On the first Sunday of Advent this year, the English-speaking Catholic community underwent a large change, adopting a new version of the Holy Mass that much more closely follows the original Latin translation. It was an important alteration, as it required generations of worshippers to put aside the nearly 40 years of words & prayers they had previously learned from Rome’s initial English adaptation, and to instead embrace atypical phrases & “cheat sheets” in order to correctly participate. While the Vatican and its internal hierarchy have promoted this new rendition of the Mass as both more reverent and accurate, a great deal of opposition has been voiced by not only English-speaking parishioners, but by priests and other members of the Church, as well.
