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	U.S. Bishops to Vote on Mass Revision By Kelly Rush Daily Bulletin [United States] June 15, 2006 http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3937637 Sweeping changes to familiar prayers could be the next adjustment for Roman Catholics, many of whom are adapting to new parishes, transient clergy and a more diverse membership. At the request of the Vatican, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will vote today on a new translation for the Order of the Mass that adheres more closely to the Latin version. The changes would be some of the most sweeping to Mass in nearly four decades since parishioners first began worshipping in English instead of Latin after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. The new translation would alter the wording of 12 of the 19 texts spoken by Catholics during worship, including the Nicene Creed, the Gloria, the Penitential Rite, the Sanctus and Communion. Reactions to the proposal are mixed in the million-member San Bernardino Diocese, where several parishes are being consolidated to accommodate growth, and because of a shortage of priests. New parishes that would replace multiple older churches are being established in San Bernardino, French Valley, Redlands, Banning and north Fontana. The Rev. Howard Lincoln, a diocesan spokesman, said that Bishop Gerald Barnes doesn't feel it's appropriate to comment until the vote is taken on the proposed liturgical changes. Gabino Sanchez, who attends San Gorgonio Parish in Beaumont, said people often resist changes to tradition, even if they're positive. "If the Vatican is saying it's better, we have to be open to whatever changes come to the church. We have to be open to the Holy Spirit," he said. "If we don't like it, we have to say something." Two-thirds of the U.S. conference's 254 Latin-rite bishops must vote to approve the new order. If they do not approve it, the translation likely will go back to the bishops' liturgy committee for more revisions before another vote later this year, said Monsignor James P. Moroney, who leads the liturgy office for the conference. Some bishops worry that the new translations will alienate Catholics at a time when membership is declining in some areas of the nation and clergy are dealing with the effects of a nationwide sexual-abuse scandal. "My big concern is people are going to feel like they're being jerked around. They finally got used to the English translation, and now they have to get used to another translation," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University and a Jesuit priest. "It's going to cause real chaos and real problems, and the people who are going to be at the brunt end of it are the poor priests in the parishes who don't need any more problems," he said. Mary Grant, western regional director of the advocacy group Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said the changes are an effort to control parishioners. "It's a glaring reminder that bishops' priorities are about control and power, not about protecting the flock," she said. "Catholics are taught to pray, pay and obey and anybody that questions that ... will be punished. It's just shocking to the mind that (changes in liturgies) are where the bishops' priorities are today." The Vatican recently issued updated guidelines for the translation of the Latin texts with the goal of arriving at a more accurate translation, as well as one that reflects "a deeper language that's more expressive and poetic," Moroney said. Minor changes to the wording of many portions of the Mass will be obvious. The "Peace be with you"/ "And also with you" exchange would become "Peace be with you"/ "And with your spirit" in the new version. In the Nicene Creed, parishioners would say "I believe" instead of "We believe." Survey results released by the conference's Committee on Liturgy last November showed that U.S. bishops were split over whether the changes were necessary or advisable. Forty-seven percent rated the new translation as fair or poor, while 52 percent said it was excellent or good.
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