Roman Protestantism: Trautman on Liturgy

Here's another unsurprising and disturbing snippet from the recent goings-on in the Roman Communion regarding the translation of the new Missale Romanum into American English. The language vilified by the liturgical-revisionist Bishop of Erie is, of course, contained word-for word in the Anglican and English Missals and in the traditional Western liturgy. Once again Anglican Catholics are proven more Catholic than Rome...

http://www.losangelesmission.com/ed/articles/2006/0606as.htm

An estimated 41,000 [Roman] Catholic catechists and religious educators from throughout the United States and four other continents packed the Anaheim Convention Center for the Los Angeles archdiocese's 39th annual Religious Education Congress from Thursday, March 30 through Sunday, April 2.

On Friday, Bishop Donald Trautman of Erie, Pennsylvania, chairman of the U.S. bishops' liturgy committee, gave a talk, 'Contemporary Liturgical Issues.' Bishop Trautman expressed apprehension about the U.S. bishops' upcoming June vote on the new sacramentary (containing the order of Mass) translation, which reflects a more traditional style closer to the original Latin. He described the vote as a 'decisive and defining' moment and admitted that the conference is 'divided.'

'Liturgical language today must not just be faithful and accurate to the original, but also intelligible, proclaimable, dignified and reflective of a word order, vocabulary, expression from the contemporary mainstream of the English language as spoken in the United States,' said Trautman. 'If a translation, no matter how exact, does not communicate in the living language of the worshipping assembly, it fails as a translation. It fails to lead to full, conscious, and active participation.'
Trautman continued, 'in the proposed translation of the sacramentary, we meet words and expressions that many would consider not in the speech of the mainstream assembly.' For example, he said, the proposed translation of the Nicene Creed uses the phrase, 'consubstantial with the Father,' to replace the present wording, 'one in being with the Father.' Also, 'by the Holy Spirit, He was incarnate of the Virgin Mary' replaces 'He was born of the Virgin Mary.'
'Both words, "consubstantial" and "incarnate,"' said Trautman, 'are not readily intelligible to the vast majority of those in the assembly.'

Commenting on a proposed change to the first Eucharistic Prayer (the Roman Canon) -- 'grant them, O Lord, we pray, and all who sleep in Christ, a place of refreshment, light, and peace,' Trautman drew audience laughter when he quipped, 'the phrase, "a place of refreshment," is a literal translation that conveys the image of a heavenly spa or tap room at the heavenly hotel.'

Trautman addressed another proposed change to the first Eucharistic Prayer -- from 'cup' to 'precious chalice.' Said Trautman: '"precious chalice" -- when I hear those words, I think of a gold vessel with diamonds on it. Did Jesus, at the Last Supper, use a precious chalice or a cup? The gospels clearly say "cup," but even in the lectionary from Rome we have the word "chalice" imposed on the inspired text to carry out this"sacred language."'

Alluding apparently to defecation, the bishop garnered more audience guffaws when he recited the following proposed translation for Eucharistic Prayer II: 'make holy these gifts, we pray, by the dew of your Spirit -- D-E-W.'

Susan Larker, 37, of Long Beach, who attended Trautman's talk, said the bishop 'doesn't want to say that "Jesus took bread into His holy and venerable hands." He laughed at the Vatican wanting this translation and said that that the laity can't relate to this sort of language.'

Friday night's entertainment consisted of a 'Rockin' the "Rena"' concert, described as a 'rockin' musical festival of song, dance and ritual, including a musical quartet and contemporary artists....' Other Friday events included 'lunchtime entertainment' with Pedro Rubalcava and David Haas; Celtic, Justice and Peace, and Nigerian evening liturgies; and the Liturgy of the Hours with music provided by Jeanne Cotter and Tony Alonso.