I resonate deeply with the sentiments of Gerald O’Collins SJ (The Tablet 7 March 2015 ), expressed in such a gentle but heartfelt way, in his appeal to the English-speaking bishops of the world to pass on to their peoples without delay the excellent 1998 translation of the Mass, that was approved by all their Episcopal Conferences.
I totally agree that the official version currently imposed is unsatisfactory for “its clunky, Latinised English that aspires to a ‘sacral’ style”. Let me suggest that it is also unsatisfactory because it does not comply with the requirement of Vatican II, the last general Council of the Church (1962-65). The Council, in its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, proposed this basic principle for liturgical revision (that includes translations): “The rites should radiate a noble simplicity. They should be short, clear, and free from useless repetition. They should be within the people’s powers of comprehension, and normally should not require much explanation” (#34).
Fr Brian Gleeson CP, Victoria, Australia
Just because the new translation has been in use since 2011, there is a growing feeling that it is all too late to make amends. It is not. What we now have mustn’t be the final word. Poetry is the use of language in a cared-for way, the story told through words and lines shaped and formed with a deliberate, spare intent. As such, poetry can be a time of prayer, for it leads us to a place apart where we can listen to the voice of the Lord through the gift of words that the poet uses.
What a pity that a man of Seamus Heaney’s quality and gift was not asked to help with the recent translation of the Mass. I am quite sure we would not have had the spiritless text that it has been our lot to receive. His sensitivity would have given us a prayerful text.
What was widely determined in 1998 should be made available for the English speaking world as an alternative option. Courageous conversations need to take place across the Catholic community and a solution found.
Chris McDonnell, Staffs
Whilst I am in full agreement with almost every criticism I hear of the translation of the Mass we are presently asked to use, I do not want the bishops of the English-speaking world to do anything about replacing it. In the Mass we still have something completely and utterly wonderful on two counts, the offering of our Saviour to the Father and the chance to receive the Lord, who never changes.
Part of me wishes I could support the idea of the bishops turning their attention to the translation but I cannot because I believe there is a more urgent question they need to address: how they might help us make the vision of Catholic life Pope Francis offers us a reality in the communities they serve.
Fr Jeff Cridland, Aylesham, Kent
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