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The Mass Is about to Change—
for Good
But some folks aren't at all happy about it.
Here's why . . .
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Dear Friend of Catholic Answers,
If you’re one of the many Catholics who have never really been satisfied with the weak, watered-down, English translation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I have good news for you . . .
Rome Has Come
to the Rescue
At the Vatican’s insistence, a new and improved translation of the Mass is being promulgated for the entire English-speaking world.
If you’re familiar with the controversies surrounding the English translation of the current rite of Mass developed under Pope Paul VI back in the sixties, you know that it split the Church in an unprecedented way.
On the one hand, there were “progressives” who wanted all kinds of changes in the liturgy and who brought us constant experimentation, disobedience, and outright liturgical abuse—all in the name of “the spirit of Vatican II.”
On the other hand, there were “traditionalists”—most notably the Society of St. Pius X, which was founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The traditionalists had many complaints about the New Mass—some valid, some not-so-valid.
Now, Rome has set out to correct the mistakes in the translation so that the Church will not be torn apart over something as simple as a bad translation. The new translation is already in Rome’s hands, and it may give it final approval at any time.
The problem is, the “change agents” in the Church—who love to mold the liturgy to their hearts’ desire—are up in arms about the new accurate translation of the Mass.
Imagine that.
They’re the ones who, in the 1970s under the auspices of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), came up with the inaccurate (and divisive) translation of the Mass that we’ve had to endure. They made the Mass sound bland and casual instead of what it’s supposed to be: sacred.
These liturgists were obstinately proud of what they did to the Mass, and they’ve defended it to the death ever since.
This is where the old joke came from . . .
“What’s the difference between a terrorist and a liturgist? You can negotiate with a terrorist.”
These liturgists have been in charge of the translation of the Mass for decades. They have caused bitter—and highly unnecessary—divisions in our Church.
But . . . Deo Gratias . . . the situation is about to change.
Rome is turning the tables on the “change agents”—and now, suddenly, they’re the ones opposed to change.
That’s why I’m writing to you today.
We’re in for a big battle
in our Church . . .
and it’s coming to your Parish
Let me explain . . .
If you’ve ever had to deal with them, you already know that the “progressive” liturgists hate tradition.
They want everything to be “new” . . . “relevant” . . . “hip” . . . “modern” . . . etc.
They got their way. And we’ve been stuck with their flawed translation ever since.
But . . . due to the hard work of many good Catholics who wanted the Mass to be accurate and who wanted a return to a sense of the sacred (as Pope Benedict XVI so aptly put it), the translation that we’ve all endured for decades is about to be corrected.
Officially.
The change is coming all the way from Rome.
“Rome has spoken. The matter is finished.”
Well, you would think . . .
But the progressive liturgists are not going down without a fight. They never do.
Already they have started a campaign against the new translation in the pages of publications such as America magazine and The National Catholic Reporter newspaper. They have launched an Internet petition drive called “What If We Just Said Wait?” that wants “a grassroots review of the new Roman Missal.”
Already they have gathered almost twelve thousand signatures from priests, deacons, religious, and lay people.
They have begun organizing their campaign to sour Catholics on the new translation. They will continue to stall and delay, and they will talk about how Rome is “turning back the clock” and going “against Vatican II” and how the new translation is “too difficult” for people because it uses sacred language.
Thus, you and I have our work cut out for us.
But I’m going to need your help . . .
Our new task at Catholic Answers is to help facilitate the implementation of the new translation of the Mass so that Catholics will understand why the changes are being made.
Most of all, we don’t want the faithful to be taken in by the specious arguments of the old-guard liturgists who have had their day.
To put it simply, they messed up our liturgy. And it’s time to fix it.
As you know, the Mass is the most important part of our Catholic spiritual and sacramental life.
It’s the highest form of prayer.
It’s the re-presentation of the redemptive sacrifice of our Lord on the cross at Calvary—and it is not to be taken lightly.
It’s not merely a “gathering” . . . or a “community meal” . . . or a “breaking of bread” . . . or any of the other banal platitudes that are passed off for liturgy these days.
No.
It’s also the Holy Sacrifice.
It is sacred.
So at last, after so many years of suffering with the tin-eared translation of the Mass that ICEL came up with . . .
We’re Going to Have
a Better Liturgy
Thank God. And thank Pope Benedict XVI.
But . . . I’m sorry to say, the fight has only begun . . .
The U.S. bishops know this, too. At their most recent meeting, Bishop Arthur Serratelli (chairman of the bishops’ committee on liturgy) spoke of the urgency of educating the faithful about the new translation. He said:
“The point is rather simple, and in one sentence, it is this: Now is the time to act. We should not wait.”
“In parishes, material could easily be placed in parish bulletins beginning now.”
“Merely providing the resources is not enough. We need to encourage the people to use them.”
The progressive liturgists who have been in charge of many dioceses for the last 40 years are not going to give up without a fight.
They will fight tooth and nail.
That’s just the way they are.
So again, this is where you and I come in.
Catholic Answers—in our unique role as lay defenders of the faith and America’s leading apologetics experts—have prepared a brand-new explanation of the revised changes in the Mass so that every Catholic in every pew can understand what’s being changed . . . and why.
Our task is to publish a bulletin insert that will clearly and convincingly explain what’s going on with the new translation of the Mass.
This will help every Catholic “get it”—and not resist it.
The old-guard liturgists have said that they’re going to fight the new translation every step of the way. They’ve even launched a nationwide petition drive to convince bishops and priests to resist the changes.
So we know this: They’re going to protest. They’re going to pout. They’re going to stomp their feet.
But if we reach the good, faithful Catholics in the pews before they do, we can keep them from misleading the faithful and causing even more painful parish splits.
That’s because we’re going to explain—with key statements that have already come from Rome and the bishops—why the new translation is better and more accurate.
Now Rome itself is making the liturgy an issue.
So here’s our plan: We’re going to publish abulletin insert, The Mass Is Changing—How And Why, that clearly and convincingly explains the reasons why the new translation is occurring—and what every Catholic needs to know in order to accept and participate in the new translation.
It’s easier said than done. And more expensive than you might imagine.
We’d love to produce millions of these bulletin inserts so that we can blanket the entire country with the truth before the vehement liturgists can poison people against the new translation.
This is the best chance we’ve had in a generation to improve the liturgy.
But if we don’t seize the opportunity to educate people, it can slip through our fingers so easily, and we could find ourselves in another decades-long cycle of painful liturgical division and conflict.
Because we’re going to have to live with the results of how the new translation is implemented—likely for the rest of our lives.
So I ask you . . .
Will you stand with Catholic Answers as we take on this epic fight? Click here to donate.
We estimate that we will need to raise at least $65,000 to begin the first phase of this battle against those who, from within the Church itself, want to subvert the new translation of the Mass.
The Vatican has given us a precious gift in the new translation of the Mass. Now it is up to us to make sure that liturgical dissidents don’t poison parishes against it and cause a whole new cycle of suffering.
If the liturgical dissidents win, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
Therefore, I urge you to make a special donation for this vital project. Because, as always, without you . . . we can do nothing.
Your donation of $35 . . . $50 . . . perhaps $100 or more . . . will truly help us reach our goal of raising the $65,000 needed to put our new bulletin insertinto the hands of every Catholic in every pew in every parish in every diocese in America.
But that’s where the battleground is.
That’s where the war will be fought, where it will be won or lost . . .
Will you help us be there to win? Click here to donate.
As Bishop Serratelli told us: “Now is the time to act. We should not wait.”
Sincerely in Christ,
Karl Keating
President, Catholic Answers
P.S. As a special thank-you for your gift of $35 or more, we will send you five copies of the new bulletin insert, The Mass Is Changing—How And Why, for you and your friends—so that you can get all the facts about the new translation.
The new—accurate—translation of the Mass I’ve told you about in this letter may be the most significant change in the Catholic Church in most people’s lifetimes.
But, it’s not going to be an easy change to implement.
Even good priests will need help explaining this change to their parishioners. And, unfortunately, it’s not the kind of thing that’s easy to educate people about from the pulpit. People will need something to read and digest.
That’s why our new bulletin insert will be such a vital tool in this battle against bad liturgy. And it’s why we need your help to make it available to all Catholics before the old-guard liturgists get to them.
Click here to donate to this important project.
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Catholic Answers
