What two archbishops have said recently about new Roman Missal translation

As we get closer and closer to Nov. 27, archbishops on both sides of the Atlantic have offered words of wisdom on the new English translation of the Roman Missal.

In a column for The Tidings archdiocesan newspaper, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez writes about the "wonderful gift" the revised Missal will be for the Church:

Implementing this new translation means much more than simply memorizing new prayers. I really believe this new translation offers us a special moment of grace.

It is a fact of life that anything we do over and over again can become routine, something we just do without paying too much attention.

But we can never let the Mass become routine for us. We need to love the Eucharist! We need to live the holy Mass! Our Christian life, our whole life, must be centered in the Eucharist.

That is why this new translation is such a wonderful gift. It gives us the opportunity for a new Eucharistic catechesis. It gives us the chance to reflect more deeply on the meaning of our worship — on what we do when we celebrate the Eucharist, and why.

Read the rest of what the archbishop writes about how the revisions will deepen our Eucharistic worship.

In Ireland, where the Association of Catholic Priests has been very vocal in its opposition to the new translation, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin is speaking out in favor of the new translation, part of which will begin to be used in Ireland on Sept. 11, with the rest of the revisions put in place on Nov. 27. Here's what he said in a letter to priests in his archdiocese:

Prayers we know by heart will need to be relearned. Sentences will, on occasion, be longer and the style of language will seem more formal. But over time, as we pray the texts, they will become familiar to us and it is hoped that their richness and depth will bear fruit.

The Irish Times reported on the rest of what Archbishop Martin wrote.

How one archdiocese is getting ready for new translations of musical settings

Three months from tomorrow, English-speaking Catholics will begin celebrating Mass using the Roman Missal, Third Edition. Some of those changes — specifically, the musical settings — will be implemented in many U.S. dioceses beginning in September, which is just around the corner! At their spring meeting, the U.S. bishops OKed early implementation of the new and revised musical settings for the Glory to God, the Holy, Holy, Holy, and acclamations at the Mystery of Faith.

The St. Louis archdiocese is among those introducing the musical settings of the revised Roman Missal next month, and the St. Louis Review, the archdiocesan newspaper, has an article about the new and revised settings, and the plans for introducing them to parishioners:

In a letter to priests in June, Msgr. William McCumber, director of the archdiocesan Office of Sacred Worship, noted that Archbishop Robert J. Carlson granted permission in the Archdiocese of St. Louis "as a way to assist ... parishioners to become familiar with the new texts." The permission includes using the new translation in the sung music settings, but not for spoken responses. Spoken responses typically would include those said during weekday Masses that do not include musical accompaniment.

Archbishop Gregory Aymond, archbishop of New Orleans and chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Divine Worship, said in a letter that one of the major reasons for the early implementation of some of the new musical settings was to "allow for a proactive approach to ... give time for communities to learn the various parts of the new translation in a timely fashion and an even pace."

Another reason cited was that given the Nov. 27 start date, the Gloria, in particular, would not be used for the first time until the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, and then not again until Christmas.

"Christmas is certainly a time when you have a larger than usual number (of people) in attendance," including family and friends from out of town and parish alumni who come back to their old parish at Christmastime, said Msgr. McCumber.

The priest explained that a focus was placed on the musical settings, because, quite simply, "they can be more difficult to grasp," especially with numerous available musical settings. The music program at Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, under the direction of Horst Buchholz, for example, is using five settings: The Mass for the City, the Community Mass, the Mass of Creation, the Heritage Mass and the English chant approved by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy.

But Msgr. McCumber stressed that the faithful must keep in mind the full context of the translation of the Roman Missal, and not just a few musical settings.

"If we stay focused only on those pieces, then we're missing the whole picture," he said. "This is a real opportunity to explore the real meaning of the Mass. My hope is that people will understand the privilege that we have to come to Mass. This is not just to fulfill an obligation.

"The Mass is truly an expression of God's love for us." And to borrow an old expression from the late baseball great Lou Gehrig, Msgr. McCumber added, "we should consider ourselves the luckiest people on the face of this earth to have this gift given to us."

Here's the rest of the story about the archdiocese's plans, and a video on the changed settings.

Matthew Baute Music Director of Holy Trinity Parish from St. Louis Review on Vimeo.

In-depth look at revised parts of Creed

The Catholic Spirit, the diocesan paper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, has published the second part of a column on the Nicene Creed by Father John Paul Erickson, who heads the archdiocese's Office of Worship. (Read what he had to say about the change from "we believe" to "I believe" in the Creed.) Here is what Father Erickson writes about the switch from "one in Being" to "consubstantial":

One change that will certainly be noticed right away when reciting the new text is the translation of the Latin term “consubstantialem” as “consubstantial” rather than “one in Being.” To be sure, this new word is not familiar to us and will perhaps never be used by us outside of the Sacred Liturgy, unless of course we are professional theologians. All the same, it is an incredibly important expression, the truth of which many a martyr hath made.

One of the central mysteries of the Faith is the belief in the divinity of Christ. Jesus Christ, who is like us in all things but sin, shares with the Father the divine nature. “Consubstantial” is a word derived from the scrupulously precise terminology of philosophy and metaphysics, and was devised by the early Church Fathers to defend this saving revelation against those who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. It is perhaps best here to quote the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 464 and 465:

“The unique and altogether singular event of the Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, nor does it imply that he is the result of a confused mixture of the divine and the human. He became truly man while remaining truly God. Jesus Christ is true God and true man. During the first centuries, the Church had to defend and clarify this truth of faith against the heresies that falsified it.

“The first heresies denied not so much Christ’s divinity as his true humanity (Gnostic Docetism). From apostolic times the Christian faith has insisted on the true incarnation of God’s Son ‘come in the flesh.’ But already in the third century, the Church in a council at Antioch had to affirm against Paul of Samosata that Jesus Christ is Son of God by nature and not by adoption. The first ecumenical council of Nicaea in 325 confessed in its Creed that the Son of God is ‘begotten, not made, of the same substance (homoousios) as the Father,’ and condemned Arius, who had affirmed that the Son of God ‘came to be from things that were not’ and that he was ‘from another substance’ than that of the Father.”

One may complain that this new word “consubstantial” is complex and unnecessarily cumbersome for the average person in the pew. There is no doubt that the new word will require thoughtful pause and intelligent explanation. But let us remember what it is that we are trying to enunciate with this word — an awesome mystery that is impossible to fully comprehend by the human mind. Perhaps it is for the best than that the word used to describe the divinity of Christ is perplexing and mysterious.

Read what Father Erickson has to say about the "in-fleshing" of God. And check out the rest of the Catholic Spirit's Roman Missal special section.

Mass unawareness of Missal revisions ... and action plans for laity, priests and catechists

In the Aug. 28 issue of OSV Newsweekly, Melissa Cidade, a research associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, reveals the results of a recently conducted survey on U.S. Catholics' knowledge of the upcoming changes to the Roman Missal, which will be implemented at English-speaking Masses throughout the world Nov. 27.

The results? Well, they're not so encouraging. Here's what she writes:

Respondents were asked if they had heard “that parishes in the United States will soon be implementing changes in the words and prayers at Mass at the direction of the Vatican.” Seventy-seven percent answered “no.” This is equivalent to more than 44 million adult Catholics who don’t know about the changes that will occur throughout the English-speaking world beginning Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent.

Most respondents took the survey in English (82 percent), and among these Catholics, awareness was just slightly higher at 26 percent. ...

Not surprisingly, Catholics who attend Mass at least once a week and those who are very involved in parish activities were more clued in to the revisions than other Catholics with looser ties to their parishes. Which other groups of Catholics are better prepared than others for the changes? Find the answers from the survey.

The results of the survey may be discouraging to priests and parish ministers tasked with preparing parishioners for the revisions, but the good news is there's still time to take action. And the Aug. 28 issue of OSV Newsweekly has you covered there, as well, with guides to preparing for the new translation of the Roman Missal for laity and priests and catechists. Here are the first three steps OSV contributing editor Emily Stimpson suggests laypeople take in getting ready for the changes:

1. Take the initiative

Whether or not your parish has started talking yet (or talking much) about what’s coming down the pike this Advent, all Catholic men and women are well-advised to do a little research and reading on their own about the new translation.“Catholics need to avail themselves of the resources that are out there,” Father Hilgartner said. “There are many materials they can access on their own that don’t have to come through the parish.”That is something of an understatement. Resources tailor-made for helping lay Catholics understand the how, what and why of the new translation abound. There are videos, websites, books, folding diagrams and more, all available for the asking from the U.S. bishops, diocesan offices and most Catholic publishing companies, and you don’t have to be a liturgist or Latin scholar to make sense of most.“Just start reading,” Father Gretz advised. “The more you read the more you’ll want and need to read.”

2. Be a joiner

If your parish or diocese already does have informational programming about the new translation under way (or when it does), do take advantage of the opportunity. Go. Show up. And take family and friends along with you. “For people who are nervous or apprehensive about the changes, talking with other people who have the same feelings can be helpful,” Father Hilgartner said. So can hearing explanations from people who have studied the changes in depth and come to understand the wisdom behind them. “These meetings offer people an opportunity to see the facts,” Father Gretz said. “They also offer increased exposure and the opportunity to pray through some of the prayers right now with other people. Seeing and doing that relieves much of the apprehension.” Even, however, for those who are as giddy as schoolgirls about the changes and who have been busying themselves doing research on their own, the group sessions can still be helpful. “As people ask questions, one person will often ask a question that another person never thought of,” Father Hilgartner said. “It becomes an opportunity to learn about things that people didn’t even know were up for discussion.” Lastly, he pointed out, “The liturgy is a communal act, so it makes sense that our understanding of the liturgy can be enriched by learning about it in a communal environment.”

3. Start using the new translation now

OK, lay Catholics can’t exactly say the Mass on their own, let alone say the Mass using the new English translation of the Roman Missal. Nor can priests for that matter. That has to wait for Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent. But that doesn’t mean Catholics can’t start praying the Nicene Creed or the Gloria according to the new translation in their own private prayers. Nor does it mean they can’t, as a family, read passages from the Mass aloud and talk about them, essentially turning the prayers into a catechetical lesson for themselves and their children. “The better people know and understand the text, the more fully they can enter into the mystery,” Father Stice said. “And one of the best ways they can do that is by becoming familiar with the text in a meaningful way.”

Check out the rest of her preparedness tips.

Tuning into conversations about Missal revisions

We came across two audio interviews recently — one on a Catholic radio program and one on a priest's podcast — about the upcoming English translation of the Roman Missal, to be implemented on Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent.

"The Bishop's Hour" radio program in the Diocese of Phoenix tackled the topic on Monday's show, with show host Michael Dixon interviewing Father Kieran Kleczewski, director of the diocese's Office of Worship, about the revised Missal. Listen to the program. The Roman Missal discussion is in the first part of the program, after the news update. This is a follow-up to a talk Dixon and Father Kleczewski had about the revisions that Roman Missal Changes told you about last March.

Also, Father Christian Mathis, a priest of the Diocese of Knoxville, Tenn., who blogs at Blessed Is The Kingdom, recently posted this podcast about the revisions, in which he and a parishioner chat about the revised Roman Missal.

Review of Roman Missal app

Over on Catholic Tech Talk, you can find a review of "The New Mass" app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, created by Cale Clarke of The Faith Explained, that takes users through the new English translation of the Roman Missal that will be implemented Nov. 27. (OSV Newsweekly included the app in its annual Catholic Guide to the Internet.)

Here are a few reasons why Brad West of Catholic Tech Talk called it a "must-have for any Catholic":

• Organized by breaking down the order of the Mass so it’s very easy to navigate through.
• Each section of the Mass contains the ‘Old Text’, ‘New Text’, and an explanation of the changes in the language. So not only is the user able to get the “what” of the changes but also the most important part . . . the “why”. ...
• Provides parishioners with another avenue other than just print material. This is an app you can read through on a lunch break and have with you during Mass to help guide you at first.
• Young Catholics can use that iPod Touch for more than just music and games, Mom and Dad.

Check out the rest of the review.

The straight talk on Roman Missal revisions

Loyola Press, on its Roman Missal Changes webpage (hey, great name!), has posted a four-part series of articles on the revisions coming to the Mass on Nov. 27, titled "Give It To Me Straight."

Part One focuses on the introductory rites:

The Mass begins with a greeting that this is no ordinary, “Hi! How ya doin?” greeting, but is rather a ritual greeting and response – “The Lord be with you / And with your spirit.” This is not so much a way to say “hello” but more of a way to enter into the liturgical rite by extending a solemn wish to someone undertaking a profound task.

Part Two highlights revisions to the Liturgy of the Word, including the Nicene Creed:

The first change that we encounter in the Nicene Creed is the changing of We to I—from the plural to the singular. This is not to diminish our sense of community but is simply a more accurate translation of the word Credo –“ I believe.” The reciting of the Creed is a communal act;, however, each individual in the assembly is called upon to profess his or her own faith just as he or she did in Baptism. Our individual profession is then joined together with the profession of the whole assembly.

Part Three looks at the Liturgy of the Eucharist, including the pro multis and the Mystery of Faith:

One significant change in the new Roman Missal is that the familiar acclamation “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again” will no longer be used as an acclamation to the Mystery of Faith. The reason for this is that the three options given for the acclamation are all addressed to the Lord (e.g., “We proclaim your Death, O Lord…”). They all note ourrelationship to Christ’s Paschal Mystery

Part Four tackles the changes to the concluding rites:

In a real sense, the new Roman Missal changes the tone of the concluding rite. There is an urgency in the words. It is less “you may go now” and more “you must go now . . . to proclaim what God has done for us here!”

Loyola has other resources for the revisions on the site as well.

The universality of translation challenges

After years upon years of edits and revisions, the new English translation of the Roman Missal is just about ready for its big debut Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent. Those given the painstaking task of translating the Missal from Latin to English are not alone in facing such challenges. Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service has a story about the difficulties of translating the Mass into any language:

In Italian the verbs "to translate" and "to betray" sound very similar and have given birth to the adage, "To translate is to betray."

Msgr. Juan Miguel Ferrer Grenesche, undersecretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, cited the saying in an interview Aug. 9 with the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, about the task of translating Mass texts and the Bible.

English-speaking bishops are about to see stacks of new Roman Missals, the fruit of their long labors in commissioning, perfecting and obtaining Vatican approval for a new English translation of the prayers used at Mass. The Italian bishops' conference continues working on its new translation of the missal while the French bishops are working on both the missal and a new translation of the Bible, Msgr. Ferrer said.

He told the Vatican newspaper that the whole "translator-betrayer" idea "is true to a great extent since the translator, even if involuntarily, can betray the text because it's not easy to faithfully transmit a text in another language."

Read the rest of what Msgr. Ferrer had to say.

'Good will' hunting in the revised Roman Missal

On Nov. 27 (or earlier if their bishops have OKed gradual implementation of the revised music settings), Catholics throughout the English speaking world will sing:

"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will."

instead of the current words of the Gloria,

"Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth."

What does it mean to be a person or people of good will? The blog "Liturgy & Catechesis Shall Kiss" ponders that very question:

"If God’s favor rests on his people, if we are those privileged to be the objects of God’s love, I would hope we would have more than the dictionary-definition response! Based on the teaching of Jesus and the Church, I would define the attitude that makes up Christian “good will” as follows: joyful, open and willing reception of the Good News, evidenced in a life of loving charity and eager service to others."

So, how do you define "people of good will"? What does that phrase mean to you?

Understanding why 'I believe' is part of revised Nicene Creed

The Catholic Spirit, as part of its series on the new English translation of the Roman Missal, has posted an explanation of the revisions to the Nicene Creed, including the change from "We believe" to "I believe." Here's what Father John Paul Erickson, director of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis' Office of Worship, writes about the switch:

"[T]he change to the singular “I believe,” in accordance with the Latin, brings with it an invaluable opportunity to once again make the words of the Creed our own, words that are not only meant to guide and shape our understanding of the faith, but also to guide our individual lives and relationships.

To recite the Creed is to accept a certain kind of life — one that is sacrificial. Indeed, to recite the Creed is to make a choice to live as a Christian, and such a choice must be made by the individual."

Read more of what Father Erickson has to say. (And realize this is just the first part of the Catholic Spirit's examination of the Creed. Father Erickson has yet to tackle that challenging "C" word —consubstantial.)

All the world's a stage — including the revised Mass

The National Catholic Reporter's Michael Sean Winters, on his Distinctly Catholic blog, has posted a short piece on the upcoming new translation of the Roman Missal and has the following piece of advice for Catholics who are reticent about the revisions:

"[I] nstead of getting all in a lather, maybe we need to think of the new translation the way we think of Shakespeare. Admit it, before you go to see a play by the great bard, you re-read the text because otherwise you will miss the meaning of some of the play. Maybe it is not such a bad idea if parents read through the missal with their children before Mass. (Pastors - in the bulletin, indicate which eucharistic prayer you will be using the next week, so parents can do this! And, include the current and upcoming antiphons, many of which are beautifully poetic.) What we don't do is go to a Shakespeare play and re-write it."

Read his entire post. What do you think about his suggestion?