Changes in Mass Translation To Be Explained Thursday Night
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Published on Tuesday, 15 November 2011 19:15
"And also with you" will give way to the older formulation "And with your spirit," on the Feast of Christ the King, Sunday, Nov. 27, as one of several significant changes to the English translation of the Roman Missal to be introduced at the commencement of Advent. The revisions to the missal -- the book used by the priest containing all the prayers and instructions for the mass -- will be explained from 7-8 pm this Thursday in the Oratory.
The changes, which are taking effect throughout Catholic churches in the United States, are aimed at providing a precise translation from the original Latin and elevating the language to one that is "more stately" than is used now, as Pastor Robert Tatman described it in a recent interview. The revised English translation of the Roman Missal will also provide prayers for the observance of recently canonized saints and other updates to liturgical prayer.
As Fr. Tatman explained, the new mass translation does not mean there will be radical changes in rubrics, nor should people expect at this time that the priest will face in a different direction and that altar rails will return. "Fundamentally, the revisions are about providing language that is accurate to the original Latin and that has a dignity appropriate to what we are doing - talking to God," he says. "The new, more stately wording disposes us to a greater awareness of the Presence we're addressing," he continued, "which was already present in the Latin."
Prayer responses will be changing, so cards carrying the newly translated prayers, with the changes clearly visible in boldface (shown at right), will be placed in the pews, where Father wants them to stay. "They're printed on good card stock because they are supposed to remain in the pews over the next weeks as people familiarize themselves with the new wording. So people shouldn't leave with them," he emphasized with a chuckle.
Fr. Tatman expects it will be only natural that there will be some stumbling as people break with entrenched formulations used for decades. "After all, there will be times when the priests will forget the new wording themselves,"
Is the adjustment worth the effort? Fr. Tatman's opinion is clear. "The words we'll pray now will more accurately reflect the truth -- for instance, when the people respond to the priest, and with your spirit, they will be acknowledging that during the mass, the priest acts in persona Christi. And the revisions will help us all realize that when we are in church, we are in the very courts of God."
A guide to the new responses, showing the changes, is available at the website of the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops here.
