Revised Konkani Missal launched after 16 years of work

New dual-script edition aims to deepen worship by enabling fuller participation in the Eucharist in Konkani, marking a major pastoral milestone for Catholic communities across western and southern India.

PANAJI, Goa (Indian Catholic News)— The newly released Revised Edition of the Konkani Missal, the result of 16 years of work, marks a major step in strengthening the liturgical life of Catholics by enabling fuller participation in the Eucharistic celebration in their mother tongue.

The Missal was formally released during the 37th Plenary Assembly of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, a moment hailed as significant for Konkani-speaking Catholics across the country, according to the Feb. 5 press release from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI).

“The publication is seen as a major step in strengthening the liturgical life of the faithful by enabling fuller participation in the Eucharistic celebration in their mother tongue,” according to the official account. Church leaders said the revised text is intended to help worshippers engage more deeply with the liturgy through language that resonates pastorally and culturally.

To address linguistic diversity, the Missal has been issued in two scripts. “Recognising the linguistic diversity within the Konkani-speaking population, the Missal has been published in both Romi and Kannada scripts,” the statement said. It added that the dual-script edition aims to ensure wider accessibility for communities in the states of Karnataka, Goa and neighbouring regions, while preserving Konkani’s linguistic and cultural heritage within the life of the Church.

The missal was released by the Apostolic Nuncio to India, Archbishop Leopold Girelli, underscoring the Holy See’s support for the project and the universal character of Catholic liturgy. The assembly brought together senior Church leaders, including Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão of Goa, CCBI president; Archbishop Peter Machado, CCBI vice president and archbishop of Bangalore; Bishop Vincent Aind, secretary general; and Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha, chairman of the CCBI Commission for Liturgy and the Commission for Liturgy in Konkani.

Scholars and pastors shaped the long-term project

Church officials said the project was guided by the conference’s leadership and relied on close collaboration between liturgical scholars and language experts to ensure theological accuracy and linguistic fidelity. Key contributors included Fr. Vijay Machado, executive secretary of the CCBI Commission for Faith Formation and the Commission for Liturgy in Konkani; Dr. Rudolph Pinto, executive secretary of the CCBI Commission for Liturgy; and Dr. Stephen Alathara, deputy secretary general of the CCBI.

Work on the revised Missal began in 2010 and continued through a prolonged period of drafting, review and alignment with the Latin Editio Typica. The statement noted that the process involved “multiple stages of drafting, review and alignment with the Latin Editio Typica, culminating in the completion of the text in January 2026.”

Church leaders emphasised that the revised Missal is intended as more than a technical update. They described it as a pastoral instrument to deepen faith and participation. As the document states, the Missal “is not merely a liturgical book but a pastoral instrument that helps the faithful enter more deeply into the Mystery of the Eucharist through the language of their hearts, fostering greater understanding, participation and devotion in the worshipping community.”

With the dual-script edition now available, dioceses and parishes are expected to begin implementing the revised texts, offering Konkani-speaking faithful renewed access to the Church’s central act of worship in their own language.