Diocese Changing Text Of Prayers And Instructions
Diocesan officials here are preparing for a major overhaul in the Roman Missal, the text of prayers and instructions that Roman Catholics follow in celebration of Mass.
The first major overhaul in nearly four decades brings the text closer to its Biblical meaning, in Latin, and makes it more poetic, church officials said. The changes also update the calendar of saints.
Among other things, churchgoers will have to relearn a fundamental and well-known Catholic response to "The Lord be with you." Currently, adherents respond with "And also with you." When the new changes come, they will say, "And with your spirit," which is a more accurate translation of the original Latin.
"We're going back to the correct translation of those words," said the Rev. Douglas J. Lucia, a Canton priest and the diocese's director of the Office of Worship. "It's something significant."
Oct. 18 and 19, lay ministers, deacons and those who help out with parishes will meet at Lake Placid to take part in workshops on the new translation. Diocesan priests already have received some training. Sometime after Lent in 2011, parishes will start hosting sessions to familiarize parishioners with the change. The changes will take effect on the first Sunday of Advent in 2011, Nov. 27.
Pope John Paul II initiated the new translation in 2000. The United States will have a specific Missal, which will include updated prayers for days such as Thanksgiving and Independence Day.
Churchgoers will have nearly 15 months to learn the new prayers and rituals. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is offering a Webster with details on the plan, including links to PowerPoint presentations, sample texts and a countdown ticker to Nov. 27; it now stands at 454 days. Cards and memory aids also will be available during the transition, but will be phased out within a year, according to the Webster.
After 40 years, it's no surprise that the transition is being taken seriously and thought out carefully. The last overhaul came after Vatican II, in the late 1960s.
"Even for us priests, the liturgy I've known all my life is the liturgy of the second Vatican council," Father Lucia said.
"For me, in the next year, I'm going to have to refamiliarize myself. I'm going to have to really look again at what I'm saying after 21 years of being a priest."
On the Net
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: www.usccb.org
