EDMONTON – Mass will be a little different for Roman Catholics across Canada this weekend.
Priests will use a new translation of the Roman Missal that was more than a decade in the making, said a statement Friday from the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton.
It’s the most significant change in language in the book of prayers used at Mass in nearly 40 years.
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The translation was developed after consultation and collaboration with translators, theologians and bishops, the archdiocese said. More than 3,000 prayers are contained in the third edition of the Roman Missal.
“The updated text is intended to be more faithful to the original Latin translation,” the statement said.
“While all the elements of Mass remain the same, the English text will change significantly for priests presiding at Mass and, to a lesser extent, for churchgoers responding to the prayers.”
Clergy plan to offer guidance to their congregations as the new words are introduced, and pastoral staff and musicians have taken part in workshops in order to get ready for the new translation.
“This moment of change is a wonderful occasion for a renewed appreciation of the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist,” Archbishop Richard Smith said in a letter to parishioners.
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