The New English Translation of the Catholic Mass

The Catholic Church is about to release a new English translation to the the Roman Missal that will be more definitive than the Latin version. According to Bishop James D. Conley in his address at the Catechetical Conference, this change will take place beginning Nov. 27, 2011, on the first day of Advent. The new Missal is expected to arrive in most church's beginning Oct. 1.

According to The Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus, the newly translated Roman Missal will contain more accurately updated versions of common prayers and responsorials. It will also include newly added prayers for specific needs, revised instructions for the celebration of the Mass and prayers for the recently canonized saints.

The reasons for these new changes are simple. More than 40 years ago, the church first translated the Missal from Latin to English. In the Adoremus Bulletin, Bishop Elliot mentions that the translated text was diluted, based on "dynamic equivalence" and done hastily, as it was such a massive undertaking. The translators' intent, Bishop Elliott explained, was to have something that sounded more like everyday dialect. According to Emily Stimpson from Our Sunday Visitor, by using dynamic equivalence for translation, the missal was vague, open to misinterpretation and missing vital text.

During the Catechetical Conference, Bishop Conley explained that the Catholic church recognized the need for a more accurate English translation to the missal. He said it would be more proficient in revealing the profuse meaning of the Latin scripture. As we all know, appropriate wording is important and crucial to fully be able to grasp the meaning of what's being said. The words we read from the scripture are sacred. Bishop Conley indicated that they are the words spoken by the prophets, holy saints, the apostles and our Lord Jesus Christ himself, as well as his followers. The newly translated wording holds deeper meaning, he said, and is kept as close to the original Latin text as possible.

During the beginning of advent, the usage of the new translation will take place. Emily Stimpson believes that the new missals will give members of the congregation the ability to fully comprehend the relationship of the Father and the Son. This is done by more precisely distinguishing the relationship between them. As noted by Bishop P. Elliott, it also gives full honor to Mary the Mother of God by removing all inaccurate Latin references to her.

I myself must admit, as a Religious Education teacher at my church, that theses translations will take some getting used to. I grew up with what is currently being used and don't adjust to change well. In general, I do understand that this will bring us closer to understanding the sacred scripture. During my visit in Tulsa, Bishop Conley's speech helped me fully understand why it is needed. I could see the difference after viewing the handouts from the conference on the new wording to be issued in the missal. The newly translated text is formal and flows. I also noticed that the revised prayers don't contradict themselves like the chopped versions we have in the missal today. To me, the responsorials for the Mass make more sense and honor the Holy Spirit. I now eagerly await the change coming this Christmas season and look forward to worshiping in a more devout Mass.

Citations:

Bishop James D. Conley

Keynote Address

Catechetical Conference

Friday, Aug. 26, 2011

Emily Stimpson

Our Sunday Visitor

www.osv.com

Bishop Peter Elliott

Adoremus Bulletin

http://www.adoremus.org

Third Edition Roman Missal

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus

www.colsdioc.org