In many places in the Pacific, especially when there is a multiplicity of local languages, English is used in the liturgy as well as the local language. The introduction of the new translation in such places provides a number of challenges. The new translation has already been introduced Fiji but in Papua New Guinea some confusion reigns.
A chaplain from a university campus in Papua New Guinea says “We have more than 500 student teachers from all over PNG. We have Mass in English every day, and so I have been using the current English-language missal.” He goes on to say he has not seen the new Missal yet and wonders how a missionary country such as PNG will be able to get the new missal.
“There is very little money here to buy these new missals and they are always very expensive. And secondly, with my students coming from all parts of PNG, they already know the responses to the ‘old’ English Mass very well, but come this Advent, no one will know it. And it will be very difficult for me year in and year out having to teach the students on the new responses, as lots of students come from very remote places and would not have been exposed to the new changes or new missal.”
Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university, as offered some advice to the questioner
Source
- Zenit.org
- Image: Blog.al.com