New draft translation of the Mass prayers.

Vatican City -- The International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) has issued a new draft translation of the main Mass prayers in English. An earlier draft was approved by the commission's episcopal board in 2004 and was distributed to English-speaking bishops for comment (See article in C.I. Sept. 2004, pp. 20-22).

Following are some of the proposed changes in the new draft, which relies on a more literal translation of the Latin text and a more formal version of English.

* The third Eucharistic prayer currently in use says: "From age to age, you gather a people to yourself, so that from East to West a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name." The new version says: "You never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting, a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name."

* The second Eucharistic prayer now begins: "Lord, you are holy indeed, the fountain of all holiness. Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may become for us the body and blood of Our Lord, Jesus Christ." The latest draft proposes: "You are indeed the holy one, O Lord, you are the wellspring of all holiness. Therefore, make holy these gifts, we pray, by the dew of your Spirit, that they may become for us the body and blood of Our Lord, Jesus Christ."

* The new draft keeps the specific changes suggested by Liturgiam Authenticam, including one that English translations of the Creed return to the first person singular--"I believe"--used in the Latin and most other languages.

* The new draft, in response to the priest's greeting, "The Lord be with you, returns to the literal translation for the people: "And with your spirit."

* Before Communion, the current prayer of the people is: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." Once again, the new proposed draft returns to the literal translation from the Latin, and becomes: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." The Sanctus is also undergoing changes. The current prayer begins: "Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might." The latest suggestion is: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts."

* The penitential rite at the beginning of Mass includes the following: "I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do." The new draft says: "I have sinned greatly in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault."

* In the Gloria, the draft proposes a word order closer to the Latin version. The new version begins: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly king, O God, almighty Father" (Nat. Cath. Register, Oct. 16, 2005, p. 5).