I purchased a copy of Mexico’s Misal Romano (published in 2013) on a recent visit to Querétaro and San Miguel de Allende. It is a huge volume of 1424 pages (8 ½ X 11 inches, 3 ½ inches thick, 6 ribbons), weighing 6 pounds.

For the past thirty years all editions of the Misal Romano in Spanish have used the same translation of the Order of Mass, the ten eucharistic prayers, and most of the prefaces. But individual conferences of bishops were able to have their own translation of the proper Mass formularies (temporal and sanctoral cycles).

Since that unified translation (“texto único”) was of a Latin text that was not significantly altered in the Missale Romanum, editio tertia, the common texts for all Spanish-speaking countries will remain much as they have been for the past 30 years. (It will take me many more hours to spot any changes, if they exist.) However, conferences of bishops now are able to change certain Castillianisms in the texto único, if those are not the common usage in their territories. Thus, “The Lord be with you” in Spain will remain “El Señor esté con vosotros,” while in Mexico “El Señor esté con ustedes” is now being used. The opening words of the consecratory formulae “Take and eat/ Take and drink” in Spain will remain “Tomad y comed / Tomad y bebed,” while in Mexico “Tomen y coman / Tomen y beban” is now being used.

The second consecratory formula contains another change. The “all” has been changed to “many.” What had previously been “por vosotros y por todos los hombres” is now “por ustedes y por muchos” in the Mexican translation. (I imagine that Spain will use “por vosotros y por muchos”)

Mexico has significantly retranslated the rest of the missal. When I celebrate Mass in Spanish, I normally use the Misal Romano from Spain because its translation of the temporal and sanctoral cycle orations is much more elegant than that from Mexico. Perhaps that will now change until such time as the USA has its own edition of the Misal Romano. Mexico has done a very good job with its new translation, from the little amount of time I have been reviewing it and comparing it with the previous translation.

Perhaps of most interest to contributors to this Forum, in the entire Mexican Misal Romano all but four musical settings are found in Appendix I, entitled “Textos Musicalizados” (texts set to music). The four items in place in the missal are the music for the showing of the holy cross at the Good Friday liturgy (Miren el arbol de la cruz…); the priest’s blessing of the lit Paschal Candle, followed by the procession dialogue (Luz de Cristo. Demos gracias a Dios. / Light of Christ. Thanks be to God.) at the Easter Vigil; and two additional items at the Easter Vigil: a very strange setting of the priest’s intonation to the Gloria (with the rest of that hymn omitted) and the “Alleluya” for the Alleluia Psalm before the gospel, based not upon the traditional Gregorian tone but rather upon a truncated version of the tone for the Eastertime dismissal at Mass.

These musical settings are found in Appendix I:
1. Sign of the cross and opening greeting from the Order of the Mass.
2. Introduction to and concluding “absolución” after the Confiteor.
3. Form 2 of the Penitential Act
4. Three formulas for the introduction by the priest to the Gloria (again, with no music for the rest of that hymn being provided)
5. A setting of the Aleluya
6. Orate, fratres (both the priest’s and the people’s chants)
7. The preface dialogue and seven prefaces (solemn tone): Christmas I, Epiphany, Passion of the Lord I, Easter I, Ascension I, Eucharist I, Blessed Virgin Mary I followed by a Spanish adaptation (poorly done) of Sanctus XVIII. The preface dialogue adaptation is rather ludicrous.
8. Eucharistic Prayer II (but without its proper preface)
9. Lord’s Prayer: Introduction, Prayer, Embolism, Doxology
10. Prayer for Peace and the dialogue which follows
11. Lamb of God (a Spanish adaptation of Agnus Dei XVIII)
12. Invitation to Holy Communion (both the priest’s and the people’s chants)
13. Final blessing and Amen (solemn tone)
14. Final blessing by a bishop (solemn tone)
15. One formula for the dismissal
16. Memorial Acclamation A (both the priest’s introduction and the people’s chant)
17. Two additional settings of the Lord’s Prayer: Introduction and Prayer (but no additional forms of the Embolism and Doxology)
18. Final blessing and Amen (simple tone)
19. Final blessing by a bishop (simple tone)
20. Simple tones A and B and a solemn tone for orations
21. Simple and solemn tones for first readings
22. A tone for second readings
23. Tones A, B, and C for gospel readings
24. Tones and responses for the Universal Prayer
25. Simple and solemn tones for solemn blessings
26. All ten of the opening petitions of the Universal Prayer on Good Friday (but the concluding prayers are not set to music)
27. An optional tone for the showing of the holy cross at the Good Friday liturgy followed by the people’s response (based on the Gregorian; this adaptation is extremely poor)
28. Exsultet – long form only
29. Litany of Saints at the Easter Vigil (with the addition of some saints from Mexico)
30. Eastertime dismissal from Mass (with a most unwise change of the tone to: SOL SOL SOL SOL LA SOL MI SOL LA LA…)
31. The announcement of moveable feasts on the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Appendix VIII contains the three Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children (but all without any music)

Following the final appendix (Appendix IX) the Ordo Missae in Latin is given, along with 12 prefaces, Eucharistic Prayers I-IV, and 12 seasonal Mass formuaries. There is no music for any of these Latin texts.

It is been announced by the USCCB that the USA edition of the Misal Romano now being prepared for this country will use Mexico’s missal for its base translation. Just how much tinkering with that translation will be done, who knows? From my cursory review of Mexico’s edition, I would certainly be happy to use their new translation of the oracions even if Spain’s new translation proves to be better.

But the music? No way, José! We can certainly do better. All the prefaces should be set to music. All the dialogues should be set to music. The in-place chants that we find in the USA’s 2010 Roman Missal should be in the future Spanish edition.

Is anyone associated with the USCCB's Hispanic Liturgy Subcommittee listening?