Ite Missa Est

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steve99

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In the Latin the dismissal at the end of Mass is “Ite Missa Est”. This is usually translated as something like “Go, the Mass is ended” but can anyone give me a literal translation as I believe its more like a sending out, a missioning call, rather than just “that’s it - go home”.
Thanks
 
In my 1956 Fr. Stedman missal it is translated as: “Go, you are sent forth.”
 
Literally it is “Go, it is sent.” It is in command form and denotes our evangelical call to bring that Christ that we have just received to the world.
 
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steve99:
can anyone give me a literal translation
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ite = “go”

missa = “sent”

est = “is”

(Question for Latinists: Why “missa”? Why not “missus”?)
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steve99:
I believe its more like a sending out, a missioning call, rather than just “that’s it - go home”.
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That’s what it says in CCC para 1332.
 
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buzzcut:
ite = “go”

missa = “sent”

est = “is”

(Question for Latinists: Why “missa”? Why not “missus”?)
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I would presume it is to agree with an understood antecedant, the feminine res, rei, “thing, stuff, the business at hand” (as is often the case with such fragments).

Or, it may be some other antecedant, eg turba, turbae, “the crowd, the assembled people”, or ecclesia, ecclesiae, “the church, the assembly”.

take your pick,
tee
 
One explanation is that a particle of the Host (Hostia - feminine) was sent to each of the stational churches from the bishop’s Mass. The particle would then be dropped in the chalice at the Masses celebrated by priests/presbyters thereby linking every Mass with the bishop’s. The Particle would be brought by deacons.
 
Perhaps uniquely, the Celtic languages do not name the liturgy after the dismissal e.g. Irish Gaelic calls it aifreann – pronounced like the medicine afrin – from offerans, offering.
 
G&S:
One explanation is that a particle of the Host (Hostia - feminine) was sent to each of the stational churches from the bishop’s Mass. The particle would then be dropped in the chalice at the Masses celebrated by priests/presbyters thereby linking every Mass with the bishop’s. The Particle would be brought by deacons.
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I didn’t know that. Hanging around on CAF on a Saturday afternoon is proving to be very educational! 🙂
 
Sucipiat Dominus Sacrificium.

I do not know how the word declines, but “sacrifice” is either neuter or masculine. Missa could be neuter plural, but if it was “sacrifice” it makes no sense, as only one was offered.
 
Sacrifice is neuter. If Missa were neuter plural, the dismissal would be Ite, missa sunt. Est is singular.
 
G&S:
Perhaps uniquely, the Celtic languages do not name the liturgy after the dismissal e.g. Irish Gaelic calls it aifreann – pronounced like the medicine afrin – from offerans, offering.
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Well, the Latin West calls it the Mass, but our eastern brothers simply call it the Divine Liturgy, which is a pretty good one in my book.
 
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RobNY:
Well, the Latin West calls it the Mass, but our eastern brothers simply call it the Divine Liturgy, which is a pretty good one in my book.
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Ahh, certainly. I was only speaking in regards to the various renderings of of the word Missa. Other than in the Celtic languages, does anyone know of a name for the Latin Rite Liturgy not derived from Missa?
 
G&S:
Ahh, certainly. I was only speaking in regards to the various renderings of of the word Missa. Other than in the Celtic languages, does anyone know of a name for the Latin Rite Liturgy not derived from Missa?
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It is also properly called the Divine Liturgy just like in the east but it is rarely used because the nicknames are more common in the west.
 
I’m surprised this is considered so obscure.
Let’s ignore the “Ite.”
“Missa est” is perfect passive of “to send.” When I studied Latin, the way I remembered perfect passives is that they basically turn the root verb into an adjective, then use “to be” as the verb.
So, the trick here–the main topic of discussion–is “what has been sent,” since the “what” has to be a feminine noun.

If it were “Go; you are sent,” then it would be “es” or “estis,” not “est.”

So, years ago, I worked my way backwards to the most recent feminine subject that could be referred to. As someone noted above, “hostia” is feminine (as is “Eucharistica”).

My rendering of it is; “Go; the Eucharist is sent.”
 
It could be a verbal noun though couldn’t it, a part of the supine? My Latin is feeling a little rusty.

So that ‘It is the dismissal’ might be the best translation?

I always understood it to refer to going out and living in the world as Christians- that the mass is the beginning not the end of our faith lives.
 
Here’s my problem with that:

a) if it’s “it is the dismissal,” and “missa” is turning “mittere” into a noun meaning “dismissal,” then it needs to be in the dative case (e.g., “missam”). “missa” would be subjective (singular or plural, depending upon gender), in which case the proper translation would be “the dismissal is,” which leaves something out.

And, again,

b), if “Missa est” addresses the congregation (i.e., “Go, you are sent”), why is it in the third person? “Ite, Missa es” (singular) or “Ite, Missa estis” (plural).
 
GodsGadfly said:
Here’s my problem with that:

a) if it’s “it is the dismissal,” and “missa” is turning “mittere” into a noun meaning “dismissal,” then it needs to be in the dative case (e.g., “missam”). “missa” would be subjective (singular or plural, depending upon gender), in which case the proper translation would be “the dismissal is,” which leaves something out.

And, again,

b), if “Missa est” addresses the congregation (i.e., “Go, you are sent”), why is it in the third person? “Ite, Missa es” (singular) or “Ite, Missa estis” (plural).
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There is so much error in that I don’t know where to begin.

While I defer to the Old Catholic Encyclopedia article cited above, it is also not difficult to find a big enough dictionary to admit to other senses of *mitto, mittere, misi, missus/-a/-um *than “to send”, among them: “to end, cease, bring about, finish” It is not the most common way to say any of those things, but it there it is.

*“You’re still here? It’s over. Go home.” *-- Ferris Bueller
tee
 
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