Bishops revise wording of Roman Missal for use in Canada

By Vatican News staff writer

The Canadian Bishops Conference (CCCB), in a Decree of implementation issued in December, and following a request from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament, adjusted the English-language wording of the conclusion of the Collect (the opening prayer) in the Roman Missal as approved for use in the country.

Beginning from Ash Wednesday, 17 February 2021, the word “one” is to be omitted from the conclusion of the Collect, as well as from other similar prayers in the liturgy, for example, the Blessing of Water at the Easter Vigil.

In place of ending with “one God, for ever and ever”, the Collect will now end, “God, for ever and ever.”

With this new change, the English version will now be consistent with the Latin text, and conform to translations into other languages, including French which is also an official language of the country.

New wording helps to avoid doctrinal confusion

The reason for the new wording, as requested by the Congregation for Divine Worship, was for the Bishops to “decide how best to translate these formulas in order to safeguard both their Trinitarian form as well as their profession of the Son’s divinity,” read the Decree.

This, the Congregation noted, is because the word ‘one’ “could cause doctrinal confusion and should no longer be used, and the current translation revised.”

Until now, the word “one” had been used in the conclusion to the Collect in both the earlier and the current English language translations of the Roman Missal.

Revisions to wording

Consequently, in September 2020, following consultation with the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), Canada's Bishops approved a revision to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal concerning the Trinitarian ending of the Collect:

    - If the prayer is directed to the Father: "Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever"; 

    - If the prayer is directed to the Father, but the Son is mentioned at the end: "Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever"; 

    - If the prayer is directed to the Son: "Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever."

The new wording will be incorporated into all future editions of liturgical books approved for use in Canada.