New Mass Translation

English Third Edition of the Roman Missal

Why do we need a new translation of the Roman Missal?

The Second Vatican Council, in one of its sessions on Liturgy, addressed the general need of the Council Fathers to celebrate a vernacular liturgy. To that end they felt there was an urgent need to begin with the liturgy of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in vernacular English language. They founded the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) on October 17, 1963.

ICEL directed by the mandate of the Second Vatican Council, and the demand from the clergy and laity to celebrate the vernacular liturgy as soon as possible, rushed the translation of the Latin text into English. The First Edition of the Roman Missal in English was published in 1969.

Weaknesses found in the First English Edition of the Roman Missal:

· Unfortunately, it was not introduced with necessary adequate catechetical instructions. Following this misstep,

· Some priests experimented with changes not called for and not allowed by the Holy See and Bishops.

· In order to address these inconsistencies, the office known today as ‘Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS) issued some clarifications to correct the implementation of the vernacular in the liturgy. However, the challenges accompanying the introduction of the vernacular were found to be far deeper and complicated than first thought.

Problems found in the First English Edition of the Roman Missal:

· Some of the obvious connections with the Sacred Scriptures in the Latin text were lost in the English translation.

· The poetry, rhyme, and rhythm of the Latin language were lost in the new translation. In an attempt to make the text more understandable to a modern audience, some of the metaphors from the Latin text were eliminated in the English translation.

· Often the uses of the superlative degree in adjectives referring to God were eliminated.

· Viewed as duplicate and unnecessary to prayer, so words and sentences in the Latin texts were never translated.

· In some cases, explanatory comments not found in the Latin text were added to the English, creating texts which went beyond the mandate to provide a faithful translation of the Latin in the vernacular.

· The particular English translation was viewed as lacking a sense and sacredness, too difficult to sing, oversimplified and inaccurate in many places.

The Second English Edition of the Roman Missal was published in 1975:

· With the presentation of the documents and the directives formulated to address the deficiencies of the First Edition of the Roman Missal, it became necessary to revise the Missal.

· Secondly it was also felt necessary to integrate the later developments in the Liturgy:

o Instructions on the Extension of Distributing Holy Communion under Both kinds issued on June 29, 1970, and

o Instruction on the Orderly Carrying out of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, issued on September 5, 1970.

Bishops were directed to provide necessary catechesis on the changes in the liturgy and the pressing need to correct the abuses in the celebration of the liturgy. (Many would remember the unapproved Eucharistic Prayers that some priests used, the invitation to the congregation to recite parts of the Eucharistic Prayers with the Priest, priests and readers changing the wording of the texts and a general disregard for the rubrics.)

Weaknesses found in The Second English Edition of the Roman Missal:

Even though in general, the second edition was considered more complete than the first edition, unfortunately,

· Much of the translation of the Second Edition of the Roman Missal was still found to be the same as the ‘rushed translation’ of the first edition.

· The Task entrusted to the Bishops to provide Catechesis on the Sacraments, whose texts were being revised, was not easy and uniform to say the least.

· The need to explain and implement the new approaches was not adequately addressed particularly with references to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and the Directory for Masses with Children.

· The need to provide Training programs for the liturgical ministers remained vague.

Problems found in the Second English Edition of the Roman Missal:

· Too often the translation paraphrased the Latin text, thus loosing much of the richness of metaphor and imagery from the original.

· Creative additions in English not found in the Latin text made some of the prayers look like new compositions rather than translations.

· Superficial contemporary expressions and phrases in English continued to rob the Roman Liturgy of its richness

· The Sacred language of the Liturgy seemed to be lost by the more secular usages that were employed

· Some concerns about the loss of awe and mystery that the celebration of the Liturgy should engender.

Since Liturgy is formative of our Catholic faith (the Latin principle of lex orandi lex credendi) many people expressed the need for the liturgical language in the vernacular to more faithfully capture the sacredness and poetry of the Latin text.

Thus the Third Edition of the Roman Missal: Missale Romanum editio typica tertia

In 2002, Pope John Paul II promulgated the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. More than 15 percent of the text in the third edition is new due to the large number of new Saints Pope John Paul II canonized and the accompanying requests of Bishops for new texts to address many special circumstances, like weddings anniversaries, funerals etc.

Hence the time has come for our generation now, to look forward to the new. While it is not easy to adapt to new ways or new things in life, it is sometimes necessary for us to be open to new things in order to grow more and more as we are on our pilgrimage way of "being perfected in Christ Jesus".

So we arrive to that nostalgic moment of saying a fond "goodbye" to the prayers and the words we used in our liturgies for the last so many years, and embrace the new. It is perhaps, necessary to understand the word 'new' here, because it is not really and totally new, because it is closer and more faithful translation to the Latin and the Roman liturgical and Biblical texts. And so it is Old and yet so new to you and me: like the words in the second Eucharistic Prayer: ...Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall...."

Holy See Confirms English Third Edition of the Roman Missal: Missale Romanum editio typica tertia

The Receipt of the recognitio marks the beginning of the proximate preparation for the implementation of the New Roman Missal.

This enormous task of introducing the new translation would need to anticipate the resulting challenges to adjust to new unfamiliar texts after nearly forty years of continuous use of the previous translation. Perhaps it is important to note, that any ‘Translation’ is always an art, not a perfect science. English being a living language, like any living organism, it evolves from one generation to the next.

The introduction of this change is handled with a lot of sensitivity, with opportunities for catechesis in order to avert the risk of confusion or bewilderment. It is a universal endeavor of the Church to see this as a springboard for a renewal and a deepening of Eucharistic devotion all over the English-speaking world. (Adapted and redacted from Liturgy Training Publication:FAQ, Http://revisedromanmissal.org/FAQs/ExpandItemId4.aspx)

The first use of the new Text of the new Roman Missal is scheduled for implementation on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011.

The Roman Missal Catechetical Resources:

www.USCCB.org/romanmissal
www.RevisedRomanMissal.org (a project of Liturgy Training Publications)
www.FDLC.org/Roman_Missal.htm (Materials from the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions)
www.magnificatmissal.com

The Sacred Music accompanying the celebration of the Eucharist is expected to integrate these changes. Music and Mass Settings Resources:

www.OCP.org/NewMassSettings

The New Roman Missal Implementation summit in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

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Holy See Confirms Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia	24.44 KB
Archbishop George Niederauer's Reflections	37.7 KB