Washington D.C., Aug 21, 2009 / 11:14 am (CNA).- After years in the making, the English translation of the new Roman Missal is nearing its completion and is now awaiting the final approval of the bishops and the Vatican. In an effort to begin educating the faithful and clergy on the new translation, the U.S. bishops have launched a website.
The new website, which was launched on August 21, includes background material on the process of the development of liturgical texts, sample texts from the Missal, a glossary of terms and answers to frequently asked questions.
A press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) says that content will be added to the website on a regular basis over the next several months.
Bishop Arthur Serratelli, who chairs the bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship, welcomes the faithful to the new site in a video, saying, “In the years since Vatican II we have learned a lot about the use of the vernacular in the liturgy and the new texts reflect this new understanding.”
Describing the translation, Bishop Serratelli says, “The new texts are understandable, dignified and accurate. … They not only strive to make the meaning of the text accessible for the listener, but they also strive to unearth the biblical and theological richness of the Latin text.”
The process of translating the new Missal began in 2003 and has been ongoing since then.
Now that they have studied, reflected and adjusted the translation for five years, the bishops are expected to conclude their review and approve the final portion of the translated texts at the end of this year, the USCCB says in a press release.
Following the approval of the bishops, the translation will require a final approval (recognitio) from the Holy See before the texts can be published and used in the liturgy.
Speaking in the video, Bishop Serratelli explains that he sees this time of waiting as an opportunity for the faithful to learn and prepare.
“We have a great opportunity during this period not only to learn about the changes, not only to learn about the revised texts, but also to deepen our own understanding of the Liturgy itself,” he says. “We encourage priests, deacons, religious, liturgical ministers, all the faithful to avail themselves of the information that we are making available.”
The website dedicated to the new translation can be found at: http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal.
These changes are a welcome return to the original sense of the Latin text, which was in some case subtly distorted in the post-Vatican II translations. The ridiculous attempts to sanitize the the Mass Text, to make it more “relevant” have been scrubbed, as far as I can see, and the original sense of the text is restored.
We American Episcopalians followed more or less these unfortunate excursions into a more “therapeutic” mode in our own 1978 Prayer Book. I hope that we can return to the original sense as the Roman church has done.