The Roman Rite has evolved over the centuries in very diverse contexts and situations, and it has endured to our own day precisely because of its capacity to adapt and be shaped by the distinct cultures where it has been celebrated. In 2002 the Latin third edition of theMissale Romanum was promulgated and in subsequent years episcopal conferences have been busy at work producing vernacular translations of that Latin text. As the English-speaking world prepares to receive and implement the English translation of the Missal, Dr. Pecklers' book is offered as an instrument of catechesis in helping clergy and laity alike to better grasp the rationale for the new translations by considering the wider context of the Rite itself.

Keith F. Pecklers, SJ, is professor of liturgy at the Pontifical Gregorian University and professor of liturgical history at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome. He is the author of the following titles published by Liturgical Press: Dynamic Equivalence: The Living Language of Christian Worship; The Unread Vision: The Liturgical Movement in the United States of America 1926-1955; Worship: A Primer in Christian Ritual; and editor of Liturgy for the New Millennium: A Commentary on the Revised Sacramentary. He is also the author of Liturgy from Trent to Vatican II" included in the Handbook of Liturgical Studiespublished by Liturgical Press.

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