For Catholics in their 50s and older, the changes to the English text of the Mass that will be introduced this weekend will seem comfortably familiar, church leaders said.
"The revised Roman Missal restores the beauty and poetry of the language, and uses words that we are familiar with," said Brian Wallace, spokesman for Bishop William Lori of the Bridgeport Diocese.
The Missal is the book of prayers, chants and Scripture readings used in celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass. The revision that will be put into use in all U.S. parishes for the first Sunday in Advent, the start of the liturgical year, is the first since 1970.
"Some people don't like change, but this is nothing to be nervous about," said Nicholas Genovese, a deacon at St. Agnes Church in Milford. "This will help us to pray better, and if you think about the change from Latin to English in the 1970s, some people were upset then, but those changes are accepted now."
The new translation adheres more closely to the Latin, so that "and also with you" becomes "and also with your spirit." Instead of saying "Christ was born to the Virgin Mary," the verb in the Creed has been changed to "incarnated," and where Catholics now say Christ died, the new phrasing is he "suffered death."
"What had been a proclamation is becoming an acclamation," Genovese said. "It will now be a prayer to Jesus, rather than a statement about him. In the same way `We believe' becomes `I believe,' which is a more exact translation of the Latin word `credo' and an assertion of personal faith."
There are many more changes for the priest than for the congregation, said the Rev. William J. Killeen, a priest who serves several parishes in the Archdiocese of Hartford.
"The words that are being changed are being changed to make them more precise and to better conform to Scripture," he said.
After the Second Vatican Council in the late 1960s ordered that Mass be said in the local language, an English translation was quickly prepared and introduced. But in the short time frame required, some of the nuance and subtlety was lost, Killeen said during a recent homily. Work on the third edition of the Missal, which will be used beginning with vigil Masses on Saturday, began in 2006, and it received Vatican approval last year. New music is being written for the revised Mass that will be introduced over the next few months, Genovese said.
Archbishop Henry J. Mansell, of the Hartford Archdiocese, said in a letter to area Catholics that he has no doubt the changes will find favor quickly. "Please do not be nervous or upset," Mansell wrote. "There is no change in the ritual. The language, however, is closer to the Latin and takes us back 40 years to the way that we used to celebrate. It deepens our prayers. It lifts our souls; there is more wonder and awe conveyed in this edition."
Wallace said Fairfield County parishes are at different levels of preparedness, but the overall reception to the changes has been very positive. Some churches will have laminated cards in the pews this weekend showing the old and new texts, with the changes highlighted in bold, he said.
Reach Frank Juliano at 203-520-6986 or fjuliano@ctpost.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/FrankJuliano or blog.connpost.com/juliano.
"The revised Roman Missal restores the beauty and poetry of the language, and uses words that we are familiar with," said Brian Wallace, spokesman for Bishop William Lori of the Bridgeport Diocese.
The Missal is the book of prayers, chants and Scripture readings used in celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass. The revision that will be put into use in all U.S. parishes for the first Sunday in Advent, the start of the liturgical year, is the first since 1970. "Some people don't like change, but this is nothing to be nervous about," said Nicholas Genovese, a deacon at St. Agnes Church in Milford. "This will help us to pray better, and if you think about the change from Latin to English in the 1970s, some people were upset then, but those changes are accepted now."
The new translation adheres more closely to the Latin, so that "and also with you" becomes "and also with your spirit." Instead of saying "Christ was born to the Virgin Mary," the verb in the Creed has been changed to "incarnated," and where Catholics now say Christ died, the new phrasing is he "suffered death."
"What had been a proclamation is becoming an acclamation," Genovese said. "It will now be a prayer to Jesus, rather than a statement about him. In the same way `We believe' becomes `I believe,' which is a more exact translation of the Latin word `credo' and an assertion of personal faith."
There are many more changes for the priest than for the congregation, said the Rev. William J. Killeen, a priest who serves several parishes in the Archdiocese of Hartford.
"The words that are being changed are being changed to make them more precise and to better conform to Scripture," he said.
After the Second Vatican Council in the late 1960s ordered that Mass be said in the local language, an English translation was quickly prepared and introduced. But in the short time frame required, some of the nuance and subtlety was lost, Killeen said during a recent homily. Work on the third edition of the Missal, which will be used beginning with vigil Masses on Saturday, began in 2006, and it received Vatican approval last year. New music is being written for the revised Mass that will be introduced over the next few months, Genovese said.
Archbishop Henry J. Mansell, of the Hartford Archdiocese, said in a letter to area Catholics that he has no doubt the changes will find favor quickly. "Please do not be nervous or upset," Mansell wrote. "There is no change in the ritual. The language, however, is closer to the Latin and takes us back 40 years to the way that we used to celebrate. It deepens our prayers. It lifts our souls; there is more wonder and awe conveyed in this edition."
Wallace said Fairfield County parishes are at different levels of preparedness, but the overall reception to the changes has been very positive. Some churches will have laminated cards in the pews this weekend showing the old and new texts, with the changes highlighted in bold, he said.
Reach Frank Juliano at 203-520-6986 or fjuliano@ctpost.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/FrankJuliano or blog.connpost.com/juliano.
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