Is your parish ready for the new translation?

[puzzleannie]

the Diocese has been sponsoring meetings, workshops and classes for priests, deacons, all those involved in liturgical ministry in any way, music people, DREs and catechists and all those whose duty involves teaching about Mass and the sacraments, in several convenient times, locations and formats since April. About a third of the parishes have not taken advantage of any of these programs.

Our parish has been using the new translation, introduced gradually, since September. We have yet to try any of the music. I got my first taste of it this week in videos given to me in order to present classes on the new translation for every CCD session, for parents, students, sponsors, sacramental candidates, to which all adults of the parish have been invited. They had 7 chances morning, afternoon and evening, weekday and evening, but except for those who “hafta” take the class for sacramental prep, no adults took advantage either. I must say I am less than awed by the music but it least it sounds easy to learn.

This afternoon we spent the first half hour on the Why of the changes, and at the break, 3 people came up to ask “why is the Mass changing?” Maybe I need to talk louder.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

…

This afternoon we spent the first half hour on the Why of the changes, and at the break, 3 people came up to ask “why is the Mass changing?” Maybe I need to talk louder.

Only three? You must have been very good.

 

[pnewton]

We are all set. We have a cadre of minions well trained to speak up and care the parish. The music has already changed and that is going excellently.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

I am EXCITED to finally be ready to change over completely!

:dancing::extrahappy:

I HATED the very thought of the Mass changing, but over time, as I realized what was changing and why, I started to love the changes and embrace them fully. I love going “back” to the mea culpa in the confeitor! I love the “I am not worthy that you should come under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed!” I love the new Gloria!!!



It’s all good!

(I just feel very anxious for the C&E Catholics who come on Christmas and are going to be completely out of place! )

 

[Irishgal49]

I am struggling…the Lansing Diocese propaganda machine has been hard at work “selling” this for awhile now. I guess the church is set up for the changes with the pew cards. They totally took out the only 2 things I cared about so I really don’t even care if I go to mass anymore or not I will attend for the Eucharist but I am sad.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

Our former pastor was wise and got rid of “Christ has died…” early this year. He was aware of the upcoming change and decided to regularly use one of the other three responses.

The thing that is going to be difficult at Masses with no singing is knowing which of the responses the priest wants us to use at the Memorial Acclamation. One of the Canadian adaptations in the 1975 Sacramentary was the different introductions to the Memorial Acclamation based on which response was expected. I think Canada may have been the only country that had those. As far as I know they haven’t carried that into the Roman Missal.

Here in the States (for the next few days) the priest always says “Let us proclaim the mystery of faith”, but if there is no choir leading the people in the response then the priest himself leads them, beginning the response and the people generally joining in around the second or third word. Fortunately in the new options, like in the old, each possible acclamation starts with a different word, so you can tell right away which to say. It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s intentional.

By the way, there’s an article on this part of the mass in this month’s edition of Columbia (the Knights of Columbus magazine) written by Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli, the secretary of the Vox Clara Committee that oversaw the new translation. In it he says that besides being a more literal translation of the Latin the change to simply “The mystery of faith” is also because this part of the mass is supposed to be an acclamation rather than a proclamation. The difference between the two, he said, is that “Unlike a proclamation, an acclamation is addressed directly to someone; it is spoken in the second-person, not the third-person.” This is also the reason, he said, why “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again” will no longer be an option. Each of the approved acclamations will be a prayer directed to Jesus.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

I am struggling…the Lansing Diocese propaganda machine has been hard at work “selling” this for awhile now. I guess the church is set up for the changes with the pew cards. They totally took out the only 2 things I cared about so I really don’t even care if I go to mass anymore or not I will attend for the Eucharist but I am sad.

Definitely continue for the Eucharist and for the sake of being present in the community.

I don’t know if it would help or hurt to talk about the two parts they “took out.” These kinds of changes are hard, which is why the Church historically has not done them very often. Whether you love or hate these particular changes many of us have had the experience of having to attend liturgies that for one reason or another grate on our sensibilities. It’s an almost inevitable reality in this age of seeming endless liturgical options and revisions, not to even mention abuses. It seems to me the thing to do in these cases is focus on God, focus on the Eucharist, and if things really are bad tell yourself that if Jesus is willing to show up at this mass then I’ll come too and suffer just a tiny bit with Him.

That said I do hope that with time you become more comfortable with the new translation and learn to pray with it.

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

We are ready! We have been practicing for weeks. Our parish is getting new hardbound hymnals. It is called, The St Michael Hymnal. The way that the parish is going to pay for these is to ask people to donate $20* “For $20, you can donate a St. Michael Hymnal to help pilgrims to lift their voices in prayerful song. With your gift, you may remember or honor a loved one with a Bookplate announcing the dedication in a hymnal.” *

You are very fortunate. Those are excellent hymnals, and the donation idea is brilliant, since they are rather expensive. However, after a few years, the books will pay for themselves because you’ll no longer have to subscribe to disposable hymnals with annual payments.

 

[Irishgal49]

Definitely continue for the Eucharist and for the sake of being present in the community.

I don’t know if it would help or hurt to talk about the two parts they “took out.” These kinds of changes are hard, which is why the Church historically has not done them very often. Whether you love or hate these particular changes many of us have had the experience of having to attend liturgies that for one reason or another grate on our sensibilities. It’s an almost inevitable reality in this age of seeming endless liturgical options and revisions, not to even mention abuses. It seems to me the thing to do in these cases is focus on God, focus on the Eucharist, and if things really are bad tell yourself that if Jesus is willing to show up at this mass then I’ll come too and suffer just a tiny bit with Him.

That said I do hope that with time you become more comfortable with the new translation and learn to pray with it.

Thank you. I have tried talking about this with my priest and he just parrots back the rhetoric. I really appreciate your understanding. I figure if I sit with it and listen and pay attention eventually it will seem more familiar. I would just rather go back to the Latin and be done with this nonsense.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

You are very fortunate. Those are excellent hymnals, and the donation idea is brilliant, since they are rather expensive. However, after a few years, the books will pay for themselves because you’ll no longer have to subscribe to disposable hymnals with annual payments.

In many cases the hymnal comes in the disposable missalettes or the come for free with it. That makes it the cheapest, and not many are willing to pay for quality.