Changes to the Mass in 2011

It is important to begin by noting that the Mass itself is not changing.  It’s perhaps misleading to speak of the “New Mass.”  Some of the texts of the Mass are changing, but the elements of the Mass remain the same: the Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Communion Rite and the Concluding Rites.  That being said, here’s what you need to know about the Roman Missal, Third Edition (if you want a shorter explanation: click here).

Why are changes being made?
JPII promulgated the third edition of the Latin Roman Missal (Missale Romanum) in 2001, and our new missal will now reflect the additional prayers and revisions found in that missal.  We are, after all, one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church and the Mass should reflect our unity.  You will notice quite a few changes in wording largely because when the Latin Mass was first translated into English after Vatican II, some liberties were taken by the translators that are now going to be corrected.  While perhaps an inconvenience, the words we say will now be closer to the texts used at Masses around the world.

When will the Missal begin to be used in the liturgy?
The new translation will be used with the start of Advent, 2011.  That particular Sunday falls on November 27, 2011.

What are some of the changes?
The changes are bolded.  The non-bolded text is there to give enough context so that you can recognize in which part of the Mass the change is occurring.  Again, these changes have been made to make our English missal more true to either the Latin missal or to Vulgate (the Latin Bible).

What does all this mean?
It means that come Advent we will all have to follow the Missal closely as we get used to the changes in the Mass.  For the most part, the changes in our responses are small (nearly the whole of them are listed in the table above, with the exception of the Mysteries of Faith).  So that will make the transition easier for us as we assist at Mass.

The biggest changes are found in the prayers the priest recites.  As the USCCB’s website tells us, “the style of worship will be more formal. But it will also be deeper theologically and more evocative emotionally and intellectually.”  Meaning what?  Some of the language may sound strange to our ears at first, but it’s intended to remind us that we are worshiping the one, true God.  It’s supposed to sound a little strange so that we remember that what we are doing is neither unimportant nor ordinary.  In the Mass we are doing nothing short of sacramentally renewing Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross – if this doesn’t call for special language, nothing does!

Hopefully this post has been some help to you.  If you’d like to learn more, you can go to the USCCB’s site directly here.  Or better yet, look at the new text of the Order of the Mass.  I can’t encourage you enough, no matter how many years you’ve been Catholic, to take this opportunity of an updated Missal to deepen your (and your family’s!) understanding about the purpose,  the structure, and the mysteries of the Mass!  You may also want to check out A Deeper Understanding of the Mass.

20 Comments

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  By Henry Kennedy, September 4, 2011 @ 5:18 am

  I was looking for a Catholic web site to explain, the removal of the most succint and beautiful statement about the Mass,from the Liturgy of the Eucharist ie
  “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity”

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  By admin, September 4, 2011 @ 9:32 am

  I am very happy to report that this beautiful line does in fact remain the Mass. If you download the order of the Mass (the link is at the bottom of this post) and go to page 12, you will see:
  The Deacon, or the Priest, pours wine and a little water into the chalice, saying quietly:
  By the mystery of this water and wine
  may we come to share in the divinity of Christ
  who humbled himself to share in our humanity.

  This line is in the Latin Missal 3rd Edition (“Per huius aquae et vini mystérium eius efficiámur divinitátis consórtes, qui humanitátis nostrae fíeri dignátus est párticeps”) and remains in our updated texts. God bless!

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  By Kathy S., September 25, 2011 @ 4:51 pm

  Thank you for explaining this so well. Sadly it seems like to adhere to a more literal translation to the Latin text, the new wording of the Mass leaves stilted and much less spiritually inviting language. Unfortunately children and young people will be flocking to churches with prayers that haven’t stepped back 40 yrs. My heart is heavy, I miss the Church.

• 

  By admin, September 25, 2011 @ 7:53 pm

  Kathy,

  I understand that the language feels foreign right now, and that’s totally to be expected. But I truly believe that a year from now we’ll all have a greater appreciation for the changes because the wording will have given us deeper insights into the mysteries of our faith. It seems to me that the changes either make the language 1) more technical (i.e. consubstantial) or 2) more ceremonial or ancient (i.e. chalice) or, 3) more true to Scripture (i.e. God of hosts). These are all good things.

  1) Technical language can be intimidating and even overwhelming, but specific language helps protect the truths of our faith. There’s a reason we use the word transubstantiation (even though it necessitates carefully explaining it to children and any adults new to faith) – it gets to the heart of what’s going when the bread and wine become Jesus’ Body and Blood. No other words in our language get the job done like this highly technical word.
  2) The language might seem less inviting, but that we’re not using every day language can be a good thing. It highlights the fact that the Mass is not an ordinary thing. Supernatural things are occurring at the Mass, Heaven and earth are meeting and we’re receiving the Lord of Lords! The language can help us remember that the Mass is 2,000 years old – that what we’re doing is part of an amazing Tradition, and that something is going on that should snap us out of our daily autopilot.
  3) Too many liberties were taken with the translation, and it’s important that what we say be right, and be true to Scripture. If you looked at an Italian, Spanish, Latin, etc. Mass you would be amazed at how different the English Mass is at some points. It’s unfortunate we all have to suffer now because of the insufficient translation we had, but I think we would all agree that it’s rather presumptuous to muddle with Scripture. God Himself is the author and His words have power! (Which our paraphrases could never equal)

  The Mass is our highest worship of God – and so if there’s anywhere we should seek to be as precise, as perfect and as conformed to His Truth as possible, it’s here. Give the changes some time. I’ll be praying for you!

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  By Matt, September 25, 2011 @ 8:34 pm

  The Liturgy is not a plaything; not something we just “made up.” It is rather a precious gift with which the Church has been entrusted. If we obscure that through incorrect translation, we obscure the Liturgy itself. Furthermore, by improperly translating the Mass, which is of course he greatest prayer we offer, we lose layers upon layers of meaning. For instance, in Eucharistic Prayer 3, it says “so that from East to West….”. It is supposed to be, “from the rising of the sun to it’s setting…”. By this simplistic translation, we obscure the time aspect… Think “always and everywhere!” This idea is key: we are not simply united in our prayer with the rest of the Church militant, but with all those who came before us, with the angels, the saints, and the church suffering!

  Plus, as if that wasn’t enough the new corrected translation restores hundreds of scriptural references, the most obvious of which are “with your spirit,” a phrase used by St. Paul, and the centurion’s prayer “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof…”

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  By Mike Robinson, October 2, 2011 @ 6:22 pm

  I write this as a simple 47 year-old Roman Catholic who has followed the (supposedly correct) Missal all his life. I have been to masses the world over and, irrespective of language, Mass is subtly different if you are in Korea or Kuwait or wherever. Do we seriously believe God does not know what is in our hearts, or cares about how we confuse our tongues? For the non-theologians amongst us, we value the familiar. We have lost much of meaning to us and I suspect the church will lose many who find it difficult to change. I pray for them.

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  By k .marionleo, October 21, 2011 @ 11:02 am

  Disappointed, just when I thought the Church was making progress in becoming a ‘positive’ and enlightend body of truth, steps have been made to bring us backwards with language that is stilted and harsh. I fear young people are not going to view the Liturgy as a warm and inviting ceremony but rather a stern, cold, guilt inducing lecture. How many times do I need to admit that my ‘sins’ are of my own doing?

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  By helen, October 22, 2011 @ 11:06 pm

  i live in england and our parish mass has already started following the “new” liturgy. i personally dont think its a problem, i think if the previous translations werent word perfect then some of the meaning was lost, im quite happy we are getting closer to the original scripture. i also find that by changing it, its made people think more about the words they are saying rather than chanting them out by force of habbit, im 28 years old so there have never been any other changes to the nass in my lifetime and i think its s positive thing for the above reasons. the church gave out sheets with the wording of the new order of mass so we can all follow until we learn it.

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  By Lou Capitano, October 23, 2011 @ 11:05 am

  I don’t see how taking an ever evolving language like English and making it more ceremonial and ancient could be a good thing. The beauty of the Mass should be its simplicity in that it is the table of the “Lords Supper.” The whole flow of Vatican II was to bring the Mass to the people, as Jesus did by using the simplicity of breaking bread in a familial meal as the way to share in his spirit. As is so common, technocrats find ways to remove the personal experience of the Mass for the sake of a tradition long past its usfulness. Of course, a year from now, few people will remember the difference, but it still seems like a cosmetic exercise in futility. Pray for the people who think these changes will have a positive influence. They are so blind.

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  By Stephanie, November 8, 2011 @ 1:50 pm

  Hello!
  I am looking for the new music chords for all of these changes. Do you know where I can find them?
  God Bless

• 

  By admin, November 8, 2011 @ 3:54 pm

  Hopefully you can find them here: http://www.icelweb.org/musicfolder/openmusic.php
  If not, it should at least point you in the right direction. Thanks for checking out my blog and God bless!

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  By James M., November 29, 2011 @ 4:45 am

  In addition to the changes I have been preparing for this year, I noted that at the several masses I have attended this week, the presider chants (rather than says) the opening prayer, prayer over the gifts, and prayer after communion. Is this a change specified to be made to masses in the US, or just a coincidence I encountered? I don’t understand how chanting these prayers, particularly in weekday masses, helps anyone “draw closer to God.”

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  By Jonathan Brown, December 1, 2011 @ 2:20 pm

  I must admit that I was very disappointed at first to hear that these changes were coming. As a life long Catholic, I followed and often mouthed the entire mass to myself and then to my children. But I understand the reasons and support them and after all, it’s only been one week! God Bless!

• 

  By Nduka Chukwuma, December 2, 2011 @ 5:00 am

  I write to congratulate all who contributed immensely to the success of the changes to the Mass. Though, I feel life should be put into the worship on Sundays and week days. I am a strong believer in the Catholic faith.

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  By John Bertram, February 13, 2012 @ 12:12 am

  I feel you have tken something away from me in the attemp for political correctness in the church. The ability for me to be part of the Mass has been reduced to reading a play card, after a lifetime.Many of us are at an age where now we have difficulty memorizing new material and are no longer comfortable in the worship enviroment. We have in our hearts what the Mass means to us. Do those who make the changes know in their hearts, what the Mass means to us. Simplicity can be a beautiful thing as we have been enlightened to appreciate.The changes reflect words of what one perceives a good grammer not of the heart.

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  By admin, February 14, 2012 @ 9:45 am

  John,

  I totally understand the disorientation one feels with the changes to the texts of the Mass. Since, as you so beautifully wrote, the meaning of the Mass is in your heart, it is my prayer that you’ll be able to just focus on that until you get used to new wording. After all no matter the texts, the Mass is always (and will always be) about re-presenting Jesus’ sacrifice to the Father so that the merits Christ won for us on the Cross can be applied to us.
  The new texts are intended to raise our hearts and minds to Heaven – they’re intended to aid our worship. And I believe that in time, once we all get used to them and have them memorized (and the awkwardness of the unfamiliarity dissipates), that if our hearts are open we will all come to love the new texts and worship God more fully in spirit and truth.

  Hang in there John! And maybe say a prayer every time you go to Mass asking Jesus to help you learn to love the new missal. After all, He doesn’t want you distracted by the new texts away from the worship you’re there for. God bless you!

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  By John Bertram, February 16, 2012 @ 11:01 pm

  Thanks to the web site and admin. for your being so prompt and answering the concerns that I have been experencing during Mass and the changes that I’m trying to learn and adapt too. Thank you also for the references and changes you have posted, as to the fact, that I am attempting to utilize them in making the transition easier to digest and hasten my ability to comply and strengthen my communication with Our Blessed Savior.

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  By Mary, February 24, 2012 @ 6:05 pm

  Many thanks for the information you have so far provided on the recent changes to the Mass. These have been very informative and helpful. However, I still have a few questions:-
  In the books I have purchased, the instructions, in my opinion, are very clearly written out. The books are produced by Catholic Publishing Organisations and are on sale in Parishes throughout the Archdiocese. The clarification I require concerns the following issues:-
  1) We are being told that the Holy Father has said we are not permitted to sing whilst going to communion, yet the books tell us to join in the communion hymn? Conflict of information, and contradictory to the information being passed out to neighbouring parishes. I still have my quite time for prayer before and after I receive the Body of Christ, as I have always done and this has never interfered with myself or anyone else singing before? So I can see no reason as to why we are being told, from the Altar, that you are being disobedient if you continue to sing the Communion Hymn?
  2) We are being actively encouraged to say the Doxology “Through him, and with him & in him..” – we will all say together, and yet in neighbouring parishes we are being actively discouraged from doing so, with one of your Priests clearly stating that the Doxology is for the Priest to say and no one else, and in fact, continued by saying that this is the part of the Mass where the congregation say the great Amen! So does the Holy Father say that we have or have not to say this prayer?
  3) We are being actively being encouraged to say the Peace Prayer “We will all say together” ” Lord Jesus Christ who said to his Apostles …..”, Yet the books, and Priests from neighbouring parishes are telling us that this part is to be said by the Priest. So who should say this prayer, and why the different instructions from different parishes?
  4) We are being told that you are not permitted to give anyone a hug at the Sign of Peace and that you should only shakes hands with the person directly beside you. The books tell you that at the Sign of Peace you should do what is customary – whatever is an expression of Peace, Communion and Charity. So who dictates what that expression should be and whom you can or can’t shake hands with?
  5) I would also like clarification on the distribution of Communion during Mass. On the Holy See’s Website, it quite clearly states that the distribution of communion is to be distributed by the Priest, in fact the new books with the New Rites of the Mass also indicate this, and that the use of Eucharistic Ministers is to be used only to supplement a Priest and not instead of a Priest. Has the Holy Father changed this too?
  If the Catholic Church is requesting the faithful to comply with the instructions of the “Holy Father”, surely it is imperative that they issue clear and consistent instructions which do not change from Parish to Parish, Priest to Priest or Deanery to Deanery? How else can we become united in one church, as you said “ We are, after all, one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church and the Mass should reflect our unity”

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  By Patricia, March 14, 2012 @ 12:15 pm

  I am a little puzzled by one of the changes made by our Parish Priest. We now no longer use the bells at the time of the elevation or for that matter any time at all. However at most of the other Churches I have attended Mass at the bells are still being used. Is this now optional? I always felt that the bells at that particular time made it more meaningful. Would like your views

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