After the USCCB gradual integration of the new Liturgical text faithfully translated from the original latin text of the Roman Missal which will be fully implemented on Advent this year, The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines announced that they will follow suit on 2012. The Catholic Church in the Philippines, considered also as an English speaking jurisdiction, has been using the 1973 Roman Missal for almost 40 years which was prepared by the International Commission on English Liturgy (ICEL). The 1973 missal has loose translation of the Latin text. The United States, the source of the English translation which the Philippines uses, is changing their liturgy to a more accurate translation from the Latin text. The Philippines will follow suit since all of its english missal and liturgical text where all borrowed from the United States. In Australian Seminaries, the changes in the Liturgical text is already being implemented and used.

The changes in the Liturgy has been approved by the CBCP in their annual conference last January. Expect that the vernacular text of the Liturgy which was translated from the 1973 English text will also change dramatically. In order to avoid confusion among the faithful, the CBCP will prepare a Catechetical primer to explain to the faithful why the Catholic Church in the Philippines has to change the Mass Liturgical text. The CBCP tapped Fr. Anscar Chupungco, former executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Liturgy to do the primer.

The new liturgical implementation does not differ from the 1973 mass translation in terms of doictrinal content. The purpose of this changes is to make the liturgy more accurate and more reflective of the actual meaning of its Latin counterpart. Some of the changes that will be implemented in the Mass Liturgy, which are now besing practiced and used in some Australian / American Churches and seminaries:

• In the Introductory Rites, the response of the faithful “And also with you” to the priest’s greeting “The Lord be with you” has been replaced with “And with your spirit.”

• Similar changes have also been introduced in other parts of the Mass, such as the Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Concluding Rites.

• In the Eucharistic prayer, the text “…cup of my blood” has been changed to “…chalice of my blood.”

• The text “it will be shed for you and for all men” has been changed to “which will be poured out for you and for many.”

The new translation will be introduced throughout the Philippines on the first Sunday of Advent in December 2, 2012. The season of Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical season in the Church calendar.