'And With Your Spirit'...2011 will end with new sounds in church

from ncregister.com

The year 2010 saw Vatican approval of the new English translation of the Roman Missal.

2011 will be the year people in the pews finally start hearing it — and praying it.

The missal is scheduled to enter use on Nov. 27, the First Sunday of Advent. Dioceses across the country are already putting programs and timelines in place to prepare for the change.

The new translation is the result of years of work in response to the Vatican’s call for a more faithful rendering of the original Latin. It is also expected to more fully convey the sacredness of the texts of the Mass.

Father Richard Hilgartner, associate director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Divine Worship, explained that one major improvement in the new texts is greater care in respecting the biblical and patristic sources which often underlie liturgical prayers and upon which Vatican II placed great emphasis. He called the new translation “memorable, evocative and biblical.”

For example, “And also with you” becomes “And with your spirit”; “peace to his people on earth” becomes “on earth peace to people of good will,” and “the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father” becomes “the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.”

How are dioceses preparing for the new missal?

According to Father Bob Webster, the Diocese of Orlando, Fla., where he heads the Office of Liturgy, is about a third of the way into the implementation. Beginning last summer, Father Webster introduced portions of new changes to priests in convocations, then followed up in November with workshops for priests, deacons, catechists, liturgical leaders and anyone else who wanted to attend. About 600 came.

“It was important to get us all on the same page,” he said, especially noting the emphasis on the liturgical history and theology that went along with the changes or preceded the changes.

Father Webster said they’re looking at the language, structure and sources of the prayers, all with the goal of helping the priests “to pray better and to understand the historical roots and origins of the prayers.”

In Orlando, overall reactions to all steps have been very positive, Father Webster said.

Diocese-wide in-pew catechesis begins in February in four blocks using three methods: pulpit announcements, short homiletic-type video presentations in place of the homily or before or after Mass, and materials posted on the diocesan and parish websites.