THIS weekend will see the first steps towards the introduction of a new missal at Masses in many Catholic parishes throughout Ireland.
Changes will be on missalettes, or congregational cards with the new texts, in most churches.
These will include new translations of the people’s response to the greeting by the priest; the I Confess; the Gloria; the Apostles’ Creed; the acclamations for the Eucharistic Prayer; and the invitation to Communion.
All new changes will be introduced at Masses throughout Ireland and the English-speaking Catholic world by November 27th next, the first Sunday of Advent.
The new missal has been produced by the International Commission for English in the Liturgy in consultation with the Congregation for Divine Worship in the Vatican.
According to the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference, it captures “the biblical resonances of our prayers more clearly and the rich words and phrases of the prayers, many more than 1,200 years old”.
In 2001, the Vatican issued Liturgiam Authenticam, a document that laid down new principles for the translation of the Latin Mass.
It required literal translation of the language and its guidelines were used to produce the new missal.
The old/current missal was introduced to Ireland on St Patrick’s Day, 1975.
The changes have been opposed by the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland, who called for the introduction of the new texts to be postponed for five years to allow for greater consultation on proposed changes.
A statement from the Catholic Communications Office in Maynooth pointed out that “importantly, the structure and order of the Mass are not changing. With practise, congregations will become familiar with the new texts”.
Welcoming the new edition of the missal Bishop John McAreavey of Dromore, who is also the Irish bishops’ representative on the International Commission for English in the Liturgy, said: “The challenge faced by the translators of the new text was to produce a text that was faithful to the original Latin and, at the same time, was suitable for worship today. I believe that the new texts capture the wealth of theological vocabulary of the original text and so help us to enter more fully into the riches of the liturgy itself.”
He continued: “The use of a new edition of the missal is not simply about words or translation.”
It would, he said, “enable us to come to a deeper understanding of the Eucharist, which is the source and summit of the life of the church”.
It was also “the result of the work of many people over the past 10 years”, he said.
What's New
* The phrase “begotten, not made, of one being with the Father”, from the Apostles Creed, has been changed to “begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father”.
* The response to “The Lord be with you” has been changed from “and also with you” to “and with your spirit”.
* The opening three sentences of the Third Eucharistic Prayer have been replaced with one 72-word sentence.
* Throughout, the missal only refers to “man”, “men” and “he”.