The New Roman Missal
The English translations of the new Roman Missal have finally been approved (see “Vatican confirms new version of Missal, Catholic News Service, April 30, 2010.).
It has been a long time coming. The Latin edition had been approved several years ago but it has taken much effort to complete the English translation.
Of course, there are opinions to both sides of “how good” the new translation is. I am not going to debate that here. It is not my role as a parish priest to “approve” the translation. What I would like to talk about is why I think it took so long to complete the English translation to help you appreciate it.
First, for those who do not understand what the Roman Missal is, it contains all the prayers used at Mass, including the Gloria, Eucharistic Prayers, Prefaces, Opening Prayer, Offertory Prayer, Prayer After Communion, and the Creed. In simple terms it is the big red book on the altar called the Sacramentary.
To put it simply, it has taken so long because all parties involved wanted to make sure we have the best translation possible for use. Each person might have their own opinion of what the best translation is but hopefully from the process of working together, guided by the Holy Spirit, what we have will help us celebrate our Mass with glory and praise to God.
Some people might ask why we even need to change it, what’s wrong with it? It is not necessarily a question of something being wrong with it. It’s about making sure we have the best available.
Some people say there is more important stuff for the Church to be working on. To me, the realization of the “other important stuff” is part of why it has taken so long. People have been busy working on the translation but it is not the only thing they have been working on for the last ten years. They realize there is other work to be done and have not spend all their time on the Missal.
Now that the Roman Missal English translation has been approved there are some final details to be worked out and a date to begin using it. It will not be rushed into use. First, we have to train the priests and in turn teach the people the new translations so that all might use the new translations with reverence to give glory to God.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff
I am very excited to finally see the new translations. Sure, they may not be perfect; but they are far more accurate to the universal Latin text than the present revision. Liturgiam Authenticam called for translations to be more accurate to the true texts, rather than subscribing to the “dynamic equivalency” which has led to a slew of variations from country to country, and even from parish to parish. I hope that all of our leaders will embrace the new texts, regardless of their personal feelings on the subject.