"There are some critics of the new translation," he says "let's prayerfully keep a perspective on the changes and an open mind that this is, as we have been saying for a long time, 'New words, deeper meaning, same Mass.' We will discover a 'deeper meaning' only when we give ourselves a fair go and approach these words prayerfully."

The full text of Archbishop Dew's Letter to Parish Priests, Lay Leaders and School Principals:

It is not only the new road rules which come into effect this Sunday, this is also the day when the Revised Roman Missal becomes the official text for all Masses celebrated in New Zealand.

There has been a great deal of ink spilled, emails written and words spoken, over the new English translation of the Mass, that is, the new edition of the Roman Missal, which will become the only approved text to be used in New Zealand as from this Sunday. There have been many discussions surrounding the new translations and the process that led to their approval. Depending on who you read — it's a beautiful translation that preserves the majesty of the original Latin; or it's not much of a change at all; or it's an overly literal translation that sounds awkward and clumsy.

It's probably unfair to judge until a few months have passed, and the priests and people have had the chance to hear and speak and pray with the changes. Over 12 months ago people were confused and upset over the change from "and also with you" to "and with your spirit." But people seem to have become used to that now, and are appreciating the biblical source of that phrase. Now some are concerned about the translation of the Our Father we will use at Mass - at all English Masses around the world.

As one priest wrote "This is still the Mass: We are still celebrating Christ who is in our midst... We must not let anything get in the way of that." We remember that we are coming together as one people to pray as Jesus taught us.

Many of the prayers are different, it will take us some time to become used to them, but the Church's prayer and Liturgy is never about our personal preference, but about what Christ is doing for us. As many priests will tell you, it takes a while to move from saying the prayers of the Mass to praying them. From feeling like you are performing to praying with the congregation. And at some point I know we will feel comfortable with the new English translation.

There are some critics of the new translation; let's prayerfully keep a perspective on the changes and an open mind that this is as we have been saying for a long time "New words, deeper meaning, same Mass." We will discover a "deeper meaning" only when we give ourselves a fair go and approach these words prayerfully.

One of the things I would encourage Clergy, Lay Pastoral Leaders, and teachers in our schools to do is to read and become familiar with the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM) which is at the beginning of the Missal. The GIRM gives the principles and guidelines for our liturgies, which when prayed with and reflected on, will enable us to lead people in prayerful and well celebrated Liturgies.

Source

• Archdiocese of Wellington
• Image: National Liturgy Office

Last Sunday, I celebrated Mass in a semi-private setting. Before going public, I wanted to try out the new translation of the Mass using our brand new Missal.

This was the first time the congregation and I had used the complete new translation and our new Missal, and afterwards, my effort, our reactions to the language and the navigation through the new book were all topics of discussion.

Some people, those who are having to defend the translation, are saying it's poetic. Well that may be their definition of poetry, but let's just say it's a long way from William Blake, and, while three English scholars in my midst all agreed "it's just not English", we were similarly of the view it's what we've got and those that make these decisions have decided that this is what we should use. Time to move on.

However, what the people who translated the new Missal didn't do, was decide how the new English translation should look. They didn't decide the layout of the New Zealand edition of the Missal.

Given the first effort was rejected, I can only but imagine what it might have looked like.

I'd suggest this edition still has layout issues. Among them

• page turns in awkward places
• the capitalisation of the words of consecration, making them almost impossible to read, and
• some of the text is so closely aligned to the gutter of the book, that standing in a normal upright position makes it also almost impossible to read e.g. the Prayer of the Gifts on the 4th Sunday of Lent.

Negotiating the new text is one thing, negotiating poor formatting is another.

If this were a normal book, I'd be tempted to return it.

After my Sunday experience, I chatted with other priests who like me have tried-out the new New Zealand Missal.

Alas, they reinforced my view; one going as far as saying his experience was "dreadful", and another, "forget the words, the layout is all over the place."

Where to from here?

I'm fortunate enough to have an iPad, and for some time have had the Universalis App.

This week, Universalis released a new free upgrade and with it came a feature "Mass Today".

My initial reaction, it's fantastic.

Some of its features include the ability to:

• select the New Zealand liturgical calendar
• make the font size either smaller or larger
• select "Mass Today" and you get the whole Mass from the Sign of the Cross through to the Dismissal, including readings and your choice of Preface and ten Eucharistic Prayers.
• take it with you in portable form.

Universalis on the iPad is not without its issues:

• some of the pagination still interrupts the flow a little, (but because you don't have to turn the page as often, this inconvenience is minimised)
• it's only in English; there's no Maori translation
• unlike a book which you just open and use, it's important to make sure the iPad has enough battery-life to get you through Mass. A full-charge lasts for 10 hours. Hint: Turn the screen off during your sermon :-)
• managing the iPad itself, navigation, updates and the like, may be a challenge for some
• it probably requires a cover to make it look more like a book
• it costs NZ$26

Using the iPad as a replacement missal may not be everyone's "cup of tea", but I'd pose it's at least worthy of consideration.

Those looking to do something useful with their old iPad could now perhaps dedicate its use as "liturgical", and for those thinking about the additional text quality and the high definition screen of the new iPad; now just might be time to buy.

Additional links

• Apple New Zealand
• iPad Video
• iPad Ad
• Universalis App

John Murphy is a Marist priest working in the Marist Internet Ministry, New Zealand. He recently completed a two-year contract with ucanews.com. He has a Master of Communications Studies from Victoria University.

Grammar

I unwrapped it and flicked it open enthusiastically, in the presence of some well-educated adults, to the Sunday collect:

"O God, who have commanded us to listen to your beloved Son,…"

"It hasn't been proof read", was the immediate response of one person. So I turned over the page to the next collect:

"O God, who have taught us to chasten our bodies…"

"Maybe they are referring to God as Trinity," said another person. I forget how many degrees he has. We are, of course, not tri-theists.

Since then, I have run this past three senior staff in our English Department who all see this construction as incorrect, an awkward construction. The question was asked, "How do Roman Catholic priests understand this, deal with this?"

But enough on that - there's plenty of other places that discuss the translation from Latin into English as it is not used, the loss of ecumenically-agreed texts, and our shared musical tradition.

The missal has a strong red cover, good page thickness, and a clear font. Its 1475 pages is bound as 18cm x 23cm x6.5 cm (9"x7"x2.5"). It comes with a Companion to the Missal (same dimensions 518 pages, 2.5cm, 1" thick). This contains Entrance Antiphon, collect, Prayer after Communion; Introductory Rites; Concluding Rites; Blessings at the End of Mass and Prayers over the People - to be used by the priest at the chair. Read more

Sources

• Liturgy
• Image: National Liturgy Office