In two weeks, Advent of 2011, the English-speaking world will welcome a new translation of the 
Roman Missal. The new English translation of the Roman Missal includes updated translations 
of existing prayers, including some of the well–known responses and acclamations of the people. 

What will change in the parts of the people 
in the revised Roman Missal?
There are some substantial changes to a number of the prayers and responses of the people during Mass. 

The first change that will be noticed in the people’s part comes  in the greeting. The priest greets the people five times during the Mass with the statement,  “The  Lord  be  with you.” Many of us respond to this greeting out of habit with the response, “And also with you.” and for many, this dialogue between the presider and the people became a rather informal greeting in the same vein as “Good Morning” or “How’s it going?” These greetings are actually very formal rituals that introduce us to a critical action during the liturgy, the Opening Rites, the proclaiming of the Gospel, the introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer, the Communion Procession and the sending forth. The Latin response, Et cum spiritu tuo, better translated in the new Missal as “And with your spirit” is a blessing being shared between the presider and those gathered to celebrate and acknowledges the presence of the Spirit of Christ who has brought us together and who presides at every Eucharist.

In the Preface Dialogue, the prayer at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer, the new dialogue is rendered (changes in bold): Presider: The Lord be with you. People: And with your spirit. Presider: Lift up your hearts. People: We lift them up to the Lord. Presider: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God. People: It is right and just. O ther changes in the people’s parts of Mass include the  Confiteor of the Penitential Act, the Gloria, The Nicene Creed, the Sanctus (Holy, Holy), proclamation of the Mystery of Faith and the Lamb of God. We will have trifold worship aids and our missalettes in the pews to help remind you of the new prayers.

In two weeks, the English-speaking world will begin using a new translation of the Roman Missal. Among other things, the revised edition of the Missale Romanum contains prayers for the observances of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces
for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Votive Masses and Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Intentions, and some updated and revised rubrics (instructions) for the celebration of the Mass. The English translation of the Roman Missal will also include updated translations of existing prayers, including some of the well–known responses, prayers and acclamation of the people.

Why do we need a new translation of the Missal?

The Missale Romanum (the Roman Missal), the ritual text for the celebration of the Mass, was first promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as the definitive text of the reformed liturgy of the Second Vatican Council. A second edition followed in 1975. Pope John Paul II issued a revised version of the Missale Romanum during the Jubilee Year 2000. These definitive texts are written in Latin and are the source from which we receive our translations in the vernacular (i.e. English, Spanish, French, etc.)

When the liturgy was reformed after the 2nd Vatican Council, a group called the International Commission on English in the Liturgy or ICEL was charged with the translation of the Latin texts into English. Because they had a very short time in which to translate the texts, some of the language that they used was imprecise and sometimes inelegant. The translators used a process called “dynamic equivalent” in which the translation, rather than keeping close to the original Latin, took the every-day, spoken language of the people into account. Using this dynamic equivalence, the Latin response, Et cum spiritu tuo (and with your spirit) was translated "And also with you." Unfortunately, the English translators were the only major language group to use the process of dynamic equivalent and so our translation diverged from that of other languages. This can be easily seen in the Spanish response "Y con tu espiritu." or the French, "Et avec votre esprit.", both of which are direct translations of the Latin for “and with your spirit.”

The 1970 translation of the prayers into English was always meant to be re-addressed. The new English Missal that we inaugurate the first Sunday of Advent will conform more closely to the translations in other languages and include both the beauty of the original prayers while adding the prayers for feasts of Saints canonized since 1970. In our parish, we will be using a common setting for the sung prayers of the Mass (Gloria, Sanctus, Acclamations) so that we can get used to the word changes. There will be cards in the pews with the Creed, Penitential Act, etc. so that you can familiarize yourself with the changes. If you would like to learn more about the changes, the United States Bishops have a very helpful website at  www.USCCB.org