Customer Reviews

Daily Roman Missal (Latin Edition)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a great missal by all accounts. There are just a few things one should know about it, though: The scripture readings are taken from the Jerusalem Bible, currently one of the three versions authorized for liturgical use. However, if I am not mistaken, once the New American Bible has been revised and approved by the Vatican, it will become the sole translation permitted for liturgical use. As it stands already, most parishes seem to use the NAB. So the differences in the two versions could make following along a little more difficult. But what is really great about this missal is that it includes the entire order of Mass in both English and Latin. That includes all prefaces, prayers, Eucharistic prayers, etc. Even the response for the responsorial psalm and the antiphons are given in Latin and English. All of which makes this the ideal missal for those who attend all-Latin masses: you can follow the readings and be able to participate when the rubrics call for it. Also potentially useful for those who attend Mass in a foreign language of which they do not have mastery. In the appendices are prayers, an index of readings, and additional eucharistic prayers. In the front are found various liturgical tables, charts, calendars for feast days and readings. Complete with the commons and propers for memorials, feast, solemnities and special occasions. Over all, this is a splendid missal, well worth its price, even if it is used just to keep up with the week's readings at home.

After being frustrated by hard-to-use missals, I find using the Daily Roman Missal a wonderful experience. As I understand it, a new edition is now available from the publisher that is even easier to use that this particular edition because all readings for a particular day are printed in one place without the need to follow a cross reference to another page. In whatever edition you use, the value of this missal is that it contains all readings for all days in one volume, as opposed to multi-volume missals with one volume for Sundays and another for weekdays. Even better, the missal includes some Latin texts for each day that are sometimes clearly superior to their English translations for those who can make out the Latin. This missal is traditional and devotional in the best sense. The high quality should not be surprising since the editor is associated with Opus Dei (Midwest Theological Forum). As other reviews on this site indicate, the older 4th ed. from 1998 uses the translations of the Jerusalem Bible which do not match those used in the readings at an actual Mass, which use the New American Bible. But for home use the older edition is quite satisfactory. For those seeking an edition to match the Scriptures read at Mass, it is better to purchase the newer version that uses the Revised New American Bible translation. (Note: the newer version is not the one displayed on this site.)

Daily Roman Missal, ISBN-13: 978-1612785097 Burgundy, bonded leather from MTF/OSV

First look:

I received the DRM December 13 and I must say, it looks impressive, dignified as if by appearance alone with its gilded pages and padded cover, it bespeaks of the sacred mysteries written within.

As I'm writing this at my work cubicle, my Baptist co-worker, always in a hurry stopped in mid-stride and actually picked up the missal and marveled ever so slightly. I opened the book to today's Mass and pointed out the scripture citations from entrance to communion antiphons. Her smile grew as she started penning down the verses for later reference. I simply mentioned that these "bible passages" and "verses of praise" get us ready for Christmas every day.
"Thanks," she smiled, "I needed this." and hurried away. On my way out the door, the security guard wanted to take a look. Even by its looks, it beckons one to ponder the Paschal Mystery.

The front of the missal is decorated with a Chi-Rho, neither too flashy nor understated; the co-publishers imprinted their respective logos on the spine and the ISBN callouts are on the back cover. My black hardcover 6th edition seems Spartan by comparison. The new missal is a tad larger that its predecessor, meaning the hunt is on for a new missal cover.
My older missal had wider ribbons which laid flat within the pages easily. The newer edition has the same number of ribbons but are much thinner. I'm thinking these may not be user-friendly with the thick-fingered set. Right now, I've set the ribbons to the current day in Advent, the introductory rites, Advent preface I, Eucharistic Prayer II, proper of saints and Preparation for Mass. To keep them from fraying, I'll dab the ribbon ends with a little Shoe Goo®; when the adhesive dries, it form a convenient grip. The 7th edition has sixteen blank pages, eight on either end of the text proper. I'm bilingual and I found some Avery® clear labels on which I've printed some popular devotions in Spanish (and Latin!). I applied these to the blank pages so I wouldn't have to carry a separate devotional.

The text:

There is a concerted effort to conserve space throughout the new DRM. The illustrations are larger, but fewer. The 6th edition lists 51 acknowledged drawings, the current missal, 32. The previous text has a lot more blank spaces throughout. Here, the printing eliminates empty spots wherever possible. Pope Clement XI's Universal Prayer is printed in its entirety yet is one page shorter than in the 6th edition.
I'm disappointed to find the Chaplet of Divine Mercy eliminated from the Devotions and Prayers section. The Ordinary of the Mass includes only the four principal Eucharistic Prayers. Gone are the EPs for Masses with Children and of Reconciliation. The only blessings remaining in the Devotion and Prayers section appear to be Grace before Meals and scapular of Mt. Carmel. In the 7th edition, the section containing prayers at the time of death has been shortened considerably.

In an email, MTF editor-in-chief Jeffrey Cole explained,

"the binding of the missal dictates a certain limitation on the number of pages. As the new English translation of the Roman Missal was considerably longer than the previous translation, we had to eliminate nearly 100 pages from the sixth edition. Hence, every effort was made to save space, and some parts, as you noted, had to be eliminated from the sixth edition, especially in the prayers and devotions section."

With that in mind, the new missal contains the solemn blessings and Prayers over the People used at the concluding rites.

Areas of improvement:

When I first received the 6th edition of the DRM in 2005, I pointed out to the editors that the opening sentence of the Prayer of St. Bonaventure had a typo. It should read, "Pierce me. . .with the. . .wound of your love." It was rendered ". . .on your love." The error is repeated in the current edition (page 2320).

To those indisposed to receiving Holy Eucharist at Mass, I thought it would be nice to have the Spiritual Communion prayer (p. 2339) and the Prayer of Reparation (p. 2338) at the end of the Prayers before Mass section (p. 2317).

I took up the Liturgy of the Hours in my collegian years and it irks me to see the Canticle of the Three Children (p. 2328) have its antiphon repeated at the end of Psalm 150 instead of the end of the canticle proper.

I recognize that having a missal is not absolutely necessary for assisting at Mass. You and I both know holy souls who attend the liturgy empty-handed and yet leave our celebrations soaring on the heights of divine consolations. However, a great number of us need the missal to keep us grounded, connected to the mysteries of our salvation. The DRM fills in the gaps created by poor sound systems and nervous lectors. The sight of the missal at home reminds me to pause and reflect on the daily readings or seek encouragement from the saint of the day. I've led only one rosary wake and I'm grateful for the prayers and the litany within to anchor me during the time of sorrow.

I'm grateful for having a missal and the positive impact it has on my relationship with Christ.

highly preferred over other missals. Daily Roman Missal is taken from Jerusalem Bible translation, NOT the New jerusalem Bible; is not inclusive language gender; this missal won't be around much longer as the new inclusive missals reach the market this year. This one will be treasured.

At long last, Catholics have a daily missal that complies with Sections 36 and 54 of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from Vatican II, requiring that Latin be preserved in the liturgy, and that provides the revised NAB text used at Mass.

This is an excellent missal -- the best Catholic missal on the market in my opinion. The art work is vastly superior to the St. Joseph's Sunday Missal; this missal is much more complete than other missals and uses the new NAB lectionary approved by the American bishops; and thank heaven, they kept the Latin as required by Vatican II. Deo gratias!

The other reviews are right on the money... this is a great daily missal. Looking around for this missal is frustrating because of mismatched editions, so let me set you straight: this missal, ordered new as of Feb 2003, is Fourth Edition, 1998. The text is from the Jerusalem Bible translation, which I personally happen to favor. BUT, if you want to read along at Mass, I believe the next edition is being published in April 2003, which contains New American Bible translations (what you hear at Mass) and supposedly has no reading referencing, i.e. all the readings for a day are in the same place as opposed to being told to turn to page 1898 for a particular reading that was printed elsewhere in the Missal.

Bottom line: if you're reading at home, this Missal is perfect. If you want to read along at Mass (or are a lector that needs to practice the readings), hold out for the NAB edition. Or get this edition for home and the April 2003 one for Mass. Either way it's a great daily missal.

The Daily Roman Missal published by Our Sunday Visitor has proved in my two years of use to be an essential help to preparing for Holy Mass. Most missals I have seen are either Sunday Missals or Weekday Missals. The Daily Roman Missal not only has all the readings for weekdays (years I and II) and Sundays, (A,B,C), but also has the whole order of the Mass in both Latin and English. Also included is the Proper of the Saints, prayers for before and after Mass, exerpts from the General Instruction, daily entrance, gospel, and communion antiphons in Latin and English, and many other features.

The only drawback to this particular Missal is that the readings are not the same translation as the lectionary here in the United States, but rather are drawn from the RSV-Catholic Edition. However, it is worth noting that this is the translation the rest of the English-speaking world uses.

Overall, I have found this Missal to be of excellent quality. The drawback of not being able to follow the readings during Mass is easily overcome by its other attributes.

A wonderful, TRADITIONAL Roman Catholic Missal without the wearying "inclusive" language besetting so much in the Church's liturgy. This book is beautifully produced and complete. A pleasure to own and use.

"Truth in Advertising" compels me to state that I am reviewing the HARDCOVER standard size version of the Daily Roman Missal. That said, the editor(s) deserve a lot of credit for putting out in a single volume the whole Roman Missal with all the readings in full. Five stars just for that.

The illustrations are superb. They strike the right tone throughout the book and are a very nice support to the various seasons and Masses.

The inclusion of relevant sections from the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a stroke of genius. A very original and effective way of marrying two pivotal and important documents for the average churchgoer.

Coincidently, I recently received the 1962 version of the Roman Missal published by Angelus Press. Two Latin/English Missals separated by 400 years. Both having the Latin texts for the Order of Mass. However, I'm disappointed that the prefaces in the 2006 Daily Roman Missal do not have the corresponding Latin texts. I suppose that space considerations played a part in the decision. Too bad. Perhaps in the next edition.

The devotional prayers are an excellent addition to this (massive) volume of material and do a nice job in rounding out a complete, usable prayer book. My only disappointment is that this does not include any part of the excellent Liturgy of the Hours - especially excerpts from Morning and Evening Prayer and Night Prayer. However, I can't be too unhappy with the existing prayers. Perhaps for the next edition too?

All in all, a must-have for any Catholic who values his or her faith. An excellent tool to grow in the faith.

Post-script: As anyone may know, the present translation of the English texts is currently undergoing a complete revision mandated by Rome. I suspect that we will see and experience these new texts in late 2011 or sometime in 2012. When that happens, this edition will mark the end of the 1970's era of translations and launch us into a more faithful and exact translation of the Latin texts.

The Daily Roman Missal is the best missal in print today. It has all the Sunday and weekday scripture readings and prayers all in one book. It also has the prayers and scripture readings for the solemnities, feasts, and memorials. A plus to this missal is the Devotions and Prayers in the back of the book. This section has the traditional catholic prayers, Eucharistic Adoration, Stations of the Cross, Rosary, an excellent examination of conscience for confession, plus a multitude of other prayers and devotions. Another plus to this book is the Latin used throughout the missal. This is a book that you can take to church, read while on vacation, read each day of the year, and use to pray and meditate.