Advent marks the start of a new translation of the Catholic Mass

Forty years ago, the Catholic church decided Mass could be
celebrated in the native language of its congregations.

So the Roman missal was quickly translated from Latin into
English, Spanish, French, Vietnamese and many more languages.

The English version, while accurate in concepts and ideas, was
not literal in its translation. And in 2001, the pope issued
Liturgiam Authenticam (authentic liturgy) to provide translators of
any language the guidelines for translating scriptures.

So for the past decade, the Roman missal — the book of
instructions and texts needed to say Mass — has been painstakingly
re-translated to accurately reflect the exact words spoken in the
Latin Mass for 1,700 years.

On Nov. 27, the beginning of Advent, all Catholic Masses spoken
in English will reflect the new translation. And for the first time
in four decades, English-speaking Catholics will pray like the rest
of the Catholic world.

For priests and parishioners alike, it means new twists to the
old prayers and responses committed to memory over their
lifetimes.

“Certainly change is difficult, especially when it becomes a
tradition in your own personal life,” said Monsignor Joseph Nemec
of Lincoln’s St. Teresa Parish and head of the Lincoln Diocese’s
liturgical commission.

In fact, the current translation is the only English Mass Nemec
has ever led; he was ordained in 1984.

For much of the past year, Nemec has helped priests and others
in the diocese prepare for the switch.

“Change is good … but we will have to think a little about
what we are saying,” Nemec said.

As for priests leading worship: “We will have our eyes on the
book on the altar a little more.”

Parishioners will have pew cards — a cheat sheet of sorts — to
help them learn the new responses and prayers.

Nemec is confident people will adjust quickly to the new
translation. But some have wondered why the change. After all, it’s
been the Catholic Mass for four decades.

During the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), it was agreed
that Mass, previously always celebrated in Latin, could now be
given in the vernacular of its congregations. The translated missal
became the official version in 1970, and the English version has
been published in the United States since 1973.

That version was the “dynamic equivalent” of the Latin Roman
missal. The new translation taking effect Nov. 27 is a “formal
equivalency,” Nemec said.

He compares the two translations to the greetings in a
letter.

“I used to receive letters addressed ‘Dear Monsignor’ — and to
me it was a proper way to write,” he said. “Today, most emails
begin with ‘Hey.’”

The long-used English translation of the Roman missal is the
“hey” greeting version.

It works, but “something is lost — a formality, a respect …
something more special,” Nemec said.

“The new translation brings out much better the reverence to God
and the theological points more clearly.”

For example, the old English translation talks of two types of
angels — angels and archangels.

“But there are nine choirs of angels,” Nemec said. “Now we will
hear more about those choirs of angels. It is important to have
that theology in Mass.”

The new translation contains dozens of revisions. Some seem
minor, such as the change at the beginning of the Nicene Creed,
which Catholics once began with “We believe.” Now they will say, “I
believe.” And instead of saying “Glory to you Lord,” the wording is
now “Glory to you O Lord.”

Other revisions are more jarring and at times sound unnatural,
particularly to the American vernacular.

For example, just before Communion Catholics say, “Lord, I am
not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be
healed.”

In the new translation they say, “Lord, I am not worthy that you
should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall
be healed.”

The wording seems awkward until you understand the context,
writes Mary DeTurris Poust, author of “The Essential Guide to
Catholic Prayer and the Mass.”

“The response takes us once again back to Scripture, when the
Roman centurion comes to Jesus seeking healing for his servant.
(Matthew 8:8 and Luke 7:6) Jesus offers to go to the soldier’s
home, but the centurion responds: ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have
you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant shall be
healed.’

“At that moment, as we are about to receive Communion, we, too
are preparing to welcome Jesus under the roof of our bodies. Do we
have faith like the Roman soldier, believing that if Jesus but says
the word we will be healed and ready to receive him?” Poust
wrote.

In the new translation, the Nicene Creed now contains the word
“consubstantial.” Parishioners used to say “one in being with the
Father,” and they now will say “consubstantial with the
father.”

The language shifts will take time to get used to, Nemec said,
but ultimately they will enhance the Mass.

“If you go back and read the Constitution or the Declaration of
Independence, the language seems odd to us. But to change it would
not be the right thing to do. It reflects that formality and beauty
of the time. It’s historical language and a very beautiful
language,” he said.

“Liturgical language is not the language of the streets.
Immediately when you hear it and see it, it takes you some place
that is fitting for the liturgical worship of God. I think that is
probably good.

“I have gone over many, many parts and prayers and compared a
lot of the present translation with the new translation,” he said.
“I believe it is a very significant improvement.”

Reach Erin Andersen at 402-473-7217 or
eandersen@journalstar.com

An Elegy for the Sacramentary

There has been a great deal of ink spilled (and pixels posted) over the new English translation of the Mass, that is, the new edition of the Roman Missal, which will be formally introduced into American parishes this coming Sunday.  Even the secular media has gotten wind of the changes, with the result that by now most Massgoing Catholics are aware of the changeover, as well as the discussions surrounding the new translations and the process that led to their approval.  (Surveys show that less active Catholics are much less aware.)  In short–depending on who you read–it’s a beautiful translation that preserves the majesty of the original Latin; or it’s not much of a change at all; or it’s an overly literal translation that sounds clunky.

Which is it? It’s probably unfair to judge until a few months have passed, and the priests and people have had the chance to hear and speak and pray with the changes.

Yet while there have been an enormous amount of commentary on the initiation of the new Roman Missal, there has been relatively less about the loss of the Sacramentary (the book of the Mass prayers) and an appreciation for the riches it brought to the church for the last few decades.

Any significant change is like a death; and so any change brings about the need for some grieving.  You sell a house and buy a new one; and you are sad about the loss of the old one–even if your new house is more spacious.  You move from one job to another; and you shed a few tears saying goodbye to old colleagues–even if you’re looking forward to the new position.  You graduate from high school to college, and even if it’s your top choice, you cry at your graduation. 

It would be odd, therefore, not to acknowledge some sadness over the passing of something so central to Catholic life as what will soon be called the “old” Sacramentary.  Even if you are eagerly anticipating the new translations, something significant is moving into the past, and is being lost.

So let me say something: I will miss the old prayers, even as I prepare for the new ones.  I’m 50 years old, which means that by the time I was conscious of the Eucharist–say, around 1967–the Mass was being celebrated in English.  I dimly remember saying things like “It is right and just” as a very young boy, which was most likely a holdover from the early Mass translations after the Second Vatican Council.  But, for the most part, my entire Catholic life has been shaped by the familiar prayers of the Sacramentary, the book that we are leaving behind this coming Sunday.

Those prayers accompanied me as I marched up the aisle, hands folded tight, for my First Holy Communion and Confirmation in our suburban Philadelphia parish; they helped me to pray during some confusing high school years in that same church; they taught me about God during my college days in Philadelphia when I dragged myself (sometimes hungover) to Sunday Mass; they challenged me during my stint as a wannabe executive in New York City; and they startled me at times, and eventually helped prompt me to consider the priesthood, when I was working in Connecticut in my late twenties.

As a Jesuit novice in Boston in the late 1980s, I listened far more intently to those prayers and grew to love their simplicity.  One virtue of the prayers of the Sacramentary was their clarity, their economy, their clean lines.  They seemed, well, natural, and sounded like the prayers I said when I was alone with God.  And in the novitiate, when I began to attend daily Mass (a first for me), it seemed as if I was hearing some of those old phrases for the first time: “You renew the church in every age.”  “Each year you give us this joyful season.”  “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you.” “Happy are those who are called to his supper.”   How wonderful that these prayers, which I had said as an eight-year-old, could deepen in me.  In this way my adult faith felt profoundly connected to that of my youth.

Over the next few years, during my Jesuit training, I would hear those prayers during philosophy studies in Chicago, when I prayed them with Jesuits from across the country; and in Nairobi, Kenya, where I would hear them said, and sung, with an East African accent.  Later, during theology studies in Boston, I began to wonder what it would be like to say the priest’s prayers.  But I certainly didn’t need to “learn” them any more than I needed to learn the Our Father; I had known them all my life.  All I needed to do was grow in comfort at praying them in a new way.  A few weeks before my diaconate ordination, my sister and brother-in-law gave me a great gift: the Sacramentary, and I began to study it in earnest.  And on the day of my first Mass, I could barely believe that I had the privilege to say these words: “Father, you are holy indeed…”

As many priests will tell you, it takes a while to move from saying the prayers of the Mass to praying them.  From feeling like you are performing to praying with the congregation.  And at some point I know I will feel comfortable with the new English translation.

Last week I celebrated what was probably my last “public Mass” (that is, outside my Jesuit community) using the Sacramentary, and as I moved for the final time through the words that I’ve known since I was a boy, I became sad.  Most likely I would never hear some of these phrases again.  And as I stood at the altar, my mind went back to, oddly, my First Communion: I had heard these same words on that day.  Other priests have shared with me their sadness as we set aside these familiar words, phrases and cadences.

As we move to the new, let’s not forget the value of the old.  After all, tradition is an important part of the church, and we would be remiss if there was not an elegy for the old Sacramentary, the prayers of our youth: simple, clean, clear, direct, unadorned, beautiful. 

James Martin, SJ

Catholic Mass about to see big changes Sunday mornings

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DENVER – The wording of prayers recited at Sunday Mass has undergone another translation.

This has been a huge undertaking for the Catholic Church since the newly-translated text is practically word-for-word with the original Latin.

This new translation takes effect on Sunday, Nov. 27.

Over the centuries following Jesus’ death, liturgical prayers were tinkered with somewhat.

The very first publication of the Roman Missal was published in 1570.

The First Edition didn’t change much until 1975 when the Second Edition was published *in English.*

The Catholic Church expected that English translation would need closer attention someday.

In 2002, Pope John Paul II introduced this third edition of the Roman Missal.

In August 2010, the Vatican approved the English translation of the Third Edition of the Missal.

After more than a year of preparation and the printings of holy books, the new words will be formally included in Catholic Masses Thanksgiving Weekend.

Sunday, Nov. 27 is the first Sunday of Advent as well as the first weekend of the new liturgical year in the Catholic Church.

Here is how specific these translations are: Currently, a priest refers to a “cup.” The original Latin word is “calix.” The true translation for “calix” is “chalice,” a very specific glass that is present in scripture. It is no ordinary “cup.”

Until priests and church-goers alike get used to the new word, it will seem very different.

At the very beginning of the Catholic Mass, a priest says “The Lord be with you.” In return, the congregation says “And also with you.” However, starting at masses on Sunday, Nov. 27, the parish will respond to that same line by saying, “and with your spirit.”

Almost every line is being altered.

The Church hopes Catholics will rediscover the meaning of the words that they recite each week.

To see some of the differences in translations: http://old.usccb.org/romanmissal/peoplesparts.pdf.

Another helpful explainer on the New Roman Missal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oIf9ceELeQfeature=youtu.be.

(KUSA-TV © 2011 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)

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Language of Mass set to change; Words to Catholic prayers ‘more noble’

HACKENSACK, N.J. — The language of the Roman Catholic Mass is about to change for the first time in nearly 40 years, as a new missal translation debuts throughout the English-speaking world on the last Sunday of the month.

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.

But some worry that it’s more obtuse than inspired, and even those who embrace the changes are expecting a linguistically bumpy ride as legions of Catholics are forced from the rote script they have followed since childhood.

“Those who have it memorized will be going off the rails at times, but that’s OK,” said the Rev. Bob Stagg, pastor of the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, N.J. “We’re going to make a lot of mistakes for a long time. But it will cause us to focus and pay more attention and that will be of value.”

Church leaders concede that some of the language might not immediately roll off the tongue. 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.”

The word “consubstantial’ — created by the church in the 1300s to indicate both the divine and human nature of Christ — is likely only familiar to theologians. However, church leaders say the word better conveys Christian belief, as does another change in the creed in which the phrase “born of the Virgin Mary” will be replaced with “was incarnate of the Virgin Mary.”

“The new texts recover many of the biblical allusions that were lost in the previous translation,” said Paterson Bishop Arthur Serratelli, who has worked for the past four years with the Vatican and clergy and scholars around the world to help craft the new translation. “The language itself is much more noble and uplifting.”

The new missal will be used beginning Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent, which is the monthlong spiritual preparation for Christmas. The missal also contains prayers used for special Masses, such as those for weddings and funerals.

The new translation contains mostly small but sometimes substantial changes. When the priest greets the congregation with “The Lord be with you” the faithful will reply “And with your spirit” rather than “And also with you.”

He noted that the new language, in its formality, better conveys the greater weight of the church’s spiritual beliefs.

In the communal confession at the beginning of Mass, the words “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault” were added. And confessors now will say they have greatly sinned, instead of just sinned.

But the bulk of the changes are in parts spoken by the celebrants, or priests. The new missal seems less idiomatic or colloquial and more poetic than the previous translation.

“It’s more formal and more literal, so it’s going to make everything sound different,” said the Rev. Tom Dente, director of the office of Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Newark.

In transforming the bread and wine into Holy Communion, the priest will now ask God for blessings “by sending down your spirit upon them like the dewfall” — a scriptural reference missing in the earlier translation.

“After saying Mass one way for over 30 years, it’s going to take some time to get used to,” said the Rev. Michael J. Sheehan, pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Church in River Edge. “We’ll have to get used to some of the more intricate phrases and try to understand why these translations can make a difference in the way we pray. … People will come to see how it can enhance spirituality.”

The changes will seem abrupt for some, especially in an institution that tends to measure changes by centuries. But the new translation was nearly a decade in the making, and was approved by U.S. bishops in 2005 and the Holy See in 2010. Both the Paterson Diocese and the Archdiocese of Newark have been prepping priests and parishioners for months, and some parishes have already introduced some elements.

“Some people are interpreting this as a step back but in the big picture it is a step forward,” Dente said. He noted that the new language, in its formality, better conveys the greater weight of the church’s spiritual beliefs.

And if the faithful made the jump from Latin Mass following Vatican II in the 1960s, most say it shouldn’t be too long before people get the hang of the new text.

“It’s for holiness and clarity,” said Pat Dippel, leaving a recent morning Mass at the Church of St. Philip the Apostle in Clifton. “If it makes sense, then it will catch on quickly.”

“It won’t be hard,” said Julia Ruccione. “Whatever (the church) decides, we’ll have to learn.”

Story Tags: Tom Dente, Michael J. Sheehan, Apostle Church, Pat Dippel, Church of the Presentation

Faces of Faith: Changes to the Catholic Mass

By Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor

(CNN)–Big changes are coming to the Catholic Mass on Thanksgiving weekend as the church enters the liturgical season of advent.

The changes are to English translations of the original Latin of the Roman Missal, which guides Catholic worship services.

Congregants used to reciting the Mass from memory will have to utilize pew cards with updates to the Mass.

In this week’s installment of Faces of Faith, CNN’s Athena Jones explores what the changes will mean for Catholic congregants and clergy.

You can read more about the changes coming to the Mass and the potential confusion those changes might bring from CNN’s Belief Blog here as well.

Over at Time Magazine Elizabeth Dias gives a breakdown of the changes as well and points out, “If anything, it’ll be a new way to tell who hasn’t been to church in a while.”

Watch CNN Newsroom weekdays 9am to 3pm ET and weekends. For the latest from the CNN Newsroom click here.

Catholic Mass to Undergo Changes

Starting Nov. 26, worshippers at St. Patrick Catholic Church, and English-speaking Catholic churches around the world, will note minor changes to the Mass. Since 1974 the language of the Mass has gone untouched, but in 2000, Pope John Paul II announced a revised translation of the Roman Missal.

This is the third time the Roman Missal has undergone changes.

“It doesn’t affect any Bible translations, Gospel readings or hymns,” said Michael Chesley, deacon for St. Patrick Catholic Church in White Lake. “The biggest change will be the responses from the people.”

“The mass has not changed, but the words will sound different,” he said. “They will be richer and more profound, and we’ll be using terms we haven’t used in a long time.”

Some of the changes include the response to, “The Lord be with you.”

Currently, when the priest says, “The Lord be with you,” the congregation responds, “And also with you.” Under the new change, they will now respond with, “And with your spirit.”

During the Nicene Creed, the proclamation of faith, Catholics state that Jesus was “born of the Virgin Mary.” They will soon say “incarnate of the Virgin Mary.”

The most sensitive of the changes is the translation of pro multis as “for many.” The narrative of the Last Supper, which currently reads, “which will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven,” will be changed to “which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

The church will have laminated pew cards for congregants to follow along until they are comfortable with the new translation.

History of the Roman Missal 

When the traditional mass was first translated into English from the original
Latin text in 1970, more contemporary words were used so the phrases would flow and be more palatable to congregants, Chesley said.

The third, newest, translation of the Roman Missal will offer a more literal interpretation of the prayers.

“The previous translation served us well for the last 40 years, but the church always knew it would have to come out with another translation,” Chesley said. “They’ve produced a better translation that is more faithful to the original Latin text. It will bring back more of the biblical imagery that was lost in the first and second translations.”

According to Chesley, parishioners will need time to adjust to the changes, but he expects Catholics will respond positively to the new translation.

“I think for the most part, people will adapt to it very quickly,” he said. “I think many Catholics don’t understand the deep theology behind the Liturgy. It’s a wonderful time for people to study the prayers of the Mass and to rediscover the beauty of the Liturgy.”

To learn more about these changes, Deacon Mike Chesley will be speaking at St. Patrick Catholic Church on Sunday, November 6 at 11:30 a.m. (following coffee and donuts) and Wednesday, November 9 at 7 p.m. in the parish hall.

For more information check out the FAQ about the wording provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Patch Poll: Changes to Catholic Mass?

“Lord I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

If you’ve been accustomed to saying this during Mass, you may find yourself tongue-tied starting Nov. 27, when instead, you’ll be expected to respond with the following before receiving the Eucharist:

“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

A number of changes such as this will take effect beginning the first Sunday of Advent as Catholic churches across the country adopt the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, which has updated translations of existing prayers, including some of the well-known responses and acclamations of the people.

For a guide to the changes check out this helpful blog from the Washington Post.

Tell us what you think of the changes by sounding off on our comments board or voting in our poll below.

Language of Mass set to change

The language of the Roman Catholic Mass is about to change for the first time in nearly 40 years, as a new missal translation debuts throughout the English-speaking world on the last Sunday of the month.

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.

But some worry that it’s more obtuse than inspired, and even those who embrace the changes are expecting a linguistically bumpy ride as legions of Catholics are forced from the rote script they have followed since childhood.

Changes will be made in the language of the Roman Catholic Mass beginning Nov. 27. Some samples:

The greeting

Priest: The Lord be with you.

Old response: And also with you.

New response: And with your spirit.

The creed

“We believe” becomes “I believe.”

“One in being with the Father” becomes “consubstantial with the Father.”

“Seen and unseen” becomes “visible and invisible.”

“Born of the Virgin Mary” becomes “was incarnate of the Virgin Mary.”

Before Communion

Old: Lord I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed.

New: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Source: The Roman Missal

“Those who have it memorized will be going off the rails at times, but that’s OK,” said the Rev. Bob Stagg, pastor of the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River. “We’re going to make a lot of mistakes for a long time. But it will cause us to focus and pay more attention and that will be of value.”

Church leaders concede that some of the language might not immediately roll off the tongue. 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.”

The word “consubstantial’ — created by the church in the 1300s to indicate both the divine and human nature of Christ — is likely only familiar to theologians. However, church leaders say the word better conveys Christian belief, as does another change in the creed in which the phrase “born of the Virgin Mary” will be replaced with “was incarnate of the Virgin Mary.”

“The new texts recover many of the biblical allusions that were lost in the previous translation,” said Paterson Bishop Arthur Serratelli, who has worked for the past four years with the Vatican and clergy and scholars around the world to help craft the new translation. “The language itself is much more noble and uplifting.”

The new missal will be used beginning Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent, which is the monthlong spiritual preparation for Christmas. The missal also contains prayers used for special Masses, such as those for weddings and funerals.

The new translation contains mostly small but sometimes substantial changes. When the priest greets the congregation with “The Lord be with you” the faithful will reply “And with your spirit” rather than “And also with you.”

In the communal confession at the beginning of Mass, the words “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault” were added. And confessors now will say they have greatly sinned, instead of just sinned.

But the bulk of the changes are in parts spoken by the celebrants, or priests. The new missal seems less idiomatic or colloquial and more poetic than the previous translation.

“It’s more formal and more literal, so it’s going to make everything sound different,” said the Rev. Tom Dente, director of the office of Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Newark.

In transforming the bread and wine into Holy Communion, the priest will now ask God for blessings “by sending down your spirit upon them like the dewfall” — a scriptural reference missing in the earlier translation.

“After saying Mass one way for over 30 years, it’s going to take some time to get used to,” said the Rev. Michael J. Sheehan, pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Church in River Edge. “We’ll have to get used to some of the more intricate phrases and try to understand why these translations can make a difference in the way we pray. … People will come to see how it can enhance spirituality.”

The changes will seem abrupt for some, especially in an institution that tends to measure changes by centuries. But the new translation was nearly a decade in the making, and was approved by U.S. bishops in 2005 and the Holy See in 2010. Both the Paterson Diocese and the Archdiocese of Newark have been prepping priests and parishioners for months, and some parishes have already introduced some elements.

“Some people are interpreting this as a step back but in the big picture it is a step forward,” Dente said. He noted that the new language, in its formality, better conveys the greater weight of the church’s spiritual beliefs.

And if the faithful made the jump from Latin Mass following Vatican II in the 1960s, most say it shouldn’t be too long before people get the hang of the new text.

“It’s for holiness and clarity,” said Pat Dippel, leaving a recent morning Mass at the Church of St. Philip the Apostle in Clifton. “If it makes sense, then it will catch on quickly.”

“It won’t be hard,” said Julia Ruccione. “Whatever [the church] decides, we’ll have to learn.”

E-mail: alex@northjersey.com