New Translation of the Roman Missal: Its Implementation


As of ADVENT 2011 (November 27, 2011) we will notice some changes at Mass. Under the direction of The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in consultation with the Vatican, the prayers of the liturgy have been newly translated to more accurately reflect the literal rendering in English from the original Latin texts. In addition, Bishop Henry has directed changes in posture during the Offeratory to the Reception of Communion part of the Mass. Click here for info and also here. The changes take effect on the First Sunday of Advent, 2011. For a listing of excellent articles and resources, click here.

This latest 2011 translation will be the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, with the first and second editions introduced in 1974 and 1985 respectively.

So what changes can we expect? For answers from the CANADIAN CONFERENCE of CATHOLIC BISHOPS to FAQ, click here. And below are answers to some of the most common questions we at St. Mary's are asking.

Note: The content is adapted from Rev. Richard Hilgartner, "Catholic Update" (March 2011) and Rev. Lawrence E. Mick, "St. Anthony Messenger Press, USA" (August 2010).

    1. Why must the words in the Mass be re-translated? Because the ancient axiom of the Church is Lex orandi, lex credendi = "What we say is what we believe." Therefore, great care should go into the wording of liturgical texts. Since translation techniques today are more refined than they were immediately following Vatican II, this 3rd edition will be more "true" to the original prayers of the Church and more representative of the Church's "true" beliefs.

    2. What is the purpose of the Mass? The new translation intends to: a) communicate God's Word to the assembly; b) communicate our praise and thanks to God, and c) sanctify us as disciples who bring God's love and life to our world.

    3. Will the parts of the Mass change? Yes, but the re-wording of the Mass liturgy is NOT a new ritual to celebrate the Eucharist. Many of the re-worded sections appear in the parts proclaimed by the priest; but there are changes in the responses of the people, too.

    4. So which parts of the Mass will change?

      a) The words of the new translation will be made available:

      * on our Power Point, and
      * in your 2011–2012 copy of the Sunday Missal, which is made available prior to each Advent season

      b) The priest's parts have changed in the following places in the Mass:

      * the Preparation of the Gifts
      * the dialogue of the Preface
      * the Eucharistic Prayers
      * the Concluding Rites

      c) The people's parts have changed as follows:

      * whenever the priest says, "The Lord be with you," our NEW response is, "And with your spirit."
      * the Penitential Rite
      * the Gloria (Glory to God)
      * the Apostles' Creed
      * the dialogue of the Preface
      * the Holy, Holy
      * the Memorial Acclamation
      * our response to "Behold the Lamb of God ..."

For more answers
to Frequently Asked
Questions
about the NEW
translation of the
ROMAN MISSAL,
Third Edition, click here.


NOTE: Catholic churches in the USA will be using the Nicene Creed; in Canada we use the APOSTLES' CREED.

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