New Translation of the Roman Missal

As part of our ongoing preparation for the introduction of the new translation, for the next couple of weeks the bulletin will contain some of the newly worded prayers that we will be saying.

The first, and perhaps one of the most notable changes, is our response to the priest’s greeting: “And with your spirit.” replaces “And also with you.” This is a closer rendition of the Latin “Et cum spiritu tuo” and is also a clearer echo of greetings found in Sacred Scripture (two of the main principles of the new translation), for example as found in St Paul’s letter to the Galatians: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, my brothers. Amen.” (6:18)

The alternative greetings that the priest may use have also been slightly changed:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit

be with you all.

Or

Grace to you and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Important to remember here is that this is not simply the greeting between friends, like saying “Hello.” The General Instruction of the Roman Missal explains it thus:

“Then he [the priest] signifies the presence of the Lord to the community gathered there by means of the Greeting. By this Greeting and the people’s response, the mystery of the Church gathered together is made manifest.” (GIRM 50) This greeting reminds us that we gather as the Church to engage in a sacred action.

("Excerpt from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.")