I hope the transition to the new missal does go smoothly.The liturgy is the “source and summit” of our Christian life, and we must always strive for its worthy celebration.
Posts Tagged Australia
“Please find attached the Preface for this coming Sunday – it is not in the interim missals we are working with. Not that anyone’s going to understand it, mind you.”
And so it begins…
Jun 11
June 11, 2011: Pentecost Sunday (vigil) in a local western Sydney parish brought with it the first in-liturgy use of the new translation[...] The liturgy had more of a feeling of ‘classroom’ than prayer-event at times.
At a 9.15am memorial mass yesterday in the Broken Bay diocese (neighbouring diocese to Sydney, Australia), I was surprised to find that the new translation of Eucharistic Prayer III was prayed (without prior announcement that this would be the case).
How can the Church become what it claims to be, a sign to the nations of the inbreaking of the Reign of God?
Father Tom Knowles identified himself as one of the 22,000 signatories of the “What If We Just Said Wait?” petition pushing for a “grassroots review” of the new Roman Missal. But he said the time has come to turn to the practical matter of implementing the changes.
Andrew Hamilton writes, “My own judgment, based on a limited reading, is that, considering the narrow instructions governing its preparation, the new translation overall is surprisingly good. In less skilled hands the result could have resembled Inspector Poirot’s English. In fact it reads more like the English used in costume drama — workable, but with a slightly archaic and formal flavour.”
Two articles, one from a general news source and another from a Catholic newspaper, confirm that discontent over the new translation is simmering in Australia.
“The NCP recognises that our union with Jesus in the Eucharist is at the heart of our life as priests and more than anything else expresses the unity of our Church. It should not be a source of contention or disunity. … [T]here will need to be some tolerance of people who find this new translation unacceptable.” — National Council of Priests of Australia
Benedict XVI has continued the reversal of Vatican II. He is imposing a new English translation of the Sacramentary on a resisting English speaking constituency. This may very well backfire because many priests are not going to implement it.