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The New Zealand solution to Missal translation

From New Zealand’s Roman Catholic National Liturgy Office:

On 30 April 2010 the major English-speaking countries were informed that Rome had granted the recognitio (approval) for the new Mass texts of the universal edition of the Roman Missal (Third Edition). The Conferences of Bishops in those countries have been awaiting delivery of these texts, so that they could in turn complete the process of seeking approval for their respective national editions of the Roman Missal.

On 20 August 2010 we received a digital copy of these universal texts, but still await approval for the local amendments to the Missal that will enable us to go ahead and publish the Roman Missal for use in New Zealand.

Originally we had hoped to launch our national edition of the Roman Missal on the First Sunday of Advent this year (28 November 2010). Rome’s unforeseen delay now makes this impossible. While, for the present, we are unable to publish the complete Roman Missal on the First Sunday of Advent as hoped, we nonetheless recognise the pastoral importance of implementing some of the new texts on that date.

Accordingly, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference has decided to introduce the new translations of the following parts of the Mass:
‣ the greetings and responses at the beginning of Mass.
‣ the texts of the Penitential Act.
‣ the Gloria.
‣ the Creed.
‣ the prayers and responses during the Liturgy of the Word.
‣ all the dialogues between the Priest and the Assembly during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
‣ the Holy,Holy.
‣ the Memorial Acclamations.
‣ the Doxology.
‣ all the prayers and responses of the Priest, Deacon and Assembly from the Communion Rite to the Concluding Rites.
‣ those gestures and postures required by the accompanying rubrics and/or the relevant sections of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

To assist in a smooth transition, the Conference will be making available, free of charge, an interim missalette containing those texts mentioned above. Also, a music resource will be available at the end of September 2010 offering two musical settings for the Mass: the setting of the Missal chants and a new composition by Douglas Mews.

The current Propers of the Mass, the Prefaces and the Eucharistic Prayers as provided for in the present Missal will still be in force until such time as the complete New Zealand edition of the Roman Missal can be published. In the meantime, we recommend that priests use either the present Missal or the current CPC “Prayers of the Mass”.

Start here for further reflections, on this site, in relation to the Missal translation.

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7 thoughts on “The New Zealand solution to Missal translation”

  1. Why the rush to introduce a partial translation of the Mass this year, when USA and UK are waiting until Advent 2011? Check the US Bishops website, which also seems to have inclusive language – brothers and sisters, as well as brethren, and other parts that we in NZ do not seem to have in the explanatory booklet written by Paul Turner. We need to wait for our local vernacular amendments, surely. There is enough unease at the way this particular translation has superseded the 1998 work of ICEL, which had been approved by the bishops of the world. What price collegiality of bishops and the reforms of Vatican II?

  2. I agree. What is the rush. USA has far more resources to be able to implement change, and they are giving everyone well over a year to get things together. From my understanding, Rome is wanting the Mass to be more uniformed throughout the world, so how is this possible if we are going to have a jump on everyone else by a year. Surely we should all be doing the same? The course of the church is slow and steady. Well this headlong rush is anything but, and totally out of character.

  3. While the need is required for a proper translation of the mass, a major overhall is required for the Our Father which should have never been changed in the first place. We are the only country in the world with such translation and as much as we are a universal church this turns that into a farce.. Trial is not that same as temptation, and only God can forgive our sins, not each other.

    1. Thanks Aaron for your contribution. Although your comment in places is ambiguous, I think you are referring to NZ RC Church using the English-language internationally ecumenically agreed version of the Lord’s Prayer, as it has, until now, been using the Gloria, Sanctus, etc. It is certainly fascinating that in the new Mass translation, everything else has gone through a total reconsideration, but the Lord’s Prayer has missed out. Three days after this post you are commenting on I used the same principles as the new translation to gift the following:

      Our Father, who are in the heavens,
      may your name be sanctified,
      may your kingdom come,
      may your will be done, just as in heaven, so also in earth.
      Our daily bread give to us today,
      and let us off our debts,
      just as we also let off our debtors.
      And lead us not into temptation,
      but free us from evil.

  4. I fully agree with Aaron. The “Our Father” needs to be in it original form and Australia and NZ are the only ones using the current version. This is the ideal time to go to the original version of the Lord’s Prayer.

  5. Australia still uses an “old English” form of the Our Father. Fr. paul turner said Nz and the Filipino Church by using the 1973 ICEL text, approved by Paul VI, is leading the way, and the other countries in the English first-language world should catch up. If the 1973 Our father is the better form, why reform the translation of the Ordo (English 1973/Latin 1968 at all). Look up this report –

    https://wikispooks.com/w/images/4/45/Areas_of_Difficulty.pdf

    The whole thing would make Jeus weep over Jerusalem as the NZ Bishops crucify his memory this Advent.

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