The Missal

By John William Waterhouse

Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1902. Location currently unknown.

Missal, in the Catholic Church, is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Masses throughout the year. The Roman Missal (Missale Romanum) published by Pope St. Pius V in 1570, eventually replaced the widespread use of different missals by each episcopal see. Missals are now published first in Latin and from this definitive text translations are made into native languages. The first complete translation of the Missal into English took place between 1969 and 1970 when the Order of Mass was reformed by Pope Paul VI (1963-78). The word 'Missal', like Mass, is taken from the Latin missa, meaning 'sent'. In the United States, the word Sacramentary is sometimes used to translate the term "Missale." This has been criticised by the Holy See as an incorrect translation because a sacramentary is a book containing the order of all the Sacraments, not just Mass. The liturgical book will be known as the Roman Missal in the United States when the third post-Vatican II Latin edition, published in 2002, is eventually translated into English.