New Translations: How did it go in your,parish?

The Third Edition of the Roman Missal is now officially in use. It may take a little time to move away from the pew cards and change is never easy - even small changes. However, this is an historic move for the Church that strengthens our unity as the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.let us know through your comments how it went in your parish or religious community

by Randy Sly


The Masses for the First Sunday of Advent are now complete and, it seems, that the English-speaking Church has survived the shakedown voyage of the new translation of the Mass.

Change is never easy, even when it is welcomed and necessary. French Journalist and Poet Anatole France once wrote, "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."

At the Vigil Mass for our parish in Northern Virginia we got off to a bit of a bumpy start with the first response - about a 50-50 split between "And with your spirit" along with "And also with you" from those who were still operating on automatic. Our parochial vicar smiled and gently said, "OK, let's try it one more time."

From that point on, we seemed to be more of less in sync.

As an ardent supporter of the new translation, I was surprised how self-conscious I felt in the Mass. It will take some time to get used to but worth the time in adjustment. I must confess that at the end of the Mass, when the priest said, "The Lord Be With You," my response kind of came out, "And also (I caught myself) with your spirit."

For me, one highlight was the declaration of the creed, all of us in unison affirming, "I believe." The new translation gives us the opportunity for a more accurate statement of faith, using great phrases like "visible and invisible," as well as "consubstantial with the Father."

Several times during the Mass I wondered what it was like during the first Mass in English in the 1960's after a lifetime of the traditional Latin Rite. Talk about change! I imagine many found that day to feel like the end of the world as they knew it.

As a convert, I experienced some adjustment coming into the full communion of the Church after so many years of the Anglican liturgy. The responses, creed and Eucharistic prayers were very similar but not identical. While it took some time to become accustomed to the changes, soon it became a part of me. The same will be true for all of us with the new Mass translation.

Ironically, one of the hardest adjustments we had to make coming in was changing from "And with your spirit" to "And also with you." Yesterday was a welcome return.

So how did the rest of you do? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.

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Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online and the CEO/Associate Publisher for the Northern Virginia Local Edition of Catholic Online (http://virginia.catholic.org). He is a former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church who laid aside that ministry to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

Why are the words of the Catholic Mass changing?

Why are the words of the Catholic Mass changing? Fr. John Muir confronts the misconceptions about the changes with truth and clarity. Fr. John helps Catholic Youth Ministers understand the recent history behind the newest 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal and how it grows from the 1st and 2nd editions. He encourages us to rediscover the meaning behind the words and we use at Mass and how we can help lead teens through this transition.

<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/25419345?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="600"></iframe>
<a href="http://vimeo.com/25419345">New Roman Missal for Youth Ministers - Word for Word by Life Teen</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/lifeteen">Life Teen</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.

3 misonceptions about the New Roman Missal

 Catholic News Agency by Louis Verrecchio

 As the implementation date for the new English translation of the Roman Missal approaches (less than 180 days away at this point), now seems an appropriate time to address some of the more common misconceptions that are floating about. We’ll begin with the following three:

1. The new English translation of the Roman Missal isn’t necessarily better than the one currently in use, it’s just different!

Although comments of this nature are likely motivated by a sincere concern for the sensibilities of the faithful, I think they are ill advised and ultimately harmful.

The Church is both human and Divine, and we know that the human contribution will often stand in need of improvement as She journeys toward Heavenly perfection. Such is the case with the current translation, and acknowledging as much shouldn’t be a source of scandal for any of us.

So, why a new translation?

There is an old Latin phrase that comes to mind, lex orandi, lex credendi — loosely translated, as we pray so too do we believe. As such, the words of Holy Mass should communicate the richness of Church doctrine accurately at all times. Presently, however, they don’t always do so very well, and the new translation is an attempt to capture in English the theological clarity and depth of meaning that is found in the Latin original.

Now, we can spend the next six months lamenting whatever shortcomings may exist in the present text, but I think we’re all better served by looking forward and preparing ourselves to receive the improvements to come.

Secondly, the current translation was carried out using a method (called “dynamic equivalence”) that attempted to present the meaning of the Latin text apart from its form; putting it into the so-called “language of the people.” In so doing, translators deliberately produced “active voice” translations even when the original text was phrased in the “passive voice,” and this brought about some negative consequences. 

For example, in the current translation of the Roman Canon the priest now addresses God the Father saying, “You know how firmly we believe in You and dedicate ourselves to You.” There’s an inappropriate air of presumptuousness and self-affirmation evident in these words, is there not?

The corrected translation, however, will recapture the prayerful humility of the original text as the priest will petition the Father saying, “Remember, Lord, your servants and all gathered here, whose faith and devotion are known to you.”

Subtle, perhaps, but don’t underestimate the impact a shift in orientation back toward the Lord can have! Wherever the current liturgical text is overly focused on the speaker, it contributes to the erroneous perception of Holy Mass as an essentially human act of praise and worship when, in fact, it is truly nothing less than a Divine action — it is the worship of Jesus Christ offered to the Father into which we are invited to participate by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In addition to this, the new translation will also make more explicit the very important connection that exists between the text of the liturgy and its principal source — Sacred Scripture, a truth that is sometimes obscured in the current translation. (E.g., “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof…”)

Look, change is never easy, not even change for the better. All of us are being called to roll up our sleeves and get to work in order to prepare for the new text, and we need to be realistic. No one is motivated to undertake a substantial effort like this for a merely lateral move; e.g., “different not better.”

Well, the good news is, Holy Mother Church isn’t asking us to do anything of the sort. We are about to receive what can properly be called acorrection and therefore a vast improvement, and we needn’t be bashful about saying so.

2. The new translation of the Roman Missal with its elevated, formal, sacred language — which is not the way most people speak — will make “active participation” more difficult. It is, therefore, a step away from the reforms encouraged at Vatican Council II.

First, it’s important for us to understand what “active participation” truly means. (I wrote on this topic in greater detail here.) HINT: It isn’t what most people think it is.

Secondly, it’s worth noting that the Council employs the word “sacred” in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy more often than in any other document it produced - more than 60 times in reference to the liturgy and those things associated with it; e.g. “sacred music, sacred art, sacred buildings, sacred vestments, sacred ministers, sacred images,” and the list goes on.

The Council Fathers tell us that “every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others” (cf SC 7). This means that every single thing used in the celebration of Holy Mass — all that is perceptible to the senses — must also be sacred lest it serve to distract the faithful from the transcendent presence and action of Christ into which they are invited as participants. This would include, of course, the language that we use and the words that we speak at Holy Mass.

“Sacred” simply means “set apart for Divine worship; proper to things religious, not profane or proper to things secular.” When applied to language, this naturally means speaking in a manner unlike the way in which we typically engage in ordinary conversation and commerce. And guess what? English speaking Catholics already pray this way very comfortably in the Mass as the “Our Father” has always employed an elevated manner of speaking.

The more formal wording and sentence structure in the new translation will serve to elevate our awareness of what is actually taking place at Holy Mass, thereby enhancing our ability to participate in the manner in which the Council intended.

3. Yes, but the unfamiliar words and complicated sentence structures go against the Council’s own directive stating, “The rites should be distinguished by a noble simplicity; they should be short, clear, and unencumbered by useless repetitions; they should be within the people's powers of comprehension, and normally should not require much explanation” (SC 34).

Let’s be clear about what the Council Fathers are saying. One of the most important things that should be communicated in the celebration of Holy Mass is that we are taking part in something far greater than ourselves; something so great and so profound, in fact, that the Church properly refers to it as Sacred Mystery.

The Council is NOT saying that the perceptible signs in the liturgy are to be so simplistic as to make Holy Mass entirely comprehensible. This, in fact, is impossible! It is the very nature of the sacred liturgy to exceed the human capacity for full comprehension. It is not a finite subject to be taught; rather it is an invitation to enter into Divine union with the ineffable Christ that we might co-operate with Him in the work of Redemption.

By mistaking the conciliar exhortation above as a license to “dumb down” the rite (particularly in its English texts) in an attempt to fully communicate the indescribable glory of Christ’s operative presence in the Mass, we have anchored the feet of the faithful to the here-and-now at a time when their hearts and minds should be straining for elevation, into an experience of the Divine union that is offered.

Ironically, it is the current text — in spite of the translators’ attempts to make it readily comprehensible — that requires a great deal of explanation in order to alert the faithful to the fact that, appearances aside, we really aren’t taking part in the community’s act of praise and worship; rather, we are participating in something infinitely greater — the very work of God.

Narrowing the field down to just these three wasn’t easy, but was necessary in the interest of space. I’d like to invite readers to email me via the website below to suggest additional questions and/or possible misconceptions that they would like to see addressed in future columns.

Author and speaker Louie Verrecchio has been a columnist for Catholic News Agency since April 2009. He recently launched “Preparing the Way for the Roman Missal – Where the New Translation meets the New EvangelizationTM” available at http://www.missalprep.com/

Liturgical text far more than just a welcome mat

Catholic News Agency by Louie Verrecchio:

Last night I had the great pleasure of addressing a group of young adults at a “Theology on Tap” gathering on the topic of how best to begin preparing for the new English translation of the Roman Missal. It is so encouraging to witness the vibrancy of faith in this younger generation! (It’s also a sure sign that I’m getting old.)

During the Q&A portion of our time together I was somewhat surprised when a number of attendees sought an opinion on how the forthcoming translation is most likely to affect their non-Catholic friends during a visit to Holy Mass. They were concerned, it became known, that the new translation might somehow prove less “inviting” than the current text.

How ironic, I thought, that this topic would come up just days after Catholic News Service ran a story under the headline, “New Mass translation is ecumenically harmful, Anglican says.” (For the record, the young Catholics in attendance last night had apparently not read, and therefore were not influenced by, the CNS story to which we will return momentarily.)

The good news is that I sensed, for the most part, an authentic ecumenical fervor among the attendees; i.e., a desire not simply just to get along with their Christian friends, but rather a sincere longing to see those outside of the Catholic Church become Her visible members. It is also encouraging to note the fact that they very correctly identified Holy Mass — the centerpiece of our Catholic life — as the perfect venue (at least in theory) in which to introduce their friends to the unique presence and operations of Christ such as they dwell in the Catholic Church alone.

The bad news, however, is that their concern regarding the relative “welcomeness” of the new translation vis-à-vis non-Catholics is truly a symptom of a much larger problem — one that has been created in large measure by our blundered attempts to implement the liturgical reforms desired by the Fathers of Vatican Council II. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that Catholic identity as expressed through the perceptible signs used in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite has been so utterly decimated over the last four decades that it lies all but hidden from view in many places, and it will take far more than just the corrected Missal to restore it.

Intentionally or not, the aforementioned CNS story articulates very well the root of our Catholic identity crisis as it relates to the liturgical text. In it, Anglican Rev. David Holeton, a liturgist and professor at Charles University in Prague, states that other Christians were “both stunned and dismayed" when the Holy See decided to change the English texts of prayers that had been developed with their input in the years following the Council.

Also of concern to other Christians, according to Rev. Holeton, is that the Holy See has seen fit to discourage ecumenical consultation in the process of producing the new text, a point that he supported by quoting from “Liturgiam Authenticam” - the 2002 Instruction that was issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship to establish new guidelines for translating the sacred texts.

"Great caution is to be taken to avoid a wording or style that the Catholic faithful would confuse with the manner of speech of non-Catholic ecclesial communities or of other religions, so that such a factor will not cause them confusion or discomfort" (LA 40).

According to CNS, Rev. Holeton said that the use of common texts by dozens of Christian denominations around the world has created an environment in which English-speaking Christians, upon visiting one another's liturgies, experienced "a sense of familiarity" and a feeling that "they were not with strangers but among friends."

In Rev. Holeton’s view, "Both the sense of being 'at home' and of being 'among friends' are foundational paving stones on the way to Christian unity and it is the liturgy, more than anything else, that has nurtured this sense of communality."

One can hardly fault Rev. Holeton for feeling as though the carpet is being pulled from beneath his feet thanks to the new translation, after all, he’s viewing the matter from the perspective of one who wants very much to believe that his ecclesial community is every bit the “church” founded by Christ as the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Of course, the very premise is wholly unsustainable in the light of truth, but he is quite correct in recognizing that the current English text of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite gives the impression that it is the Church’s desire post-Vatican II to lend a degree of credence to his heretical theology.

Heretical? Ouch! Right? No, wrong!

In the current climate of ecumaniacism and political correctness, many people seem to insist on the use of castrated language to the point where it is no longer considered acceptable to acknowledge heresy even where such is obvious, and even when doing so is ultimately ordered toward the good of all concerned.

“Heresy” is a terrible thing, but it is not a dirty word, my friends; it is “the obstinate denial or doubt, after baptism, of a truth which must be believed by divine and catholic faith” (Code of Canon Law – 751), and it does neither Rev. Holeton nor those who embrace the theology he espouses any favors to pretend otherwise.

Speaking of political correctness, among the more provocative statements I made in talking with the young adults last night is that the Lord wills that every single human being be Catholic; that is, a fully incorporated visible member of the Catholic Church. Shocking? It really shouldn’t be, but I’m afraid to many a Catholic ear it really is.

Our modern culture tends to indiscriminately celebrate diversity in whatever form it may come, but make no mistake about it — the fact that the Christian world is comprised of Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists and on and on the list goes, is not a cause for rejoicing; it is the lamentable result of sin, and it most certainly isn’t the will of Him who founded but one Church and then prayed fervently for it to persevere in unity.

That’s a difficult truth for many to swallow nowadays, I know. I also know that it will jolt the system of some to read that Rev. Holeton, though we can certainly be friends, is sadly mistaken in believing that he is “at home” when visiting the liturgy of the Catholic Church even as he refuses to accept no small number of Her most fundamental teachings, and he is equally misguided in entertaining the notion that anything more than just a mere shadow of the “communality” that Christ wills for His Church can ever exist between us until he does.

Perhaps the saddest fact of all is that Rev. Holeton and countless others like him have the Catholic Church, in part, to blame for their errant ways of thinking. Why? Because the liturgy of the Ordinary Form over the last four decades, through many of its outward signs (including its English text), has communicated loud and clear (albeit inadvertently one can only hope) just exactly the kinds of falsehoods they are determined to believe.

And the Protestants aren’t the only ones who got the message. How else can one explain the fact that so many wayward Catholics have sought out greener liturgical pastures in the praise and worship services of the heretics? (Be honest, you still can’t seem to read that word without gasping, right? For their sake and yours, try to get over it.)

This also happens to be the reason why some of those passionate young adults to whom I spoke last night are apparently tending in thought toward the same false notion to which Rev. Holeton is clinging; namely, that the text of Holy Mass must function as a kind of welcome mat for non-Catholics upon whom we dare not impose even a modicum of culture shock.

Well, I say it’s high time that our non-Catholic visitors at Holy Mass receive exactly what they deserve — a barrage of truly sacred signs that unmistakably communicate the message “You ain’t in Kansas anymore, Toto; you’re at Heaven on earth!”

Yes, the new English translation of the Roman Missal is a tremendously important step in that direction, but let’s not placate ourselves too quickly. This alone isn’t enough to set things right as all the sacred, Latinized, metaphorical language in the world can easily get swallowed up in a liturgy that rests far too heavily on the personality of a priest who is facing his congregation, when the music is often more apropos an episode of Glee, and when armies of laity still insist on running around our sanctuaries in robes calling themselves ministers.

We have a long way to go indeed, but as the inimitable Fr. Z likes to say, “brick by brick.”

Author and speaker Louie Verrecchio has been a columnist for Catholic News Agency since April 2009. He recently launched “Preparing the Way for the Roman Missal – Where the New Translation meets the New EvangelizationTM” available at www.MissalPrep.com 

Mr. Verrecchio’s work, which includes the internationally acclaimed Harvesting the Fruit of Vatican II Faith Formation Series, has been endorsed by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia; Bishop Emeritus Patrick O’Donoghue of Lancaster, England, Bishop R. Walker Nickless of Sioux City, IA, USA and others. For more information please visit: www.harvestingthefruit.com

Scottish bishops approve use of New Roman Missal

David Kerr reports on the Scottish Bishops approval of the New Roman Missal at the Catholic News Agency Blog

Scotland’s bishops have become the latest to give their backing to the new English translation of the Roman Missal. The bishops said the new translation would gradually be introduced, beginning on Sept. 4.

“(W)e welcome the opportunity this affords to renew our faith in the Eucharist and in all aspects of its celebration,” Bishop Joseph Toal of Argyll & the Isles, head of the bishops’ liturgy commission, said in a statement to Scottish priests.

“Ours is a strong and very real faith in what happens at Mass and it is appropriate that the robust words used in Latin to express the human reality and our need for the Lord’s redeeming mercy are translated accordingly in English,” he added.

Bishop Toal said the new translation returns to “older, more traditional terminology.”

“This is particularly the case with regard to the words which encourage us never to lose sight of the unity between Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist, in which the Lord’s self-offering is made present for us in the sacrament of his Body and Blood,” he said.

The Scottish Church plans to deploy resources to priests, including DVDs and websites, to help them adapt to the changes.

The move comes as priests in some countries are threatening to boycott the new translation.

Father Sean McDonagh of the Association of Irish Priests told the New York Times April 12: “What we are asking of the bishops is to scrap this text. I know people are not going to use it. I wouldn’t use it, because everything I know in terms of theology and anthropology and linguistics, it breaches every one of those.”

Similar murmurings have arisen in the U.S. and Australia.

However, the man who chaired the international committee responsible for the new translation, Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, says he’s confident that such threats of protest will amount to nothing.

“I know a number of the priests don’t think these texts will be pastorally advantageous. One priest said he thought there might be 10 priests around Australia who’ll refuse to use them,” Cardinal Pell said in a March 31 video interview with the Archdiocese of Sydney.

But the Sydney cardinal thought that those priests will “all come on board because as soon as their congregation hears the new prayers they’ll say, ‘What’s the fuss about? What on earth are we going to be splitting the Church about on this for?’”

The new translation will be introduced in its full form to U.S. parishes on Nov. 27. On the same day, parishes in the U.K. will begin using the full missal, after having only used the revised Order of the Mass, the prayers and responses between Sept. 4 and that day.

New kids on the block

New Kids on the Block

Preparing the way for the Roman Missal...

from The Catholic News Agency by Louie Verrecchio

Over the past year, I’ve spoken with countless individuals – from regular lay folk to educators, deacons to bishops - about the great blessing that is coming our way in the new English translation of the Roman Missal, and it seems to me that the overwhelming majority of Catholics tend to share my enthusiasm for the forthcoming corrections to the liturgical text. (And we need to be honest; this is exactly what we’re awaiting in large measure; a long overdue attempt to correct the poorly done and unnecessarily rushed translations that have been in use over the last four decades.)

I’ve also been keeping an eye on news items and blog posts on the topic as well, and wouldn’t you know it, the naysayers are getting more than their fair share of attention in some circles; so much so, that if one didn’t know any better it would seem that a major crisis is at hand rather than a great blessing.

This is what I call the “Global Missal Dissent System” in action. Here’s how it works:

Some small group of Catholic dissenters loosely organized under an official sounding name, or perhaps even a single left-leaning individual with an impressive pedigree (ideally clerical in both cases), raises a red flag or two about the new translation. In neither instance can the case be made that the opinions expressed are representative of the broader Catholic population much less the hierarchy, but undaunted, sympathetic media types seize the opportunity to create the illusion that some sort of popular uprising is in the offing.      

Well, it’s “crunch time.” It’s time to begin preparing the way for the Roman Missal – Third Edition in earnest. It’s time to discern between the reasonable concerns of faithful Catholics and the petty delay tactics of foot-dragging progressives, and that means it’s time to address some of the more well-traveled opinions being expressed by those who are at pains to paint the new translation as a disaster in the making.

Let me begin, however, by saying that some of the concerns being voiced about the forthcoming Missal may be entirely valid, even if the hyperbolic doomsday predictions that sometimes accompany them are not. It serves no one to pretend otherwise.

For example, a number of well qualified theologians, Latinists and clergy covering a broad spectrum of ideological and theological orientations have expressed dismay over the process of the translation. 

Apparently, the text that we now await reflects changes that were made in 2010 by the Congregation for Divine Worship to some of the previously approved text that was submitted by the bishops’ conferences and the International Commission on English in the Liturgy in 2008. These changes (to the priest’s parts alone) are not necessarily “upgrades,” shall we say, in each and every case.

To this I would simply point out that the work of translation can often be as much an art as a science, and in the present case, we’re talking about a monumental task that was undertaken by a diverse group of individuals with wide-ranging ideas and ambitions. It is entirely unreasonable, therefore, for us to expect that everyone will agree upon what makes for the “perfect” or even the preferred translation in all circumstances.

Truth be told; it is entirely probable that some of the text we eventually receive will reflect, at times, what only a powerful minority of decision makers considered to be the best translation available. (Sound familiar?) To which I say, welcome to human affairs!

There is no doubt that the new translation will have room for even greater improvement in some places, and guess what? That doesn’t mean the sky is falling. Neither does any evidence of flaws in the process or the human beings involved mean that the Church itself is flawed in Her authoritative structures as some commentators (and their friends in the media) would have you believe. 

Among other noteworthy concerns receiving gratuitous media attention is a recent news item, disseminated the world over by a large Catholic news organization, reporting that the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland (ACP) “has made an urgent plea to the country's bishops to postpone the introduction of the new English translation of the missal for at least another five years.”

The reasons behind ACP’s “urgent plea” were given considerable ink in the story; among them, allegations leveled by a priest who claims that the text is “archaic, elitist and obscure.” Another priest was quoted in the story as saying that the Missal “is not acceptable,” warning that “if these new texts are imposed, they could create chaos in our church.”

The writer made it a point to let readers know that similar concerns “have been raised in English-speaking countries around the world, including the United States and Canada,” but for some reason she failed to offer even one solitary quote in defense of the new translation. This in spite of the fact that she has ready access to the U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat for Divine Worship and any number of its members who would have happily provided a much needed counterpoint. (Msgr. Anthony Sherman and Fr. Rick Hilgartner come to mind.)

The ACP statement from which this story was presumably taken includes, though the writer chose not to report it, the time-honored whine that the new translation “will insult and offend women who will be rightly enraged by the continued deliberate use of non-inclusive language,” even though the sacred Magisterium has articulated its position on this matter rather clearly. (E.g., see Liturgiam Authenticam – 30, 31.)

The unreported reality is that ACP is little more than a small left-wing splinter group of dissenters whose founding objectives include “establishing a Church where all believers will be treated as equal” (because clearly that’s not the case today?), a “re-evaluation of Catholic sexual teaching” (you can only imagine which ones), and placing “special emphasis” on such “teachings of the Second Vatican Council” as “the primacy of the individual conscience;” a canard that all but the truly delusional recognize as wholesale rubbish. (See here.)

Long story short, had this story been reported responsibly, most well informed readers would have immediately recognized ACP’s “spirit of Vatican II” credentials and their utter lack of credibility in the matter. As it is, however, this lopsided “news” item was promptly reprinted by those anxious to create the illusion of a groundswell of opposition to the new translation. If one were not careful to consider sources, it might seem that all is doom and gloom when in fact it is not.

Now that is not to say that the new English translation of the Roman Missal doesn’t represent a real challenge for us; on many levels, it certainly does.

For one, it is a challenge to liturgical pride. After four decades of allowing our creative impulses and personal tastes to exercise undue influence on how we “do liturgy,” it’s going to take great humility and the assistance of God’s grace for us to willingly “subordinate ourselves to the Divine” at Holy Mass, but according to the Council Fathers this is exactly what the liturgy requires of us (cf SC 2). 

It will be a challenge for many of us to embrace the fact that “the visible signs used by the liturgy to signify invisible divine things have been chosen by Christ or the Church,” including, of course, the language that we use and the words that we speak (SC 33).

It’s not going to be easy, as Pope Benedict said, for many “to adjust to unfamiliar texts after nearly 40 years of continuous use of the previous translations.”

Yes, it will be a challenge on many levels, but challenges such as these are nothing more than the gateway to God’s blessings. In fact, if you think about it; challenge and gift simply go together, don’t they?

So the next time you encounter a news item or a blog post about the pending liturgical disaster and the altruistic, self-appointed saviors who are rising up to protect God’s people, regardless of the apparent credibility of either the protagonists or the news source, take a step back and remind yourself of what Pope Benedict said of the forthcoming Missal:

“Through these sacred texts and the actions that accompany them, Christ will be made present and active in the midst of His people.”

And for that we can all say, thanks be to God!

A tribute to the "Gather" hymnal

With the new Mass translations coming out this year, the "Gather" hymnal will sadly become obsolete. With that in mind, I composed a tribute medley to some of the best songs contained therein. Unfortunately, I didn't have a hymnal around when I was tracking this, so I did the best I could to remember the lyrics from memory. Enjoy!

Preparing for the 1st Sunday of Advent: New Roman Missal explanations

from osv.com

Theological quibbling. At first glance, that’s how some of the forthcoming changes to the English-language translation of the Roman Missal might appear. The difference between words and phrases such as “consubstantial” and “one in being,” or “And also with you” and “And with your spirit,” seem to contain within them echoes of the classic Gershwin tune “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.” It’s all to-may-toes and to-mah-toes, po-tay-toes and po-tah-toes.

But, in fact, that’s not how it is at all.

The Mass, for as poetic as it can sound, is no Gershwin tune. The words it contains aren’t there for their rhyming potential. They’re there because they mean something, because they say something true and important about God, the world and the human condition.

Many of those words were first used in the Mass by apostles, saints and Church Fathers. They were drawn from the scrolls of Hebrew Scripture and the written and oral tradition of the Church. Some are the words of Christ. Others are the words of those who followed him. Through the centuries, the faithful have given their lives to say those words. They’ve also given their lives to ensure that the right words were said.

For all those reasons and more, the words of the Mass matter. They matter a great deal. That’s why the forthcoming changes to the translation that English-speaking Catholics use in the Sacred Liturgy aren’t about theological quibbling or liturgical minutiae. It’s most definitely not to-may-toes and to-mah-toes. It’s serious business … albeit serious business that takes a bit of time and study to understand.

So, what are some of the changes Catholics will encounter starting on Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent, that seem small but are actually quite significant?

Free Glory To God using the new ICEL translation (Roman Missal)

from patheos.com by Elizabeth Scalia

Having long begged my musician sons to please try to compose a singable, non-bombast-filled-nor-sickly-sweet-nor-plodding “Gloria” to replace the two (just two) versions all of the local parishes have used for at least three decades, I rejoiced to see a new “Gloria” being made available in accordance with the soon-to-be released revisions to the Roman Missal.

I admit, on my first listen of Jeff Ostrowski’s treatment, I was not sure I liked it.

On re-listening a few times, I have decided that the composition itself is pretty good, and I could find myself happily singing this as opposed to the stuff we’re singing now – there is a reverence and seriousness to the piece, but it is not overly somber, and I like that; the Gloria is a perfect hymn of praise – there’s gotta be a little joy in that!

But I am as convinced as ever that no Gloria composed to fit English can fully serve; the Gloria needs the Latin, and I say this as someone who has no particular desire to return to the Latin mass. I’d be very happy with a Mass that was mostly in English, but brought in the Latin for the Gloria, the Pater Noster and the Angus Dei.

New Mass translation to be used in England ans Wales parishes starting in September

from catholicherald.co.uk

The new English translation of the Order of Mass will be used in parishes in England and Wales from September, it was announced today.

The bishops’ conference said it would be introduced into parishes three months before the new Missal is published in Advent and would thus provide an opportunity for “in-depth catechesis on the Eucharist and renewed devotion in the manner of its celebration”.

The bishops also announced the creation of a website and a DVD to prepare the faithful for the transition.

They confirmed that the new Roman Missal was complete and that the Holy See had given its recognitio.

Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds, chairman of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), which drafted the new text, said it was “a tremendous opportunity for the Church in England and Wales to learn about our faith and the Mass”.

The bishop said: “The new translation is a great gift to the Church. The Mass is at the heart of what the Church is, it is where we deepen our faith in Christ and are nourished by him so that we can glorify the Lord by our lives.

“In the new translation we find a text that is more faithful to the Latin text and therefore a text which is richer in its theological content and allusions to the scriptures but also a translation which, I believe, will move people’s hearts and minds in prayer.”

The bishop said he hoped people would use resources provided by the bishops’ conference to prepare for the new translation.

He cited a DVD produced by ICEL, called Become One Body One Spirit in Christ, which has already been sent out to parishes. It features six hours of footage of experts talking about various aspects of the Mass. Bishop Roche said it would help people “uncover the riches that the Eucharist offers us”.

What to expect with the new Missal

from chantcafe.com

As with the Y2K hysteria of ten years ago, it is easy to find apocalyptic warnings about the dreadful fate that is going to befall the English-speaking Catholic world on November 27, 2011, which is the first Sunday of Advent, the day on which the new Missal with its new English translation will be implemented.

We hear of the “trauma” we will experience, how disastrous splits are going to surround us not only between parishes but within them, how people are going to be even more shocked and stunned by the new translation than they were in 1969 when the entire Missal moved from Latin to English.

But just as with Y2K, I expect no disaster at all. In fact, I believe the opposite. There will be no shock and awe. It will be different but it won’t be startling. It will change us as a people but only gradually over time. In the end, the changes will be dramatic but essentially organic. I’m happy to revisit this column one year from the implementation date to see if these five predictions about the new Missal hold up.

Continue to read...

'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.

Meeting Jesus in the new Roman Missal

Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre uses the video clip above to invite young Catholics to go beyond simply learning the words of the new translation of the Roman Missal and to embrace it and to allow the revised Missal to bring them closer to Jesus and to others. It's a message we can all take to heart as we begin to explore the new changes and make them part of our collective language. The new translation will go into effect in Advent 2011, so we have one year to get used to the idea.

You can also access Bishop Murphy's new pastoral on this subject, "Belong More Deeply," by clicking HERE.

With Your Spirit: Preparing for the New Translation of the Mass

Fr. James Farfaglia celebrating Mass

from Catholic Online...

At the root of our present liturgical crisis within the ordinary form of the Roman Rite is not the form in and of itself, but the negation that there is an essential difference between the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial priesthood. "And with your spirit" authentically expresses in human language this essential difference. We need to understand with precision that the liturgical assembly is comprised of two essentially different groups of people: the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial priesthood. Both have different functions within the liturgical assembly. Each is a form of participation in the mystery.

I am very excited that the new English translation of the ordinary form of the Roman Rite Catholic Mass will go into effect on the First Sunday of Advent 2011.

After having discussed important background information on this topic, let us begin to take a closer look at the actual changes that will take place.

Perhaps the biggest change that people will have to get accustomed to is the use of the literal translation of "Et cum spiritu tuo." Currently the priest says: "The Lord be with you" and the people respond: "And also with you." With the new translation, the response is: "And with your spirit."

Jeffrey Pinyan, in his excellent book Praying the Mass: the Prayers of the People, points out that English is the only major language of the Roman Rite that did not translate the Latin word spiritu. For example, the Spanish "Y con tu espiritu" is a precise translation of the Latin text.

Why is the difference between "with you" and "with your spirit" so crucial?

The literal translation of "Et cum spiritu tuo" as "And with your spirit" expresses precisely the essential difference between the priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial priesthood.

The Vatican II document The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium repeats and affirms the teaching of the Council of Trent when it states: "Though they differ from one another in essence and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless interrelated: each of them in its own special way is a participation in the one priesthood of Christ."

"The ministerial priest, by the sacred power he enjoys, teaches and rules the priestly people; acting in the person of Christ, he makes present the Eucharistic sacrifice and offers it to God in the name of all the people. But the faithful, in virtue of their royal priesthood, join in the offering of the Eucharist. They likewise exercise that priesthood in receiving the sacraments, in prayer and thanksgiving, in the witness of a holy life, and by self-denial and active charity" (II, 10).

We need to understand with precision that the liturgical assembly is comprised of two essentially different groups of people: the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial priesthood. Both have different functions within the liturgical assembly. In order for our liturgical celebrations to be an authentic expression of our Catholic Faith, it is vital for each member of the assembly to understand who they are so that they can do what they are supposed to do.

At the root of our present liturgical crisis within the ordinary form of the Roman Rite is not the form in and of itself, but the negation that there is an essential difference between the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial priesthood. "And with your spirit" authentically expresses in human language this essential difference.

Cardinal Francis George, OMI explained the importance of "And with your spirit" when he said: "Our current translation might seem more personal and friendly, but that's the problem. The spirit referred to in the Latin is the spirit of Christ that comes to a priest when he is ordained, as St. Paul explained to St. Timothy. In other words, the people are saying in their response that Christ as head of the Church is the head of the liturgical assembly, no matter who the particular priest celebrant may be. That is a statement of faith, a statement distorted by transforming it in an exchange of personal greetings."

Lex orandi, lex credendi (what we pray is what we believe) and Lex credendi, lex orandi (what we believe is what we pray) is an essential principle to keep in mind as we prepare ourselves to embrace the new translation of the ordinary form of the Roman Rite.

The emphasisand clarity concerning the essential difference between the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial priesthood is carried further in the Offertory with the correct translation of the Latin "meum ac vestrum sacrificium".

Currently the priest says: "Pray brethren that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father." The correct translation of the Latin is: "Pray brethren that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father."

However, let us continue this important discussion in my next article.