• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

  • Our Team
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
    • Saint Antoine Daniel KYRIALE
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
  • Donate
Views from the Choir Loft

Roman Missal 3.0 — Installment No. 4

Fr. David Friel · February 16, 2012

The fourth “highlight” of the new Roman Missal I will give for our reflection regards the manner of translation itself.

In composing the new missal, the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) embraced the school of translation known as “formal correspondence” over the “dynamic equivalence” school, which had been employed in crafting the 1973 Sacramentary. The result is that the thoughts, words, and sentiments of the original Latin are captured and conveyed with tremendous fidelity in the new English texts. This fidelity has revealed a wealth of theology and traditional piety in many of the new prayers that was either less clear or missing altogether in the former translation.

I shall present only two of the abundant examples—one from the Proper of the Mass, and one from the Ordinary of the Mass. The Proper prayers are those that change so as to pertain to the particular feast being celebrated. In the following table, compare the Latin original of the proper prayers for the memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus with the two different English translations:

As I prayed these prayers from the new missal for the first time on January 3rd, I was struck nearly dumb, literally. Not only their intrinsic elegance captivated me, but also the fantastic manner in which they demonstrate a form of traditional Catholic piety that is too often ignored.

What I mean is this. If you look closely at the Latin, you will notice that the prayers nowhere include the name, Iesu. This brilliant reservation of the Divine Name on its very feast is an expression of the piety that has inspired generations of Catholics to be solicitous in their use of the only Name that saves (cf., Acts 4:12). The prayers, themselves, teach us by their nuance to revere the Holy Name.

The translators who created the Sacramentary (actually, in this case, its companion “Supplement”) chose, as you see, to insert the Lord’s Name in each of the three orations. While there is nothing heinous nor heretical about this decision, it unfortunately did not allow the piety so beautifully intended by the Latin to be appreciated at English Masses. The 2011 Roman Missal, contrariwise, has carefully withheld the usage of the Divine Name in its translation of these prayers and so restored the practice and piety of so many years. I find this effort (and all such efforts) to reclaim our Catholic heritage praiseworthy.

The second example I shall present is a response that occurs as part of a dialogue with the priest (or bishop or deacon) five times during the course of Holy Mass. It is an ancient exchange, recorded at least as early as the Apostolic Tradition of St. Hippolytus in AD 215. In its original Latin, the response is:

Et cum spiritu tuo.

In the former Sacramentary, the phrase had been translated:

And also with you.

Now, in the newly translated Roman Missal, the response is given:

And with your spirit.

Herein, one can see a clear illustration of the difference between “dynamic equivalence” and “formal correspondence.” As small as this change in English may seem, it is a very important change.

By greeting the people with the words, “The Lord be with you,” the priest makes a profound statement. He expresses his desire that the dynamic activity of God’s Spirit be poured out on the people of God, enabling them to go about the work of transforming the world, which God has entrusted to them through Baptism.

The response of the people, “And with your spirit,” is equally profound. It refers specifically to the unique gift of the Spirit given to a bishop, priest, or deacon at ordination. This, then, is a prayer of the people for the celebrant. It asks that the priest might use the charismatic gifts he received at ordination and, in so doing, fulfill his ecclesial, prophetic role. Notably, therefore, this exchange is addressed only to an ordained minister. Whereas it may have seemed appropriate to respond, “And also with you,” to a lay person, the fidelity of the new translation helps to clarify that this call and response has always been and continues to be reserved for situations between an ordained minister and a congregation.

The orations for the memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and the response, “And with your Spirit” are fine examples of translation by “formal correspondence.” This method of translation, we have endeavored to show, carries the benefit of preserving the wealth of theology and traditional piety inherent in the prayers of the Roman Rite. In these and similar instances, it is remarkably true that fidelity of translation reveals subtlety of theology.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

Subscribe

It greatly helps us if you subscribe to our mailing list!

* indicates required

About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    PDF • “For the Season of Pentecost”
    During the season of Pentecost, you might consider using this 2-page Piece “for the season of Pentecost.” Rehearsal videos are available at #40691, but the lyrics are different. Therefore, make sure your choir members understand that one can rehearse songs that have different lyrics (“CONTRAFACT”).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • (This Coming Sunday)
    Our volunteer choir appreciates training videos, so here's my attempt at recording “Exáudi Dómine Vocem Meam,” which is the INTROIT for this coming Sunday. This coming Sunday is Dominica Post Ascensionem (“Sunday after the feast of the Ascension”). It is sung according to the official rhythm of the Catholic Church.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Volunteer Choir Attempts “Kýrie Eléison”
    My volunteer choir attempted the polyphonic KYRIE that will be sung at this year's Sacred Music Symposium. If you're interested, you can listen to the live recording from last Sunday. The piece is based on the ancient plainchant hymn melody: Ave Maris Stella. Polyphony like this is truly intricate and wonderful. It reminds me of the quote by Artur Schnabel: “music that's greater than it can be performed.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The pope regrets that this trade in African slaves, that he believed having ceased, is still exercised in some regions and even more cruel way. He begs and begs the King of Portugal that it implement all its authority and wisdom to extirpate this unholy and abominable shame.”

— ‘Pope Pius VII, writing to the King of Portugal’

Recent Posts

  • “Colorado Sacred Music Conference” August 9-10 (2023) • Highlands Ranch, CO
  • PDF Download • “Epitome Gradualis Romani” • Professionally Scanned — 1,106 pages!
  • Re: Ancient Sequence (Thursday after Pentecost)
  • PDF • “For the Season of Pentecost”
  • The Choir Journal: A Choir Director’s Best Friend

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2023 Corpus Christi Watershed · Isaac Jogues on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.