When the sister announced at the beginning of mass that we would be starting the new translation there were some surprised murmurs (I guess from people who didn’t attend last week or skipped out right after communion, or maybe people had just forgotten).
As I should have predicted but didn’t, we used Form B rather than Form A of the penitential act, which was disappointing but I guess it makes sense to start simple. Considering the parish culture I’m not sure we’ll ever use Form A. We never did before, that I can recall.
Another surprise which I wouldn’t have predicted was that we used the Apostles’ Creed instead of the Nicene Creed, which I’ve never seen done at this parish. When the priest announced this my first reaction was negative, but I immediately changed my mind. This is a good, traditional version of the Apostle’s Creed and it’s good for people to be exposed to it, and it’s easier to start off with compared to the new Nicene Creed translation. I hope and 90% expect we will switch to the Nicene Creed soon and stay there.
Sister gave the homily (I know, I know) and talked a bit about the new translation in a very positive way. The homily was shorter than usual because, as sister explained, father was sure to take longer with the new prayers, which he did.
I was eagerly and a little nervously awaiting the Invitation to Prayer (“May the Lord accept this sacrifice…”) and the part at the end of the institution narrative when the priest should say “do this in memory of me”. At our parish seemingly everyone except me (including the priest) had been saying “May the Lord accept this sacrifice at
our hands, for the praise and glory of
God’s name, for our good and the good of all
God’s Church.” Now with the words in front of us everyone (that I heard) said “your” and “his”. I hope the correction will be permanent, and that the same thing is happening in many other parishes that have used the Politically Correct form of that prayer. Better still the priest said “do this in memory of me” instead of his usual innovative “when you do this, remember me.”
Also a pleasant surprise was that our priest used the First Eucharistic Prayer (Roman Canon), which I’d never heard outside a cathedral or EWTN before (or the old version in the Extraordinary Form). Unfortunately there was no announcement about this, and I’m afraid some people may have gone away with the impression that more has been changed in the liturgy than is the reality.
Every time the people were supposed to say “and with your spirit” some people began to say “and also with you.” I admit it, I was one of those people twice, when I wasn’t looking at the liturgy guide. I guess the old response got more ingrained in my mind than I thought.
The only real negative response I seemed to pick up from the congregation was a snort at the mention of thrones and dominions. Also the priest occasionally started using a sarcastic tone and had a wry smile at times, but I assume he did not mean it to be a reaction to the liturgy itself but to his awkwardness as he tried to read it. And he was very awkward, even pausing and sort of sounding out a word once (“oblation”, I think). On the other hand he hammed up (in a good way) “from the rising of the sun to it’s setting” sending a signal that he considered that part beautiful.
In all it was an adventure, but for me at least more good than bad.
HAHA! That made me laugh…