Your Excellency Or Dear Bishop <Last Name Here>

Your Address

Address of Bishop/Cardinal here

Your Excellency or Dear Bishop ,

Your Eminence or Dear Cardinal ,

It is with sadness and disappointment that I write to you today about the New Roman Missal which is now the central prayer of our Church!

I find the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal…

 lacks prayerfulness… The words, especially those proclaimed by the priest, often seem out of order and are not easily understood by the average person. The Mass is prayer, not a catechism lesson.

 is difficult to sing… “To sing is to pray twice.” This music doesn’t sing or pray!

 dwells on… our human sinfulness much more than on the abundant, infinite mercy of our loving God! This seems totally out of balance.

 limits the saving action of God through his Son, Jesus Christ, when the priest says... ‘many’ instead of ‘for all’.

 values accuracy over… the “full, conscious and active” participation of all.

 poorly expresses our Eucharistic celebration, the Paschal Mystery... I want to be drawn into the celebration of the Mass, not repelled by it.

I question whether the 3rd Edition…  will bring people closer to God.  will encourage people to repent and change their ways because God loves them.  is the best prayer for our Church in the 21st century.  is not a throwback to the pre-Vatican II days of our Church. This is not a step forward! Again, the Mass is prayer, not a catechism lesson.

The Mass, the Eucharist, is the central prayer of the entire Church. As such, it should inspire, comfort, heal, forgive, nourish and send forth the People of God into the world to be and bring the Good News to all. I am grateful to know and worship a God of unending mercy, a God who continually calls me to become the best that I can be.

This 3rd Edition is woefully lacking from what I have experienced thus far. Please, please reconsider! [OPTIONAL - Out of love for the Church I have chosen not to withhold my contributions at this time.]

Thank you for your patient reading of my concerns! I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,