By Sue Schulzetenberg
The Visitor

New Mass translations are all the buzz in the liturgy world. Approved by the Vatican in March, the new English translation means some phrases and words used in the Mass will change. This translation is said to more closely represent the Latin text of the Mass. It will possibly be implemented in churches in November 2011.

In preparation for the new Mass translation, more than 175 people attended the Collegeville Conference on Music, Liturgy and the Arts June 21-24 in Collegeville. The theme for the conference was “New Music, New Texts: Preparing for a New Missal.” Keynoting the days were Paul Ford, Benedictine Father Anthony Ruff, Benedictine Sister Delores Dufner and Johan van Parys of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. The days also included breakout sessions, applied music lessons and prayer.

After one of his keynotes, Ford, professor of systematic theology and liturgy at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, Calif., shared some of his thoughts on the new Mass translation with
The Visitor. The following are excerpts from the interview.

Q. What do you think these changes will mean for the people in the pews?
A. I honestly don’t know. … But if the average person can go to Mass and still pray and in fact pray better because the priest and everybody else knows how to lead them in prayer, this could actually be an improvement. A lot of people say the Mass, or read the Mass, but not everyone knows how to pray the Mass.

My sense is that if we take advantage of the months between now and when the texts might come into use to teach people about the meaning of the Mass, how to pray the Mass, how to connect their lives to Mass and the Mass to their lives, they’re going to be so much better off than they were. Even the teenagers.

One suggestion is that all Catholic high schools and colleges be invited to get their communications departments to do YouTube videos. The students would study the Mass; someone would come and teach them all this stuff. If their fire is lit, they could discern ways to teach this to their peer groups, rather than from top-down. Eventually, what we need to do is train trainers, train leaders at all ages and to train priests.

Q. For the people having difficulties in understanding why these changes are being made, what do you think the church should be doing right now to help them?
A. There are all kinds of education efforts going on. There’s going to be a DVD from England and a DVD from Australia that will be made widely available. There are leaflets being made up. All kinds of programs are being proposed to have education of clergy and music and liturgy people. There are great education efforts. Everyone knows the success of this depends on education and formation.

Most Catholics are obedient. If this is going to go forward and we are going to get new books, we are going to use them.

It would be very unfortunate if those unhappy with this process were to say, “All right, I don’t like this anymore than you do, but we’re Catholic and we’re going to do it.” If they could generate some excitement for the opportunity the texts present in learning how to pray, then we’re going to be just fine.

Q. What ways might this be an opportunity to evangelize?
A. I’m presuming most people have never read the introductions to these books. So they don’t know the theology behind them, and they never communicated the theology to anybody. Now is the time to read and prepare, even now to teach people how to pray.

Q. What about the unchurched?
A. This is providing a home for them when they return to church, a process whereby they can pray. …

Some form of this education has got to get down to people preparing for their first Communion. They have to learn about the Mass. … If we can rekindle that enthusiasm in grade school children, we would be doing a lot. If they learned that God listens to their prayers, everything they’re concerned about, the health of their parents and their brothers and their sisters and their grandpas and grandmas and their pets and their school programs and that God really wants to listen to those prayers, and if they have stuff to offer to God, their lives to offer to God, and how, after Communion, if they miss their grandma or grandpa or any dead relative, they are closer to their dead relative after Communion than even in life, that can really encourage people.

Q. Do we know the significant differences between the current Mass translation and the upcoming one?
A. Differences are up on the bishops’ website. Anyone who wants to see the state of the texts right now, can go to the USCCB website [www.usccb.org/romanmissal/].

Q. What do you think is the most significant of those changes?
A. Hard to say. The Glory to God is going to reflect the text better. There was a lot of taken out of the Glory to God [in the current text]. The creed is going to change, from “we believe” to “I believe.” We are going to use some more theological terms in the creed. They’re not big changes, but they’re a mouthful. Everyone is primed to say, “And also with you,” when the priest says, “The Lord be with you.” So one of the things we’re going to urge the priests to do is sing that greeting. Most priests don’t sing right now, so if the priest sings, “The Lord be with you,” the [parishioners will think], "Something is different. What’s the response?" And they’ll remember, “And with your spirit.”

Q. Have all of the pieces of the new translation been approved by Rome?
A. Everything’s been approved. But the problem we heard is that everything that has been approved, they’re still tinkering with. … All of this is on [Father] Anthony’s PrayTell blog [www.praytellblog.com]. … I told people not to be too disturbed at [sample texts] they read, because they could still be changed.

A. It takes a year for all the publishers to print the books and missalettes. The publishers have been waiting for the new translation. They’ve been expecting all spring to get these texts, and now we find out that they’re still changing the texts. . . .  By this coming Advent, if they don’t have the texts, the dates will have to slip.