Jeg nevnte Father Stravinskas’ artikkel om den nye engelske oversettelsen av messen nylig. I denne artikkelen skriver han også noe interessant (og sjokkerende) om hvordan messeforandringene ble innført i USA på 70-tallet. Bl.a. måtte alle prestene tre påfølgende søndager i 1977 forklare menigheten hvorfor håndkommunion teologisk sett var å foretrekke – og prester som vegret seg mot å forklare dette (som de selv var dypt uenig i), ble visst truet med å bli suspendert. Slik skriver han (og bakgrunnen er at den nye engelske oversettelsen av messen også bør forberedes i menighetene):
Father Ryan writes that “before long the priests of this country will be told to take the new translations to their people by means of a carefully orchestrated education program…” The author makes such efforts sound almost sinister, but in my book he is simply describing the process of catechesis. I hope that this process will be better handled than the “carefully orchestrated education program” that followed the postconciliar liturgical changes. In 1977 priests throughout the country were required to preach for three consecutive weekends, not simply on the issue of Communion-in-the-hand, but on why it should be done. Many priests who balked at the historically inaccurate catechetical materials were harassed by liturgical directors and even threatened by bishops with suspension. It seems that many of those who pushed for the reforms are waking up to find their program repudiated and have now become conservatives, opposed to change.