The Rev. Peter Pagones recently stood before his congregation at St. Paul the Apostle on Albany Street in Schenectady and gave the group a homework assignment. Everyone was to say the response to "the Lord be with you" 10 times before the Mass that would be celebrated on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That's because the answer — one of the most recognizable uttered during Mass for Catholics and non-Catholics alike — is changing from "And also with you," to "And with your spirit."
That semantic revision is a small one among hundreds that will occur as part of the Vatican's new literal Latin translation of the Roman Missal, the text of prayers and instructions for celebrating Mass, which is mandated to begin at the start of Advent on Sunday.
Parishes have for weeks been preparing worshippers to absorb and understand the changes, from putting note cards in the pews to holding instructional sessions outside of Mass. But the largest burden is on priests themselves, who have had to pore over a new 1,200-page Missal and absorb changes to language that they've been speaking for most, if not all, of their careers.
The changes don't sit well with some Catholics who feel the translation is awkward and will be difficult for celebrants to relate to, as the text is not the way people speak. Others have started getting used to the new way.
"When I first heard about the changes, I didn't like the idea that someone was going to mess with my Mass — of having to use a piece of paper to say a prayer I knew by heart and have said my whole life," said Mary DeTurris Poust of Delmar, author of "The Essential Guide to Catholic Prayer and the Mass." "But as I sat with the changes and reflected on them, I saw the beauty of the language as it relates to Scripture."
Still, she said, "there are going to be some things like the word 'consubstantial' that are never going to feel normal to us."
The word, meaning "of the same substance," replaces "one in being with the Father."
Churches have also used the changes in the worship service as an opportunity to remind people what the Mass really means and to connect to it in a more spiritual way.
"What the church is trying to say is that they don't want the language to be the language of every day. They want it to be more majestic, to restore in some sense a sense of mystery that surrounds our dealings with God," said Pagones, who was ordained 43 years ago. "There are still concerns. But everyone is saying 'It's here, it's in front of us. We have to make the transition as easy as we can for the people we serve.' "
In a recent Evangelist article, Bishop Howard Hubbard acknowledged how "awkward" the translation can be, but said it should be used as an opportunity for the faithful to connect with what is being said and how it directly relates to the scripture written thousands of years ago.
The Second Vatican Council of the 1960s created the Mass everyone knows today, with the priest facing the parishioners and the liturgy switch to local languages instead of the traditional Latin in an attempt to modernize the church. But as a church commission worked to make the Mass more familiar, some of the language strayed from Latin.
The new wording has been in the works for years. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany held its first workshop on the new missal in January 2009.
Elizabeth Simcoe, chancellor for pastoral services and director of prayer and worship office in the diocese, explained the importance of the new translation at one workshop by reading from instructions she got inside a picnic table she purchased.
"While you could understand what it was saying, it wasn't anything you would write in English," Simcoe said. "It demonstrates that when something is translated from one language to the other, you can risk losing some of the original meaning."
Simcoe said she has heard varied reactions to the change, from apprehension to elderly parishioners who remember how Mass was when they were children and feel the new translation "is like coming home."
Poust recently returned from the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis, at which 23,000 young people discussed, among other things, the changes in the Mass.
"Some of the kids were wearing T-shirts that said, 'And with your spirit,' and some were even using the response at Mass already. These teens are not afraid of change. They're willing to embrace it and open themselves up to the positive ways this new translation might deepen their faith. We adults could learn something from them."
Reach Lauren Stanforth at 454-5697 or lstanforth@timesunion.com
Words of worship
The boldface words show the changes in portions of the Mass:
Greeting
Old text
Priest: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you.
New text
Priest: The Lord be with you. People: And with your spirit.
Confiteor
Old text
I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
New text
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Nicene Creed
Old text
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made.
New text
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.
Sign of Peace
Old text
Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always. People: And also with you.
New text
Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always. People: And with your spirit.
Concluding rites
Old text
Priest: The Lord be with you. People:And also with you
New text
Priest: The Lord be with you. People: And with your spirit
Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
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