Some thoughts on the new translation and the South African experience

St Malachy and his family are just back from an extended holiday in South Africa.

The new English translation of the Missal is already (partially) in use in that country and I understand it's been a rough ride.

During our holiday we had the opportunity of attending Mass at two different parishes over 5 weeks, including the Easter Triduum. Also, St Malachy went to a number of week days Masses at both parishes. Our experiences at the two parishes (which are probably less than 5 miles apart) could not have been more different.

In parish number one it was evident before the greeting was over that the new translation was very much partially in use! I'd say the response to the greeting was a 50/50 split between "And also with you" and the new "And with your spirit". The Confiteor could best be described as interesting with most people having sinned through their own fault with a smaller number having greatly sinned through their threefold fault! And so it went on including use of the present translation of "pro multis" in the words of consecration as "...for all".

On the other hand, in parish number two, the new translation was very much in use. The responses of the people were clear and confident. The entire experience was utterly different. Incidentally parish 2 also seems a more welcoming place (although that's a very subjective view).

So what was the underlying reason for the difference between the two parishes? I would say two things:
1. Catechism - it was evident in parish 2 that the people had some explanation of the reason for the changes; and
2. The attitude of the parish priest. Clearly in parish 1 the priest - incidentally an important man in the diocese - is of the "What if we just said wait" variety.

I suspect we have interesting times ahead!

The new English translation of the Missal

There is a very interestting article on Insidecatholic.com by Fr Robert Johansen entitled The New Missal: Disaster or Opportunity?

He makes the point that many of the objections to the new translation are ideological objections [masquerading as something else]:

I have observed that "something more" before, writing and speaking about what I describe as "ideologized" liturgy -- that is, liturgy being made to bear ideological burdens that are extrinsic and, in many cases, inimical to it. The highly charged language of many of those objecting to the new Missal is frequently ideological: When I see words like "archaic" and "tyrannical," and phrases like "a great step forward" or "a major step backward," being used in complaints about the Missal, I suspect that the train of thought is carrying heavy ideological freight.

I use "ideology" here in the circumscribed manner of political theorists like Michael Oakeshott and Russell Kirk: to refer to the political fanaticism that results from elevating an abstraction to an absolute, all-explaining and all-encompassing concept, and making everything, including persons, subordinate to that concept. It is to take political concepts and impulses and make them serve ends that are properly religious.

Fr Johnson also makes reference in the article to the South African experience and I shall post some thoughts on that shortly. In the meantime his whole article is well worth a read.