Roman Missal, Third Edition
An Introduction to Mass Changes
Introduction
Some of the words that are used during Mass are going to change. These are in the responses made by the people to what the priest says. Because some of the words will change, some the sung prayers have to change to reflect the changes in the words. There will also be changes in the prayers that the priest recites.
Details about why this is happening and the actual changes are summarized here in a simple way. The purpose is to explain the changes simply and to provide links for people who want to dig deeper.
The flow of the Mass is not changing at all. Prayers will become more sacred compared to when using contemporary English. There will be a closer connection to the original prayers in Latin. However, this is not a step to returning the Mass to Latin. English is here to stay, but in a richer way. The revised translation will root us more deeply in the scriptures.
The changes have been approved by the Holy See and will formally appear in the Roman Missal, Third Edition. While publishers prepare this book, the publishers have prepared an immense amount of information about the changes and how to explain them before actual implementation on the First Sunday of Advent, November 25, 2011. This information is an attempt to sift through the immense information and provide a basic foundation to build upon.
Dig deeper here.
What Is the Roman Missal?
The Roman Missal is the book that the priest uses at the altar. The Roman Missal was previously called the Sacramentary, which is the English translation of the Latin version of the Roman Missal, Second Edition, dated March 1, 1985. These editions are sometimes referred to as “The Red Book.”
Already we have described two editions of the Roman Missal within the past 26 years. This is a book that evolves over time, going all the way back to the year 1471.
After the Second Vatican Council, the language used during Mass changed from Latin to English, requiring a translation that appeared in 1961 with little, if any, preparation of the people. The Holy See wants to better prepare the people for the Third edition.
The Roman Missal, Third Edition appeared in Latin in 2002. Most of the time since then has been spent getting the best English translation possible. Some compromises were made in translating, but that is always the case when translating from one language to another.
Dig deeper here.
And here.
Here Is an Example of a Change
At the beginning of Mass, the priest says, “The Lord be with you.” The people’s response has been, “And also with you.” This response will become the first change you will notice, when it becomes, “And also with your Spirit.”
Okay, why the change? It is because the old method of translation tried to capture the essence of the reply in Latin. But, now the new translation tries to stay closer to the actual Latin by using more of a word-for-word translation method. So, let’s compare the two translation methods to the original Latin.
Latin: Et cum spiritu tuo.
New English translation: And with your spirit.
Old English translation: And also with you.
The new response is an exact word-for-word translation from the Latin. Also, if you dig deeper, you will find four scriptural references to the new translation.
This better connection with scripture also holds for many of the other changes that were made in the Roman Missal.
Dig deeper here.
Other Changes
The following prayers said by the people during Mass will change in varying degrees.
All of these will be familiar, but some of the words are different.
Dig deeper here.
How Can We Remember All of these Changes?
Luckily for the priest, deacon, and people there will be pew cards. Once we have all said these prayers together for a while, we will remember them and no longer need cheat sheets.
Dig deeper here.