The new translation of the Roman Missal will be introduced in Roman Catholic churches in the United States and the rest of the English-speaking world this Sunday.
USA Today reported that the new translation will be closer to the original Latin used by the church for centuries. The old translation had been used for 41 years and uses more colloquial terms as opposed to the new translation that uses more formal text and chants.
Monsignor C. Eugene Morris, director of Sacred Liturgy for the Pontifical College Josephinium in Columbus, Ohio, told USA Today that the new translation is more scholarly and that the new wording is "elevating our minds. It makes you slow down, be more deliberate and conscious."
"God merits elegant language, not 'Hey, God, it's me,' " Morris said to USA Today.
Father Raymond Willy of St. Monica’s Catholic Church in Santa Monica told radio station KPCC that the new translation is changing the way he’s conducting mass.
"I've actually used the new translation with a couple of smaller Masses. And it's amazing how many times I have to rely on the book,” he said to KPCC. “Whereas using the Missal I am accustomed to, I can get through the whole Mass without the book except for a couple of prayers that change with every Mass."
The new translation is 30 years in the making and Catholics in the English-speaking world are trying to understand the new texts. Churches are printing out flyers and other informational pieces for their parishioners to understand the new wordings and prayers.
