
each family has a pew with their First Communion Banner hanging on it which was
made by the family. Each First
Communicant has a part in the mass such as the entrance procession, prayers of
petition, the gospel procession, or the offertory procession.
The parents
then present their child to Father Comer at the time of receiving communion
saying: “Father, we present (child’s
name) for First Holy Communion.
This year, we have 4 sets of
twins and a set of triplets in our First Eucharist group, rounding out a very
special group.
MUSIC MINISTRY HITS THE RIGHT NOTES
Mike Wagner,
IHM’s Director of Music Ministry likes to stay busy. In addition to his duties at each weekly
mass, he also works with many groups of talented singers and musicians from 1st
grade through adults. We caught up with
Mike and he told us about the musical groups who work hard to make our weekly
masses and holiday so special.
The youngest
parishioners make up the IHM “Children’s
Choir.” Any children of the parish
in grades 1 through 8 are eligible to be a part of this choir. The children do not have to be students at
IHM’s school. During the school year,
practices are usually every Tuesday evening. The commitment is from
September through Easter. The children usually sing at four masses per
year including Christmas and Easter. The
Children's Choir also receives awesome vocal direction from Mrs. Kat Renaker
and Mrs. Tara Fisher.
If your older
child is looking for a musical opportunity at IHM, then consider the Junior High Ensemble or YUCKY (Youth
United in Christ the King YEAH!)
This group was formed five years ago and is for IHM School students in grades 6 through
8. This group covers all school masses as well as Friday Masses for the
school. YUCKY also will sing periodically throughout the year at a Sunday Mass
and always performs at Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. YUCKY has
singers and instrumentalists. YUCKY was formed after Mrs. Rademacher, a
junior high teacher at IHM, asked Mike Wagner if there was a way to include the
students in music at Mass. So YUCKY was born out of that. Their
first performance was at mass in May 2005.
It was so successful that it became a main stay of the Music Ministry
the following fall. YUCKY is directed vocally by Mrs. Laura
Dvornak. Mrs. D has been part of the group for four years now. She
is a Godsend to Mike’s music ministry.
Lifeteen Music Team is for high school students and young adults to enhance the
worship and liturgies of the Parish through song. Lifeteen Music Team is
always looking for new recruits and meets on Sunday afternoons at 3 PM.
They present a Mass on a monthly basis on the second Sunday of the month at
12:30 as well as Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. Mike has been so proud of this group over the years as many of our alums
have gone onto college and become involved in Music Ministry at their
campus. We have several students from our Lifeteen Group attend a summer
training session called “Music Ministry Alive” in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
This summer we are looking to have our largest group ever attend this
conference. MMA has a tedious audition process of which auditions are
accepted from across the globe. IHM is always well represented at MMA
with our talented youth.
Adult Choir- This group is open to all members
of the parish. The adult choir sings at the 9 AM Mass and practices
weekly. This group along with the Contemporary Group do
most of the heavy lifting for our Music at IHM. The Adult
Choir provides music for all extra services including Holy Week,
Christmas, Penance services, Confirmation, and other prayer services. This
group has no requirements to join. Practice is weekly and attendance
is highly encouraged. The Adult
Choir is currently seeking vocalists to help out with the 9 AM Mass.
Adult Contemporary- This group is open to all members
of the parish who want to provide music in a contemporary setting. The
Adult Contemporary Group sings at the 10:45 mass each week. The
Adult Contemporary Group also provides music for all extra services
including Holy Week, Christmas, Penance services, Confirmation, and other
prayer services. The Adult Choir and Adult Contemporary do combine a few
times of the year to provide the Big Choir sound on Palm Sunday and Pentecost
as well as a few other special times of the year. The Adult Contemporary is currently looking for vocalists to help out
with the 10:45 Mass.
Cantor Group - This group provides a cantor at the 5:00 Saturday
and, 7:30, and 12:30 masses on Sunday from September to May and during the
summer provides music at all Masses. This group varies in size with
individuals as young as 11, as well as teens and adults. Cantors work
with Mike on a weekly basis on a rotating schedule to practice. This
group is a closed group. If someone wishes to become a Cantor they
can express interest to Mike.
As you can see,
IHM has a very active Music Ministry. Mike enjoys his job and all the
people who participate. It takes many people hours to make our Music
Ministry operate and many people to make it happen. We currently have
about 120 active participants in our Ministry. Many people pull double
duty as vocalists and directors. Mike expressed thanks to God for all the
people who make our music at IHM what it is.
St Henry District High School News
As the weather warms up in Northern Kentucky, the students at St. Henry District High School are beginning to anticipate summer vacation. For seniors, the Baccalaureate Mass and senior Awards will be held on Wednesday May 26th. The Class of 2010 will graduate on the evening of Thursday May 27th at Thomas More College Connor Convocation Center.
Meanwhile, there has been a flourish of activity here at SHDHS. In March, members of the World Affairs Council worked together to win the Best School Award at the Miami University Model UN Conference for the third year in a row. Participants included IHM parishioners Nick Wilson and Crystal Hurtle. Congratulations to Nick for winning the Best Delegate Award and the gavel award for his portrayal of France!
Prom was held for the upperclassmen on May 7th at the Drees Pavilion in Devou Park, overlooking the Cincinnati skyline. The Crusaders looked their finest as they danced the night away before heading to After Prom at Five Seasons.
Classes will conclude, but not before many upperclassmen take Advanced Placement exams to earn college credits. Tests in 14 different subject areas are held during the first two weeks of May.
Check the website (www.shdhs.org) for updates and information regarding summer sports camps for grade school students. Space is limited, so be sure to register early.
Crystal Hurtle, SHDHS Senior
ST.TERESA of AVILA
Feastday: October 15
Patron
of headache sufferers, Spanish Catholic writers
Born
1515-- Died-1582
Although Teresa
had an extremely strict father she led a fairly ordinary childhood. She was convinced that she was a terrible
sinner. She was interested in boys and
clothes and rebelling just like most teenagers.
When she was 16 her father decided to send her to a convent. At first she hated it, but then she began to
have a growing love for God and the convent was less strict than her father.
When it was
time to leave the convent Teresa had a hard time deciding whether to stay at
the convent or to leave to become married.
She knew that her mother had a difficult marriage, but being a nun
didn’t seem like much fun either. In the
end, she chose to remain at the convent to become a nun. She felt that it was a good place to be for
someone who was as prone to sin as she thought she was.
Teresa learned
to concentrate on mental prayer. At the age of 43, she became determined to found a new convent that
went back to the basics of a contemplative order: a simple life of poverty
devoted to prayer. “May God protect me from gloomy saints,” Teresa said to
those that denounced her for trying to start a new convent. She was even threatened with the
Inquisition. All she wanted was a simple
life of prayer.
Teresa is the founder of the
Discalced Carmilites. In 1960 she was
declared a Doctor of the Church for her writing and teaching on prayer.
QUOTE OF THE QUARTER
Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, Dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is life, Fight for it.
--Mother Teresa
Have a great summer!
Cathy & Dina
YOUTH GROUP
--Youth Minister, Karen Gutzeit
As usual, the IHM youth group will have plenty of activities to keep them busy this summer! As always, please check the bulletin for more information. If you would like to help, or have questions, please feel free to e-mail Karen @gutzeit@ihm-ky.org.
Don’t forget to the Summer Festival
is coming!
Volunteers are needed.
Please check the bulletin for details.
COME ONE, COME ALL TO THE
IHM PARISH FESTIVAL
JULY 9, 10TH,
AND 11TH
GREAT
FOOD! GREAT COMPANY!
GAMES! PRIZES!
RIDES! EVEN FIREWORKS!
MORE DETAILS
TO FOLLOW IN THE BULLETIN!
