USCCB June Meeting Agenda ... topics to watch

AMDG points out that a brief agenda for the Spring Meeting (June 15-17) of the USCCB is online:

• extending the annual appeal for the Retirement Fund for Religious beyond 2007
• adaptations of the Order of Mass
• liturgical translations by the International Committee on English in the Liturgy
• a request by the Stewardship Committee to begin drafting a document entitled Stewardship and Teenagers.

The bishops will also hear reports on the work of:

• Priorities and Plans
• Catholic Relief Services (on their Hurricane Task Force)
• on a new DVD by the Committee on Vocations, “Fishers of Men,” [which is excellent]
• a report by the Task Force on Catholic Bishops and Politicians.

The discussion of ICEL's new translation of the English Mass will be the one to pay attention to I've heard. ICEL is now a completely new thing, by the way, and the good guys I've talked to want to see its new translation get approved at this meeting. The bad news? Bishop Donald Trautman, chairman of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy (BCL). A quotation about Trautman:

From 1992-2001, Bishop Trautman was a member of the Committee for the Review of Scripture Translations. In 2001, the Holy See issued an instruction on translation, Liturgiam authenticam, that mandates accuracy in translation and fidelity to the Latin originals. Bishop Trautman is a leading public critic of the Holy See's actions in liturgical matters, and is a consistent advocate of so-called "inclusive" language in English translation.

... It is too early to tell how Bishop Trautman's leadership of this key conference committee may affect the awaited English version of the Roman Missal, or other liturgical texts that have been delayed for years in appearing in English, or the review of the Lectionary translation now in progress. [source]

Once I get some free time I'll try to find some online audio files of ICEL's new roman missal being used at Mass (I know they're out there somewhere) ... I've been told by people that have heard it that the new translation is beautiful and faithful to the original Latin.