Little anxiety about Catholic Mass translation

On Nov. 6, before I had a chance to read The Gazette, a colleague asked me about the new translation of the Catholic Mass that has caused such anxiety among Catholics and such terrible difficulty for Catholic priests. It took me a minute to figure out what he was talking about because, at my Catholic parish in Cedar Rapids, the preparations we are making to use the new Mass prayers have revealed a translation that is closer to the original texts, more solidly based in Scripture and more conducive to prayer.

Our own pastor, an intelligent and well-educated priest who is attuned to the nuances of language, seems to be looking forward to using the new translation beginning this Advent and has been explaining the reasons for the changes to us. To my knowledge, there has been little “anxiety” about any of it.

Having since read the Associated Press article in The Gazette (“Catholics prep for new Mass translation”), I understand my colleague's question better. I wonder why The Gazette would choose to use such a negative report from another news purveyor without inquiring about this change among the local congregations.

Mary K. Ducey

Cedar Rapids