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New Translation of the Mass
What is happening?
The words of the Mass are being given a new translation from the
Latin original into English and some of the wording that we say at
Mass will change. All
the English speaking Latin Rite Catholics in the world will be using
the same English translation. ICEL, the International Commission on
English in the Liturgy, made up of bishops from English speaking
countries around the world, is responsible for creating the new
translation.
Why are we talking about translation when the Mass is in English?
Although Catholics throughout the world usually celebrate Mass in
their native language (vernacular), the base text is in Latin. All
vernacular translations of the Mass are made from the Latin text.
When will this happen?
The date of implementation of the new translation will be decided by
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
It will most likely be toward the end of 2011.
Is the Mass changing?
No. Neither the prayers nor the ceremonies of the Mass will change,
only the translation from the Latin.
What exactly is changing?
The ordo missae or
order of Mass refers to
the prayers of the Mass that are the same no matter what day it is.
These include the Glory to
God, the Creed and
the Holy, Holy, but also
little prayers like “May the Lord accept the sacrifice…” and “Lord,
I am not worthy to receive you…”
There will be changes in many of these, both minor and
important. The
Overview of changes to the people’s parts
in the new translation.
http://www.rcan.org/images/worship/assembly.pdf
How will this work?
There is great concern everyone understand we are implementing a new
translation and why it is important.
This concern is shared by our bishops and all those involved
in liturgical ministry.
It can be frustrating to “go back to square one” and learn new
versions of the prayers we all know by heart.
It is hoped that an understanding of the positive aspects of
the new translation, will not only ease the transition, but help
everyone savor what is frequently a more beautiful and effective
English translation.
Why do we need a new translation?
Several reasons: a new edition of the Missal came out in 2002; how
translations are to be made has changed; the experience of using the
current translation has demonstrated weaknesses in it; the older
translation introduced an element of theological “fuzziness” where
the Latin is very clear.
New Edition of the Roman Missal
A new edition (third) of the Roman Missal (or Sacramentary), the
book that contains all the Mass prayers, was promulgated by Pope
John Paul II in 2000 and published (in Latin) in 2002.
New prayers for newly canonized saints were added, several
feast days were given new prayers and the instructions and rubrics
were updated and clarified.
All these need to be translated from the original Latin.
Several years ago, we made the few minor changes in ceremony
that were called for by the third edition of the Roman Missal.
New Philosophy of Translation
In 2000, the
Previously, translations were made on the basis of “dynamic
equivalence,” which conveys phrase by phrase the essential meaning
of the Latin, and gives a high priority to using grammar, syntax and
vocabulary typical of the vernacular language involved.
The technique now in force, “formal equivalence,” requires a
more word-for-word approach, preserving the phrase structure of the
Latin and retaining specialized vocabulary as much as possible.
Need for Improvement Recognized
With the experience gained over the past nearly 40 years using the
current translation, scholars, theologians, and interested clergy
and lay people have noted some inadequacies of the current
translation. It eliminated many scripture quotations and allusions
that appear in the Latin; its style is uneven and often rather flat
and not reflecting the solemnity of the liturgy.
Many of the priest’s prayers were translated in a way that makes it
difficult to perceive any of the ideas found in the Latin. When the
first translations were made (1970) the Latin originals were often
considered merely a point of departure for the creation of
essentially new prayers.
In other cases, significant portions of the original Latin
were omitted; these are being restored in the new translation.
In fact, it is now better recognized that the Latin texts have an
intrinsic value of their own that is worth preserving and
experiencing as much as possible in a translation. Most of the
prayers date from the 6th century or earlier and were
composed and chosen with great care. They are part of our heritage
as members of the
Theology
The 1970 translation of many of the shorter prayers of the priest
(i.e. the Opening Prayer, the Prayer over the Gifts, and the Prayer
after Communion) frequently is unclear as to how our own efforts
relate to God’s grace in contributing to our salvation.
This could be interpreted by some as semi-Pelagian theology
and contrary to traditional Catholic teaching.
The Latin is always clear that only by God’s grace and our
cooperation with it are we saved. The new translation will reflect
the doctrinal clarity of the Latin.
Saint Mary is planning a number of activities to help us get ready
for the new translation:
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Host a series of presentation evenings/afternoons featuring an outstanding series of interactive videos produced by ICEL entitled Become One Body, One Spirit in Christ.
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Provide materials containing the new translation both to use at Mass and to take home.
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Publish a series of informative articles in the parish bulletin.
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Provide the opportunity for all to rehearse the new wording, both sung and spoken, before the beginning of Mass for several weeks.
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Our priests and music ministers have been attending a number of workshops and presentations on the new translation and its implementation, with the desire to make the transition as smooth and stress-free as possible for all.
Some other interesting and informative links:
http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/index.shtml
The new translation of the complete Order of Mass annotated to show
the sources of scriptural and patristic quotations:
http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/WhiteBookAnnotated.pdf
Link to musical setting of the new translation of the Order of Mass
as it will appear in the Roman Missal:
http://www.icelweb.org/musicfolder/openmusic.php
http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/
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