Pastor’s Message
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
The three major monotheistic religions are often called “religions of the book.” The book is the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) for Jews, the Bible (both Hebrew and Christian scriptures) for Christians, and the Quran for Muslims. These books have shaped our understanding of God, ourselves, and the way we worship the One God. We Catholics make things even more interesting by using several other important books in our liturgies. The Book of the Gospels is carried to the altar in the entrance procession and used to proclaim the words of Jesus. The Lectionary is always resting on the pulpit and contains readings for every day from both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. You often see younger altar servers struggling with a heavy volume of the Roman Missal (also called the “Sacramentary”) when she or he holds it in front of the priest for the Opening or Closing Prayer and places it on the altar for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Then there are quite a number of Rituals - small books containing appropriate prayers and readings for the celebrations of particular sacraments such as Matrimony, Baptism, Anointing of the Sick, and so on.
The Roman Missal, the most important non-scriptural book used in the Catholic liturgy, has undergone multiple adaptations and changes since its official codification in 1277. Implementing the decision of the Council of Trent, Pope Pius V promulgated in 1570 an edition of the Roman Missal that was to be in obligatory use throughout the Latin Church except where there was a traditional liturgical rite that could be proved to be of at least two centuries’ antiquity. Some corrections to Pope Pius V's text proved necessary, and several subsequent Popes made minor revisions to this Tridentine Missal. Pope John XXIII issued the last edition of that Missal in 1962. In response to decisions of the Second Vatican Council, a new edition of the Roman Missal was officially introduced by Pope Paul VI in 1969, and full vernacular translations appeared several years later. The English translation of this Roman Missal is the one with which we are familiar since American Catholics have been using this for almost 40 years now.
However, during the Jubilee Year of 2000, Pope John Paul II announced that there would be a revised version of the Roman Missal. The implementation date for the new English translation has been set for November 27, 2011 which is the First Sunday of Advent next year. Among other things, the revised edition contains new items such as prayers for the observances of recently canonized saints and additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers. In most vernacular languages, these changes will be barely noticeable. However, the English translation of the Roman Missal will also include updated translations of existing prayers, including some of the well-known responses and acclamations of the people, and this has caused a lot of turmoil in many circles. For some, like Fr. Michael Ryan, a pastor of St. James Cathedral in Seattle since 1988, it is just a next step in the process of “the systematic dismantling of the great vision of the Second Vatican Council's decree on liturgy.” Proponents of the new English translation, however, consider it a huge improvement over the texts currently used which they regard as not “sacred enough.” It is generally recognized that the current translation focuses on rendering the texts understandable to modern English-speakers, whereas the new translation focuses more on preserving nuances in the original Latin. The result will be the use of some phrases and words that are not normally a part of everyday English discourse. Fr. Paul Turner, a priest of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, explains that “it’s not that the translation we have is wrong or heretical. But what we gained in fluidity (in English) we lost in nuance (from the Latin).” For example: the new translation oftentimes uses the word “ineffable” to describe the power of God. Webster’s Dictionary defines “ineffable” as “incapable of being expressed in words.” While not a part of daily English, it is a word that means we are speechless before God. Other examples: in the Creed, the currently-used translation reads that Jesus was “one in being” with the Father. The new translation will describe this relationship as “consubstantial.” Another example is changing the response by the congregation during Mass from “And also with you” to “And with your spirit,” which is a precise literal rendering of the original Latin “et cum spiritu tuo”. You can find more samples of this new translation on page 6 of this bulletin. The intended goal of the changes scheduled to begin in Advent 2011, is for English-speaking Catholics to be reciting prayers that more precisely render their original Latin meanings.
As a Parish that is fully owned and run by its members, we will prayerfully and cautiously discern as a community the way we will proceed concerning this translation. In the months to come, several educational meetings will be held in which the “pros” and “cons” of the new translation will be presented and discussed. In the end, it will be the Parishioners making the final decision whether or not to keep using the current version of the Roman Missal.
Fr. Marek
Pastor