L.A. cardinal says Order of the Mass draft needs major work

Catholic News Service ^ | May 12, 2004 | Cindy Wooden

[sidewalk]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Despite hopes that English-speaking Catholics soon would have a new translation of Mass prayers, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles said he and many other bishops believe the current draft needs major work.

An English draft of the "Ordo Missae," or Order of the Mass, was approved by the episcopal board of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy in January, and copies were sent to every Latin-rite bishop in the United States and other English-speaking countries.

"I felt that there are a few improvements that are very helpful, but the effort to translate every Latin word into English has not been successful," the cardinal said in a May 11 interview with Catholic News Service.

The cardinal was at the Vatican for his "ad limina" visit, which bishops make every five years to report on the status of their dioceses and to hold consultations with Vatican officials.

One of the topics visiting U.S. bishops have been raising with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments is the ongoing effort to create English translations of Latin Mass prayers in a way that is faithful to the Latin and can be understood and proclaimed.

The Tablet, a London-based Catholic weekly, reported May 8 that the bishops of England and Wales were critical of the proposed Order of the Mass, particularly because of "lengthy sentences, poor syntax and archaic language."

In their plenary meeting May 11, the bishops of Australia voted to return the draft to ICEL for revision for similar reasons.

Cardinal Mahony said, "This is obviously considered by everybody as a first draft."

The Order of the Mass includes the prayers that are used at every Mass such as the Gloria, the Nicene Creed and the eucharistic prayers. It does not include all of the prayers that change each week during the liturgical year.

The new text is the first English translation of Mass prayers resulting from the 2002 publication of the third edition of the Roman Missal in Latin and from new translation rules contained in the 2001 Vatican instruction, "Liturgiam Authenticam" ("The Authentic Liturgy").

Cardinal Mahony said he gave copies of the draft translation to members of his priests' council and asked them to "read it out loud" with members of their parish liturgy committees.

Because the prayers are meant to be proclaimed, he said, "you can only capture whether it works or doesn't work in hearing it out loud."

"Most of the responses I got back were quite negative," Cardinal Mahony said.

The cardinal said there is an obvious "tension" between the principles enunciated in the 2001 Vatican document on translation and the needs of the priests and people.

"We simply cannot have a translation that is labored and is not easily proclaimed or understood," he said.

"The danger is that that kind of new Roman Missal, if it were approved in such a stilted fashion, would simply not be used," he said.

The cardinal said he was afraid that priests simply would continue using the old translation, "which, of course, is not helpful either."

Cardinal Mahony said he agreed with several bishops who have said the parts of the Mass recited by the entire congregation should not be changed.

"Following the (clerical sex abuse) scandal," he said, "the last thing our people need is to now disrupt the liturgy, which has been a source of nourishment and strength during this difficult journey."

The cardinal said he was in favor of changes "that are obviously an improvement, not just a change to be transliteral."

Cardinal Mahony predicted "it will reach a point where someone will have to reconcile these documents" on translation with the need to "help the local churches express the faith in the language as they use it."

"What is the more important value? Is the more important value to have a more precise translation of Latin into English or is it more important to have a translation that helps people's prayer be nourished and deepened? That, to me, is the more important question," the cardinal said.

"I think that if we are going to make a change to have a Roman Missal that will be with us for generations, let's take our time; let's do it well; let's make sure that it really is an improvement," he said.

[B Knotts]

"bread that is bread to all the senses"

Y'know...that sounds like a lyric from an OCP hymnal.

[B Knotts]

In Bp. Vigneron's case, I think that might be a situation that is so out of whack that it calls for, shall we say, a somewhat less pastoral approach.

[fortunecookie]

Cardinal Mahony said, "This is obviously considered by everybody as a first draft." He wasn't consulted on this one; that makes it a 'draft'.

How dare they not consult him? Yep, as soon as he and Bishop Trautman, head of the liturgy committee (ugh), finish their revisions, they can get behind it. It must be good for them to dislike it so much.

[B Knotts]

Can you imagine the translation those two would come up with, left to their own devices?

[american colleen]

I guess, theoretically, Cardinal Mahony's 'clarifications' were not exactly incorrect in a way - however - stuff like that is what frustrates the faithful and makes them throw up their hands and walk away in confusion.

I don't know if the problem is too much education or what but the more some bishops and priests write, the more complicated and confusing is the simple faith that Jesus Christ taught.

Sometimes I think that some of us (both ordained and lay) just like to see themselves in print or hear themselves talking and hope that they will be remembered for imparting more wisdom than Himself imparted.

[ninenot]

Your argument is with the corrupt elements of the West, ninenot

Edited for precision of language.

[ninenot]

Can you imagine the translation those two would come up with, left to their own devices?

For practical purposes, we already have that--

Further deterioration is virtually un-imaginable.

[B Knotts]

Oh, I'm quite sure they could think of something. :-P

[fortunecookie]

Can you imagine the translation those two would come up with, left to their own devices? For practical purposes, we already have that--

Further deterioration is virtually un-imaginable.

Here in Trautman's kingdom, I suspect he can sink even lower, if only just a little. He never fails to slink. We don't have goddess banners here yet, afterall. He routinely thumbs his nose at Rome. Actually he has his lackeys do the thumbing, he doesn't deign to speak to them himself, regarding himself as their superior, uniquely posited to rule his people. We hear negative Rome comments routinely, and when asked, we are told it comes from the top. He actually demanded our obedience in a newletter that required us to disregard Rome's ruling on kneeling. We were to show our brotherhood and unity and respect to him, our direct superior, by not kneeling after communion.

Besides, now the big whine is 'how will the people adjust to these big changes'??? Mind you, they have worked hard to make many unauthorized changes to Catholicism as it's practiced here in our diocese in just a decade or so, changing the way we worship and how our churches are adorned and what is proper for worship. And those changes were thrust upon us (we had better go along, we were warned, many left the faith altogether), but now, these particular changes, well, humphh. He just won't do it, for the good of his flock.

[fortunecookie]

Can you imagine the translation those two would come up with, left to their own devices? For practical purposes, we already have that--

Further deterioration is virtually un-imaginable.

Here in Trautman's kingdom, I suspect he can sink even lower, if only just a little. He never fails to slink. We don't have goddess banners here yet, afterall. He routinely thumbs his nose at Rome. Actually he has his lackeys do the thumbing, he doesn't deign to speak to them himself, regarding himself as their superior, uniquely posited to rule his people. We hear negative Rome comments routinely, and when asked, we are told it comes from the top. He actually demanded our obedience in a newletter that required us to disregard Rome's ruling on kneeling. We were to show our brotherhood and unity and respect to him, our direct superior, by not kneeling after communion.

Besides, now the big whine is 'how will the people adjust to these big changes'??? Mind you, they have worked hard to make many unauthorized changes to Catholicism as it's practiced here in our diocese in just a decade or so, changing the way we worship and how our churches are adorned and what is proper for worship. And those changes were thrust upon us (we had better go along, we were warned, many left the faith altogether), but now, these particular changes, well, humphh. He just won't do it, for the good of his flock.

[Polycarp IV]

the dangers of disruption

If you glance at the program of the Religious Education 2004 Congress over which Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony presided, you'll find a virtual strip mall of boutique Eucharistic offerings. There's a Hawaiian-theme liturgy and a Hispanic-theme liturgy and a Nigerian-theme liturgy and a Vietnamese-theme liturgy and a Young Adult-theme liturgy and a Contemplative-theme liturgy -- every variant, apparently, except a Calvary theme. Of course this is the diocese that introduced to its cathedral a 50-foot dancing dragon "to ward off evil spirits and usher in good fortune in the Chinese New Year."

So how does Cardinal Mahony respond to the draft of a revised translation of the Roman Missal?

"The last thing our people need is to now disrupt the liturgy, which has been a source of nourishment and strength during this difficult journey."

Words fail me.

[photo shows worshipers nourished and strengthened by the Closing Liturgy of the 1999 RE Congress]

[Polycarp IV]

Here in Trautman's kingdom

Ahem...That's Troutperson

We must use inclusive language, mustn't we?

[fortunecookie]

Here in Trautman's kingdom

Ahem...That's Troutperson

We must use inclusive language, mustn't we?

Hee hee. Excellent point. My bad, my post was fraught with pronouns - oh, the horror - identifying our bishop as a male. Forgive me, all.

[johnb2004]

Which one in the pic is mahony?

[B Knotts]

coffee | nose > keyboard