Thursday, August 18, 2005

awaiting the new translation of the Novus Ordo

I have noticed that the Catholic News continues to run articles on the ongoing re-translation of the Mass according to 1970 rubrics (ie. "Novus Ordo"). In one recent article, it is reported that the bishops are insistent on having "and with your spirit" instead of "and also with you" for the Latin "et cum spiritu tuo". This is in spite of objections to "and with your spirit" as not being spoken as smoothly as the existing one.

I certainly hope that Priests will start talking about this in their homilies soon. Since a large part of the faithful are used to the vernacular, it will be a real shock to have to say "and with your spirit".There will be much questioning and doubts and protests over a mere four words. (Trust me - the people in my parish argue about how to approach the altar).

Start educating the faithful on the deficiencies of the existing translation, and tell them what the Latin means. Don't be afraid to tell people that the translation is faulty. Tell them that it is "und mit deinem Geistes" in Germany and "et avec votre Esprit" in France, and so it will be "and with your spirit" in the Anglophone countries.

Since many parishes use the projector, it is not a problem to have subtitles with English and Latin. Start telling choirs to sing the Latin Ordinaries, because when the new translation is released, there will be no musical settings with the new text (I expect the Sanctus to be reworded too).

There's still time. The translation is supposed to help people understand the Latin - not to replace it completely!

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