Catholic liturgy changes today: As of Sunday, churches across the globe will be required to perform the same exact mass

[웃 910]

Catholic liturgy changes today: Vatican aims to unify 1 billion Catholics worldwide with strict, Latin translations

As of Sunday, churches across the globe will be required to perform the same exact mass

Catholics across the city may need to read from cheat sheets today at the start of a new English liturgy translation aimed at unifying 1 billion Catholics worldwide.

Parishes like the Church of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, have been prepping with classes on the new version, hailed as a more precise Latin translation in the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.

"The priests' parts are changing very dramatically," the church's pastor, Msgr. Kieran Harrington, said, noting churchgoers are "fairly enthusiastic" while he sees apprehension from some priests.

The Church of Notre Dame in Morningside Heights has stacks of flyers on hand for its parishioners, detailing the changes.

"I'm 63, so this is all going back to the old for me," said Camelia Flye, of Harlem, who learned Mass in Latin as a youngster in Catholic school. "It's great."

Ellen Smith, 50, a social worker who attends services at the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus on W. 96th St., sees some cons in the changes.

"Hopefully, it'll bring more consciousness to the words we say when we're praying," she said. "But there's something I don't like about making it uniform that prevents the unique cultural influences from each community that might be taken away."

Pauline Ioelu, 29, moved to Washington Heights this year from New Zealand, where the changes have already taken place.

"If you know your faith, then it's not really a big deal," she said. "It's very close to the Catholic culture and its origins, and it makes it more helpful in understanding it."

Read more: http://www.nydailyne...0#ixzz1eyiiKwNN

Edited November 28, 2011 by Lord Infamous