The Bicol Regional Commission on Liturgy is set to release Volume 1 of the Daily Roman Missal in the Bicol language, marking a significant milestone in the region’s liturgical life. The forthcoming volume will cover daily Mass texts for the seasons of Advent and Christmas, along with feasts of saints celebrated in November, December, and January.
This publication is the first of its kind in decades. The last comparable work was prepared in the 1980s by Msgr. Honesto Sarmiento of the Diocese of Virac. Since then, many priests in the region have relied on photocopies of his missal, which was based on translations (in English) of the older editions of the Missale Romanum.
Translators of the present work say the new volume represents a major update, as it is aligned with the latest official edition of the Roman Missal, the editio typica tertia emendata. It also incorporates the Catholic Bible translation of Msgr. Noe de los Santos, likewise from the Diocese of Virac. This translation is noted for its grounding in the original Hebrew and Greek biblical texts.
In addition, the missal adheres to the principles outlined in Liturgiam authenticam, the 2001 Vatican instruction on liturgical translation, ensuring both fidelity and clarity in rendering the sacred texts into the local language.
The release of Volume 1 sets in motion a broader project to complete a four-volume Daily Roman Missal series in Bicol. This follows the successful publication of Bicol-language Sunday Missals for Liturgical Years A, B, and C over the past four years. Clergy in the region would welcome this development, in that the availability of an updated and officially prepared daily missal would greatly ease pastoral work and improve the quality of liturgical celebrations.
