We all become very accustomed to the words we hear and pray at Mass but in a few month’s
time English speakers will be faced with a momentous change when they go to church.
That’s because this year at Advent will see the introduction of the new English translation
of the Roman Missal which is more accurate and faithful to the original Latin text.
So why has this new translation been done and how different will the Mass sound? To
find out more, Susy Hodges spoke to Monsignor Andrew Wadsworth, Executive Director
of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, known as ICEL.
Monsignor
Wadsworth says of the new translation "it's the same Mass but it will sound different."
He points to some of the more obvious changes which are in the basic dialogues of
the Mass. One example is when the priest says: "the Lord be with you" and instead
of saying "And also with you" we shall say "And with your spirit."
When asked
about the feedback they have received so far from those who have seen the new missal,
he replies "the reactions have been overwhelmingly positive" although he concedes
"there will be a certain apprehension as we move away from something that is familiar
and accept the challenge of something which in many ways is quite different." But
despite the misigivings of some faithful, Monsignor Wadsworth remains confident that
when it comes to this new translation "we shall all, once we've got over the initial
shock (of the change), come to know it and love it."