Catholic Mass to get new text today

It was time to get out the reading glasses this weekend as the language of the Roman Catholic Mass changed for the first time in nearly 40 years.

The changes, based on a new translation of the Roman Missal, cleave more closely to the original Latin and was to debut throughout the English-speaking world on this, the first Sunday of Advent.

It is a season of watchfulness and, indeed, the faithful needed to pay greater attention to the prayers and responses they had recited by rote for decades.

“We have to be patient with ourselves and … we all hope to be patient with each other,” the Rev. Joseph Doyle said in his homily at The Roman Catholic Church of St. Anne in Fair Lawn on Saturday evening.

“If we are to break old habits, we have to be alert,” Doyle said. “When we pray and we pray in a new way, we may pay more attention to what we are doing and not just mouthing nice-sounding words.”

The bulk of the new language involves the parts recited by the priest during Mass. But there are some significant changes for parishioners as well.

There were a few miscues at evening Mass. In response to the priest’s blessing, “The Lord be with you,” about half the congregation went with the old “And also with you” rather than the new “And with your spirit.”

But, all in all, people seemed to embrace the changes as they followed along on laminated sheets provided by the Archdiocese of Newark.

“It’s going to take a little time,” said John Vaughan, a parishioner at St. Anne’s for 45 years. “But it’s refreshing, it rejuvenates what we had before.”

Most agreed with their church’s theologians that the new translation better conveyed the weight of their faith.

“Whatever brings us closer to God is important,” said Mary Ann Macaluso, a longtime parishioner. “It’s great because it’s wakening our attention and making us more responsive and alert.

Her husband, Peter Macaluso, added, “Some of it seems minor, but nothing is minor when it comes to words.”

Closer to original

The church says the third edition of the Roman Missal, which contains the prayers and instructions for the Mass, is more faithful to the original Latin and more inclusive of scriptural reference. The missal also contains prayers used for special Masses, such as those for weddings and funerals.

Church leaders conceded that some of the language might take a while to master, since it is more formal and less colloquial. In the Nicene Creed, recited by those in the pews at Mass, the phrase “one in being with the father,” which refers to Jesus, will be replaced by “consubstantial with the Father.”