Priests and parish life coordinators of the Springfield diocese will meet Feb. 22-23 at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel as part of ongoing study days on the implementation of the new translation of the Roman Missal.

Leading the study days will be Father Paul Turner of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri. He is an author who holds a doctorate in sacred theology from Sant' Anselmo in Rome and is a team member for the North American Forum on the Catechumenate. He serves as a facilitator for the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, which has overseen the translation process.

The new translation of the Roman Missal has been almost a decade in preparation. According to a proclamation from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, it will begin being used in parishes in the United States on Nov. 27, the First Sunday of Advent this year. "From that date forward, no other edition of the Roman Missal may be used in the dioceses of the United States of America," said the decree from Chicago Cardinal Francis E. George, then-president of the USCCB.

Parish leaders in the Springfield diocese have been working toward the implementation for almost a year. The February meeting will be the fifth in a series of study opportunities offered by the Springfield diocese through the diocesan Office of the Vicar for Clergy and the Office for Worship and the Catechumenate.

In a January letter, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki asked parish leaders to rearrange schedules to allow attendance and full participation in the study days.

"Since this work of our own education and proper use of the new missal is so central to our ecclesial life, as well as leading our people to pray well at Mass, it is important that all priests and parish life coordinators fully participate in the study days," Bishop Paprocki wrote. "Come the First Sunday of Advent, my hope is that we have the full participation of all our priests and the faithful in the Eucharist."

For more information about the study days, contact Father Joseph Ring, vicar for clergy, at (217) 698-8500, ext. 104, or e-mail .

For more information on the new translation of the Roman Missal, visit the Office for Worship and the Catechumenate on the diocesan website at www.dio.org/worship/mass-and-roman-missal.html. Or, visit the website of the USCCB at www.usccb.org/romanmissal.