By Shelby Siegfried
for the Register
Father Andrew Menke will begin his role as executive director of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) Nov. 1, following his tenure at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops where he served as executive director of the USCCB Divine Worship Secretariat.
Father Menke’s deep familiarity with ICEL is underscored by his prior roles within the Holy See and the USCCB.
“My history with these organizations has undoubtedly influenced the invitation for me to be considered for this position,” he remarked.
Father Menke clarified that his new role won’t involve direct translation tasks. Instead, he will oversee the process and facilitate communication among the Holy See, bishops’ conferences across the globe where English is used in liturgy, as well as the translators and experts engaged in the endeavor.
“It’s imperative that all bishops have the chance to partake in this process and receive technical support for comprehending the liturgical books of the Catholic Church,” Father Menke emphasized, expressing his gratitude to Bishop James Conley for his endorsement in accepting this new responsibility.
The ICEL is a collaborative entity involving Catholic bishops’ conferences in nations using English for the Roman Rite’s Sacred Liturgy. The Commission’s primary mandate is the preparation of English translations for Latin liturgical books and individual liturgical texts, adhering to directives from the Holy See. Presently, ICEL boasts 11 full-member Conferences of Bishops: Australia, Canada, England and Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Scotland, Southern Africa, and the United States of America. Fifteen additional Conferences of Bishops with a lesser extent of English liturgy access ICEL’s prepared liturgical texts.
The work at ICEL is supported by the professional team at its Secretariat, headquartered in Washington, D.C., which coordinates specialists globally for translation preparation. Upon an ICEL translation’s completion and approval by the Commission’s Bishops, it undergoes review by Member and Associate-Member Conferences. ICEL itself is not a publisher of liturgical books and related materials in the usual sense. Rather, like individual authors, translators, or editors, it provides the content of such publications to the Conferences which in turn authorize publishing.
Ordained in 1999 in the Diocese of Lincoln, Father Menke brings a wealth of experience, including serving as the diocesan master of ceremonies for five years. Alongside his pastoral roles, he earned a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Following a temporary summer assignment in Rome in 2010, he assumed a full-time role with the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
In 2015, Father Menke returned to the United States, taking a liturgy position with the USCCB’s Secretariat of Divine Worship, where he was named executive director within two years.
