NEW MASS TRANSLATION

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, Roman 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 has been decided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Changes will begin the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, 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 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 U. S. Bishops have a chart showing the differences in the people’s parts of the ordo missae between the current translation and the new one.

Overview of changes to the people’s parts in the new translation.

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 Vatican released a document, Liturgiam Authenticam, requiring a change of philosophy in how translations of liturgical texts are made. Most translations made before 2000 need to be updated to conform to the new philosophy.

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 Western Church.

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.