By December next year, there will be changes in the prayers and responses said during the Mass as the Catholic Church adopts the new English translation of the "Roman Missal," or the book that contains the text for the celebration of the Mass. In their plenary assembly in January this year, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) approved the adoption of the new English translation of the Roman Missal. "Some parts of familiar responses and prayers have been amended to reflect the true meaning in the original Latin text, the language of the Roman liturgy," the CBCP said in an article posted on its news site. The CBCP said the new translation will be introduced throughout the country on the first Sunday of the season of Advent on December 2, 2012. For the Catholic Church, the season of Advent is the beginning of a new "liturgical season" in the Church calendar. Changes in the Mass liturgy Among the changes to the Mass liturgy are:
In the Introductory Rites, the response of the faithful “And also with you" to the priest’s greeting “The Lord be with you" has been replaced with “And with your spirit." Similar changes have also been introduced in other parts of the Mass, such as the Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Concluding Rites. In the Eucharistic prayer, the text “…cup of my blood" has been changed to “…chalice of my blood." The text “it will be shed for you and for all men" has been changed to “which will be poured out for you and for many." Preparing for transition The CBCP is preparing to help Catholics make the transition to the new liturgy of the Mass. English-speaking countries, including the Philippines, are still using the 1973 English translation of the Roman Missal prepared by the International Commission on English Liturgy (ICEL) which followed a sense translation. To prepare the faithful for the liturgical changes, the CBCP asked Fr. Anscar Chupungco, former executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Liturgy, to make a catechetical primer on the liturgical development. Chupungco was a professor and president of St. Anselm Pontifical Institute of Liturgy in Rome and currently the director of the Paul VI Institute of the Liturgy in Bukidnon. The primer, addressed to both clergy and laity, explains the major changes in translation and gives an analysis and catechesis on the translated text. “The text to be discussed is shown in Latin and in the 1973 and 2010 English translations. This facilitates quick comparison between the Latin text and its translations," Chupungco explained in the primer’s preface. Chupungco said that because of almost 40 years of familiarity with the 1973 English translation, there is a need to explain well to the people the rationale behind the changes. “It should be pointed out that the previous and the new translations do not differ in doctrinal content, although each expresses it in distinctive styles proper to the methods of translation known as dynamic equivalence and formal correspondence," he said. Fr. Genaro Diwa, executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Liturgy, said any changes always usher in some difficulties, hence the need for liturgical catechesis for everybody, including the bishops and priests. - VVP/HS, GMA News 
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