Grail IV now definitely on the way

[Southern Comfort]

Over two months ago, the Bishops of Kenya in the course of revising their liturgical books were due to apply to Rome for a recognitio for the revised Grail psalter. The CDW had already indicated that there would be no problem approving this request when they received it.

The US Bishops have now themselves approved (by a vote of 203 to 5) the revised Grail for use in their country (they already use a version of Grail I in the Liturgy of the Hours but not in their Lectionary) and will now also request a recognitio.

This significant step paves the way for a time when the same liturgical psalter will be in use throughout the entire English-speaking world. The England and Wales Conference had already made it known that they would adopt Grail IV in a new Lectionary making use of the NRSV scripture translation.

As soon as the Kenyan Bishops receive their recognitio from Rome, assuming that theirs comes through first, the text will be released generally.

[docmattc]

This significant step paves the way for a time when the same liturgical psalter will be in use throughout the entire English-speaking world. The England and Wales Conference had already made it known that they would adopt Grail IV in a new Lectionary making use of the NRSV scripture translation.

Does 'in use' mean it will be an option, or that it will be obligatory? I guess what I'm asking is, will I have to throw out all the psalters I currently have (3 different ones with Grail text) and buy new ones. How different is Grail IV from what we currently use? Is it close enough for tipex to be a practical alternative to buying new books?

[Southern Comfort]

This significant step paves the way for a time when the same liturgical psalter will be in use throughout the entire English-speaking world. The England and Wales Conference had already made it known that they would adopt Grail IV in a new Lectionary making use of the NRSV scripture translation.

Does 'in use' mean it will be an option, or that it will be obligatory? I guess what I'm asking is, will I have to throw out all the psalters I currently have (3 different ones with Grail text) and buy new ones. How different is Grail IV from what we currently use? Is it close enough for tipex to be a practical alternative to buying new books?

Obviously I can't speak for the Bishops but I suspect that, assuming that we have a new Lectionary at the same time as the new Missal (i.e. not for another four years at the least), the new version will be mandated for liturgical use from a given date. Whether existing psalm settings can continue to be used is another question; and this may also depend on how much in the way of change there is - this will vary considerably from one psalm to another.

I think you'll find that Grail IV is 'somewhat' different from what we have at present. The early drafts that I saw several years ago would indicate that something between 1/5 and 1/3 will be new - which is of course another way of saying that as much as 75-80% of what we have now will remain - but until we see the final text we won't know for sure. Certainly the aim has been to preserve as much of Grail I's phraseology and rhythms as possible, while adjusting for horizontally inclusive language, the insights of modern biblical scholarship, the demands of LA, etc.

I don't think that Tippex will be a realistic option. Even Grail III (1993, moderately inclusive but not so extremely inclusive as Grail II in 1983) was too much for Tippex.