Roman Catholics should prepare for some immediate and severe changes to their holy mass.
Beginning November 27th, parishes in English-speaking countries will begin to use a new translation of the Roman Missal, which is the ritual text of prayers and instructions for celebrating Mass. The Vatican says it wants its services to be closer to Latin, which has sparked bitter protests by English speaking Catholic churchgoers and their clergy over what is arguably one of the biggest changes in Catholic worship in generations.
For decades, Roman Catholic priests have offered the blessing “Lord be with you,” to which the traditional response was, “And also with you.” But now, the correct response will be, “And with your spirit.” The phrase “one in Being with the Father,” will change to “consubstantial with the Father.” And when a priest prays over the Holy Communion bread and wine, he will ask God for blessings “by sending down your spirit upon them like the dewfall.” Also, funeral rites will now be known as “the fraternal offices of burial.”
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| Father Iwanowski |
Many clergy are upset by the new language, calling it awkward and hard to understand. Yet they must now learn intricate new speaking parts, often late in their years of service to the church. “We’re tinkering with a very intimate and personal moment,” said the Rev. Richard Hilgartner, executive director of the worship office for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “It’s public worship, it’s the church’s official public prayer, but for the individual faithful, it’s one of the primary means of their encounter with the Lord.” The Rev. Tom Iwanowski, who has been a priest for 36 years and is pastor of St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in New Milford, N.J., angrily exclaimed, “How can I say those words? It doesn’t make sense. It separates religion from real life.”
But in the Catholic faith, the Pope’s word is the final word. And so the changes will be implemented as planned in less than 2 weeks.
