Changes to the mass... when do they start?

[Online_Knight]

I remember reading over a year ago that the US Council of Catholic Bishops approved some minor wording changes during the mass such as responding “and with your spirit” to the priest’s “the Lord be with you”… among others. Has this gone by the wayside? When are these changes finally going to take place? Its not like it will be that difficult to institute them.

 

[frommi]

The missal is still being translated currently…

We’ve been “18 months” away from implementation for a few years now.

If one figures that advent is a time for implementation…I’d guess (my guess only) that it would be Advent 2009 at the earliest.

 

[James0235]

Fr. Z has some news.

James

 

[Phemie]

The missal is still being translated currently…

We’ve been “18 months” away from implementation for a few years now.

If one figures that advent is a time for implementation…I’d guess (my guess only) that it would be Advent 2009 at the earliest.

Our bishop,who’s on the ICEL team, is pretty confident that it will be next year. We may have more news after the ICEL meetings that are going on in India this starting next week.

 

[benedictgal]

I must say these have been the longest 18 months of my life waiting for a new translation.

This past summer, a vendor on ebay had a bootleg copy of the new translation up for bid. I enlarged the sample as much as I could and I was so pleased to see that the Confiteor was restored to its original form, including the invocations to Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, Blessed John the Baptist and the phrase through my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault.

Incidentally, if you ever want to hear the original Confiteor recited in English, pick up a copy of the film Gone with the Wind. The O’Hara family recites the prayer early in the movie.

A friend of mine gave me a his 1966 Latin-English Roman Missal (the actual sacramentary). This was pretty much the TLM prayers translater in English. Why the English-speaking bishops did not just keep this version is beyond me because the prayers are the accurate translation of Latin ones. Plus, the language is beautiful.

Oddly enough, I went to many Anglican-Use Masses and their prayers are similar to those in the Missal my friend gave me.

 

[AngelRose81]

Incidentally, if you ever want to hear the original Confiteor recited in English, pick up a copy of the film Gone with the Wind. The O’Hara family recites the prayer early in the movie.

I always wondered what prayer they were saying! I’ve tried looking for it and never found it! Even before I became Catholic I thought it was a beautiful prayer!

 

[drafdog]

They will get the translation finished and approved by all of the English speaking nations after long and careful consideration by the bishops and then this forum will sprout a plethora of complaints about it.

Matthew

 

[rpp]

They will get the translation finished and approved by all of the English speaking nations after long and careful consideration by the bishops and then this forum will sprout a plethora of complaints about it.

Matthew

A more accurate prediction is not possible!

 

[snhs]

Could someone explain how the implementation of a new Missal actually works, is it just a case of going to Mass one week and the change over has occurred or is it introduced more gradually?

 

[Joannm]

Could someone explain how the implementation of a new Missal actually works, is it just a case of going to Mass one week and the change over has occurred or is it introduced more gradually?

That would depend on the Bishop. The changes could occur gradually but usually the Vatican gives a date by which all the changes must occur. If a bishop wishes, lets say to introduce the ordinary parts of the Mass, which I believe has been fully approved, he may do so. But since there are no books published with the texts he would have to rely on printing his own, which would run into copywrite problems. Before the official texts were published for the Mass of Paul VI, some parishes used mimeographed sheets each week. I can’t see dioceses implementing that route again. It is easier to just wait until the ritual books are published and the missalette publishers have the OK to use them.

I do know that the bishops of England are putting together catechetical materials that they will make available to other English speaking countries to help with the transition. These will be in the form of bulletin inserts. I do know that liturgicacl scholars and publishers are also preparing catechetical materials that will be ready to go once all the changes are approved. But like many have said…it is not likely to be coming for maybe 2 years.

 

[Phemie]

Could someone explain how the implementation of a new Missal actually works, is it just a case of going to Mass one week and the change over has occurred or is it introduced more gradually?

I just hope that one Sunday the priest will announce, “The new translation of the 2002 Roman Missal is now complete and published. We will be using this new translation starting next week.” Hey, there’s another thread on these boards about bulletins. I think I’ll put something in ours next week to let parishioners know that there is a new translation coming down the pipe. It would be good for them to know that there will be changes.

I remember when the first use of the vernacular happened. In my parish, and I can only assume all the parishes in Canada, we got little folders (maybe 2"x3" when folded) with all the responses, prayers & acclamation professionally printed on them, handed out at that first vernacular Mass. We’d been practicing these at school and I remember my mother being mortified that mine was the loudest voice in church, leading the assembly in saying our part the way the sister had taught us. Mom kept trying to get me to shut up.

 

[Joannm]

I just hope that one Sunday the priest will announce, “The new translation of the 2002 Roman Missal is now complete and published. We will be using this new translation starting next week.” Hey, there’s another thread on these boards about bulletins. I think I’ll put something in ours next week to let parishioners know that there is a new translation coming down the pipe. It would be good for them to know that there will be changes.

I.

I don’t think you should be so quick to do that unless you have permission from your pastor as that can cause all kinds of problems and questions that you and your pastor may not be able to answer. The truth is that most pastors have not seen any of the new translations, only the bishops and their advisors and some scholars have the texts. They are not widely available. There are lots of media hype about what will be happening. Many people know about the major changes in what they will be saying (“and with your spirit” instead of “and also with you.”) but there are many other changes in translations that will not affect them or that they won’t even notice and don’t know about. If you announce there will be changes it might also cause people to get unduly concerned when the changes won’t happen for two years or more. It can also give people something to argue about unnecessarily, since they do not have the texts and would rely on hearsay.