A one-day workshop, “Mystical Body, Mystical Voice: Christ in the Words of the Mass,” will be offered in September for clergy and church staff, as Catholics in the Archdiocese of Atlanta prepare for the new translation of the Roman Missal. The program is being sponsored by the archdiocesan Office of Divine Worship.

Two sessions will be offered: one on Friday, Sept. 24, and one on Saturday, Sept. 25, at Holy Spirit Church, 4465 Northside Drive, NW, Atlanta. Both sessions will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Diocesan and parish leaders are encouraged to register for the session that is most convenient.

Advance registration is $35 per person or $25 each for groups of three or more registering together. Registration after Sept. 15 and at the door is $50 per person. Registration includes lunch, refreshments and a copy of the book “Mystical Body, Mystical Voice.”

In March, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments gave the final approval, or “recognitio,” of the revised English translation of the Roman Missal. In the Atlanta Archdiocese, changes in the Mass are expected to take effect with the beginning of Advent in 2011.

Mystical Body, Mystical Voice is a comprehensive program focused on the new translation of the missal, providing an understanding of the beauty of the translation. An initiative of the Liturgical Institute at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, the program is grounded in sacramental theology and the liturgical rites of the church.

The workshop will be presented by Christopher Carstens, director of the Office of Sacred Worship, La Crosse, Wis., and Father Douglas Martis, director of the Liturgical Institute, University of Saint Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Ill.

Carstens earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Toronto, Canada, and master’s degrees in philosophy and liturgical studies from the University of Dallas and the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Illinois, respectively. Father Martis received his Ph.D. from the Sorbonne and his doctor of sacred theology at the Institut Catholique de Paris.

Based on the liturgical principle lex orandi, lex credendi, workshop leaders will explore the idea that “the Church says what she believes when she prays, and means what she says.”

Intended to provide the necessary tools for parish leaders to teach others about the liturgy and the words said at Mass, the program is developed around two segments: a liturgical primer and a detailed look at the texts of the Mass.

Part I, the liturgical primer, shows how Christ is present in the liturgy and how he continues to work through the sacraments of the Church.  It examines how the language in the liturgy expresses his mystical voice.

Part II, “Liturgical Fresco,” considers the new texts of the Missal in light of Liturgiam Authenticam and the renewal of the Second Vatican Council, provides an in-depth look at the rich meaning of the texts, and offers practical suggestions for catechesis of Catholics.

Attendees will learn how to foster liturgical participation and prepare for the implementation of the new missal.