USCCB Adds New Pages

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has added two valuable pages to its Web site:

HEALTH CARE REFORM. This page promotes the USCCB's support of a "truly universal health policy with respect for human life and dignity." It includes letters from bishops to Congress, videos, facts and statistics, frequently asked questions, and links for contacting our legislators. It also contains information about Catholic health care in the United States, which includes 624 Catholic hospitals, 164 home health agencies, and 41 hospice organizations. New material will be added regularly to this page, which features Web videos of USCCB policy staff discussing the bishops’ position on health care.

THIRD EDITION ROMAN MISSAL. This page "aims to educate Catholics about the changes in the Mass that are coming with the new Roman missal translation," thus providing us with an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the liturgy. The page includes background on the liturgical texts, sample wording from the newly translated missal (a draft text of the new translation is included), and answers to frequently asked questions. This November, the last sections will be reviewed and voted on by the USCCB and will then be sent to the Vatican for the authoritative approval and permission to use. According to the USCCB, this final approval of the complete text is anticipated in early 2010.