July 14, 2010

Four questions on the new Roman Missal

By Roxanne King

Father Rick Hilgartner, associate director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship in Washington, was a keynote speaker at a June 8 workshop in Arvada on the new Roman Missal. After the event, he answered questions from the Denver Catholic Register about the missal.

Q: Why did the Roman Missal undergo changes?
A: The Church’s liturgy has evolved over the course of centuries, and changes have come about in order to meet the needs of the Church at any given time.  The Missale Romanum (Roman Missal), the ritual text for the celebration of the Mass, was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as the definitive text of the reformed liturgy of the Second Vatican Council.  That Latin text, the editio typica (typical edition), was translated into various languages for use around the world; the English edition was published in the United States in 1973.  The Holy See issued a revised text, the editio typica altera, in 1975.  

Pope John Paul II promulgated the third edition (editio typica tertia) of the Missale Romanum during the Jubilee Year in 2000.  Among other things, the third edition contains prayers for the celebration of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Intentions, and some updated and revised rubrics (instructions) for the celebration of the Mass. 

To aid the process of translation of the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued Liturgiam Authenticam, in 2001, an instruction on the vernacular translation of the Roman Liturgy which outlines the principles and rules for translation.  These rules have evolved since the initial English translation was prepared in 1970, so the new translation will be somewhat different even though in most cases the Latin text remains unchanged.

Q: What are the changes people can expect at Mass?
A: The texts of the revised translation of the Roman Missal are marked by a heightened style of English speech and a grammatical structure that closely follows the Latin text.  This will mean that there will be longer and more complex sentences.  In addition, many biblical and poetic images which had been hidden in the translation, such as “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof…” (Communion Rite) and “…from the rising of the sun to its setting” (Eucharistic Prayer III) have been restored. 

Some traditional phrases have been retranslated with an eye on their original significance, such as the response to the priest’s greeting, “The Lord be with you,” which will be rendered as the more accurate response, “And with your spirit,” in keeping with the translation of this response in other languages.  Technical language and vocabulary specific to our faith is also used in the new translation, so words like “chalice” (the cup used at Mass for the wine that becomes the Blood of Christ), “consubstantial” (describes the unique relationship between God the Father and the Son), and “incarnate” (describes the great mystery of God becoming flesh in Jesus) may initially sound unfamiliar, but they are part of the vocabulary of our faith and our worship.

Q: When will the changes be implemented?
A: The work of preparing the Roman Missal, third edition, began soon after the text was promulgated by the Holy See in 2002.  The text of the Missal (more than 1,200 pages) was divided into manageable sections, and each section underwent thorough review and revision before finally being approved by conferences of bishops.  In the United States, the final section was approved in November 2009.  As of today we are still awaiting the final approval of the text from the Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican.  Once approved, we anticipate implementation of the new text in Advent (late November) 2011.

Q: Is there anything you would like to add?
A: Look for extensive catechetical programs in dioceses and parishes to help priests and the faithful prepare for the transition to the new texts.  Online resources, such as the special USCCB-sponsored Roman Missal website (www.USCCB.org/roman missal), already provide a wealth of information in a variety of formats.  More information will be added as it becomes available.