Monday, October 22, 2007

Medieval? Get the rack!

When is somebody going to crack a ruler
over the knuckles of these “sisters”?

Monday, October 22, 2007

National Coalition of American Nuns on Liturgical Translations

To Each U.S. Roman Catholic Bishop Regarding English Translations For The Liturgy

Dear Bishop,

We are writing to you, each U.S. bishop, the U.S. Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy, the International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in regard to the new Vatican-ordered translation of the Liturgy.

The Vatican-appointed translators have not produced a translation that is understandable to Catholics in the pews. We understand that, according to a 2005 poll of bishops, 47% of the U.S. bishops rated it "fair or poor".

The media has reported that even some bishops are complaining that some texts contain "clunky and archaic language". For example, why would the words "consubstantial to the Father" be used in the Creed? What meaning do these words have for 21st century English speaking Catholics?

Why use a medieval expression like, "We pray you bid" in the new Missal? This is not the way people speak today in the English-speaking world. We need to follow the liturgical principles set forth in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council.

Article 21 of that document states, "Christian people, as far as possible, should be able to understand them (texts and rites) with ease". The proposed text, "he who was born ineffably of the inviolate Virgin," is not easily understandable to Christian people, much less to the youth who are leaving the Church because of its irrelevancy.

Bishop Donald Trautman of Erie, PA., chair of the U.S. Bishops Committee on the Liturgy, has said the proposed changes by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy are "not acceptable". We agree. We ask you to make the translations appropriate, meaningful, and significant for today's Catholic.

Jeannine Gramick SL,
Donna Quinn OP,
Beth Rindler SFP

Medieval? Sisters, we'll show you medieval? Hey guys, get the rack!

Labels:

posted by Fr LWG at 7:49 PM

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sr. Gramick has already been slapped down by the CDF for erroneous teaching on homosexuality, now she's going to save us from "bad" translations.
Whenever one meaningless commitee sends another a message ...sound and fury signifing nothing. It's like the U.N. or congress without all the cooing from the media.

9:36 PM  
Blogger Tom in Vegas said...

I'm all for the Church "moving forward" when and where it is appropriate to do so. I'm all for the Church's ability to evaluate itself in great Vatican councils. But I'm not sure I understand individuals - especially when it comes from our own clergy - who want to revamp every aspect of the Church they deem anachronistic.

The National Coalition of American Nuns is quickly getting on my bad side.

Tom

11:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

When I was at school in the early 80's. A nun took a group of us aside and taught us gregorian chant Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei. There was no reason for her to do this. We were well established with the N.O. mass complete with the usual music. We never sang it at all anywhere except in that school room. I heard it again and could join in 25 years laters at my first TLM. I thought of that good nun and said a prayer of thanks to God for her. She was a nun with a great vocation. How on earth did we get from nuns like that to nuns like this?

4:27 AM  
Blogger Anita Moore said...

Father, is there a link to this atrocity that you could provide?

(I'm sure sorry to see one of the signatories is a Dominican.)

10:03 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Isn't it interesting that on their own blog whence this letter originates one is not allowed to leave comments. They know they are nothing but a minority of old women who wish they were born men. If they expect to be taken seriously by any true Catholic they need to put their habits on, recant their heresies, shut their mouths, and do penance for the wrong they have done in the Church. I'm sick and tired of these "women religous" attacking the Church and giving faithful and true consecrated women a bad name. It's time Catholics stood up for the truth and stopped putting up with this crap. Ms. Jeanine Gramick and her ilk need to realize the Church is neither a cafeteria nor a democracy and either conform or get out.

2:10 PM  
Blogger ignorant redneck said...

What Fr. Scott said. Plus--why is it theat whenever the leftward fringe of the church gets antsy they use the word meadevil as a perjoritive?

12:46 PM  

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