With the last few days being busy I have had little time to post. Some good news though: the new translation of the Missal - the corrected translation, is going down very well in Rathkenny. The daily Mass goers know the new responses off by heart - they are correcting me when I slip. The Sunday Mass goers used the responses for the first time last Sunday and I must say I am impressed - they prayed them with gusto! No complaints there at all. After the Saturday Vigil one parishioner said: "Father, isn't the new translation beautiful?" Overwhelmingly positive. The Congregational Cards are disappearing - I had to put out a new batch this morning - people are taking them home to read and learn.
So things are going well here in Rathkenny. Contrary to the expectations of the critics in the ACP, there is no revolt, just people who are interested in the change, understand why it was necessary and they are just getting on with it. Perhaps it is a case that I am just blessed with great parishioners (and that's true) but I think my experience is being reflected elsewhere. Indeed a brother-priest in a nearby parish has been using bits of the translation for a while and his parishioners love it.
My only regret locally is that the priests did not really use the time (there was a lot of time) to prepare the parishioners. One guy, who was in a bit of a tizzy about losing his job, jumped on the issue and said ''Why now? What was wrong with the old one?'' I tried calmly to explain it, but he wasn't having much of it.
ReplyDeleteI think the pattern is that where the priest is well disposed to the new translation, the people will be too, and where the priest is against it, surprise, surprise, the people pick up on that negativity and echo it.
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