The New Translation

So how did you like it? Me I loved it. I am very bias on this as the Hungarian Mass was already at this point so having English catch up is pure bliss.
To me it is more pure more meaing to the words and more beautiful. Father A at the new parish I also attend had us go through last week and guided us expertly through this weekend. He did a great job and everyone enjoyed the new words. It will take a while but all will be used to it and will wonder what all the fuss is about. The local paper the Toronto Star had the following story about the new tranlation of the mass;

Catholics’ reaction to new translation mixed

The new more formal translation of the Roman Catholic Mass could make it more challenging for the church to attract and keep young people, some parishioners in Toronto fear.

Others who attended Mass at St. Michael’s Cathedral said they saw little difference in the version delivered for the first time Sunday in churches throughout the English-speaking world.

And still others said younger people will adapt and may even be drawn by the beauty of the new translation from the original Latin.

“What this translation does is express the beauty, the poetry,” Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, told reporters after presiding over the noon Mass at St. Michael’s. “It’s more accurate, it’s more profound. It’s like going from black and white to colour, or from monotone to stereo.

“When you see the majesty of the liturgy, this is what draws people,” he said when asked if the new translation might be at odds with the church’s goal of attracting more young people.

The new version of the Roman Missal, which is the book of prayers used to lead the Mass, is the first major revision since 1969, when the church switched from Latin to the vernacular, or native language, in this case English.

The previous translation more closely reflected the way people speak. The new version is meant to be truer to the original Latin words and meaning.

Thus, the phrase “one in being with the Father,” part of the Nicene Creed, has become “consubstantial,” a word more derived from the Latin word “consubstantialis.”

Some worshippers at St. Michael’s Mass expressed concern the new terminology could make the church less appealing to younger people.

“I think there’s a real disconnect for the young people,” said Lucy Teves, a vice-principal at a Catholic school in Kingston, Ont. “I feel this is a step backwards. The language is going to be difficult for them to connect. I’m just thinking about my 20-year-old son and others like him who are struggling anyway.”

Another worshipper, Frank Spezzano, who can still quote from the original Latin Mass, said he thought the new translation wasn’t all that different from the previous one. “The alteration was slight.”

Peter Collins, who teaches Grade 3 at St. Michael’s Choir School, said he liked the new version and thought it would appeal to younger people. “I think a lot of young people appreciate the mystery and awe that it presents.”

Andrea Cowen, whose 15-year-old son was an altar boy in the service, said she thought the church had missed an opportunity to make the language more inclusive.

“There’s one part where it says ‘for the salvation of men.’ Using the male form. They had an opportunity to make it ‘for the salvation of humankind’,” she said.

The new version was introduced throughout the English-speaking world Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, which is the start of the New Year in the Roman Catholic faith.

Some 1.9 million residents of the Archdiocese of Toronto identify themselves as Roman Catholics.