p> One of the major changes that emerged from Vatican II was the decision that the mass or liturgy could now be said in the vernacular. In other words, the mass which was once heard across the world in Liturgical Church Latin has been said since Vatican II in any language desired.
Other important changes identified by Robert Sungenis (2001) include a literal transformation of the traditional Mass of the Faithful and Mass of the Catechumens into a simplified, streamlined, liturgical service bearing little relation to the traditional Tridentine Mass. An increased reliance on the participation of lay members of the congregation in the liturgy has also occurred, with one particularly significant difference being the direct involvement of women in the liturgy. Prior to Vatican II, women served on the altar only in the role of custodial caretakers responsible for cleaning, decorating, and creating altar cloths and other hangings. Women did not serve as altar assistants, were not ordained as deacons, did not distribute the Eucharist, and did not speak in the church except within the context of vocal music. This has changed dramatically in the United States, says Sungenis, leading to a far more active role for women Catholics (2001).
Many women who are members of religious orders or simply members of the lay congregation perform a number of duties once exclusively reserved to the priest. In many parishes, priests no longer distribute the Eucharist, and most altar servers today in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States are girls. According to Sungenis (2001), liturgical changes in the Mass have allowed many parish priests to omit vital elements of the liturgy. This opponent of church "reforms" in the wake of Vatican II, claims to have observed canonical aberrations such as the elimination of the Penitential Rite and elements of the Nicene Creed.
The new "openness" of the Mass to the people is reflecte...