Pictured left, headlines from the Texas Gulf Coast Register  in 1967, following the Second Vatican Council. Before the Second Vatican Council priests faced the altar (right) rather than the congregation.

The introduction of the vernacular at Mass in October 1967 was a breath of fresh air to the Church.  Looking back on the big change today, many people who remember when these changes were implemented still hold to this opinion.

Like many of the changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council were not new, in fact they were a restoration of ancient practices. This is true of celebrating Mass in the vernacular. In the earliest times, the Mass was celebrated in Aramaic–the language of Jesus’ time. For the next several centuries it was celebrated Greek and finally in Latin.

The predominant and exclusive use of Latin was common only in the West. The eastern rites of the Church used any language so long as the translation was “faithful.” In these rites, “the Liturgy remained closer to the people” and local manners and customs were incorporated into the Liturgy.

“I think the greatest thing that happened really and surely was when the cardinals and the Holy Father and the bishops all recommended strongly that we say our Holy Mass in the vernacular,” Msgr. Gregory Deane, a retired priest of the diocese who experienced first-hand the change, said. 

He explained how pleased he was that priests could pray the Liturgy of the Hours from their breviaries in English and fully understand and enter into the heart of what they were praying without translating back and forth from the Latin.

The Second Vatican Council brought about many changes within the Mass. Since there were so many, including modifications to the rubrics of how Mass was to be prayed, these changes were implemented in stages so that the faithful could smoothly adjust. The Church officially introduced the vernacular into the Mass on the First Sunday of Advent 1964 with the singing of hymns. In the United States, the celebration of the Mass in the vernacular occurred on Oct. 22, 1967.

Sister Kathleen McDonagh IWBS, was teaching theology at the time, and helped to prepare the faithful for the big change as part of her work.  When it came to learning the responses in the vernacular for the Mass, she started with the shorter responses and gradually worked in the longer ones.  However, for most it was a matter of just following the translations, she said.
“It was relatively easy.  I never felt there was any pressure to bear,” Msgr. Deane said. “I don’t think the congregation ever felt they were really lost. There were missals with the English translations.  Most people had a missal to follow along.”

Dioceses across the country prepared extensively for the change as well.  Barbara Bassett, a parishioner at St. Paul the Apostle in Flour Bluff, remembers attending workshops in San Diego, California designed to help the faithful understand the changes and why they were brought about. 

“They tried to make the transition easier for people to understand, especially for the older people who were born and raised in the Latin.  They tried to do so as it would be easier for us in the pew to understand.  I do know that it was very helpful to attend those classes.  There were quite a few that attended; and as far as I remember, they didn’t get too deep.  It was very simple and easy to understand,” she said.

Despite the relatively smooth transition, there were some drawbacks to switching from the use of Latin, according to Msgr. Tom Mc Gettrick, Pastor at St. Andrew by the Sea parish. While, the Corpus Christi Parish Post, a privately printed newspaper–not officially part of the diocesan structure–published full page translations, some parishioners were not as prepared as they could have been. Msgr. Mc Gettrick said the Church did a better job preparing the faithful to use the more accurate translations that were recently implemented. 

While Mass was now understandable to the faithful, taking away the Latin also took away a sense of mystery and wonder.

One other drawback to the vernacular is more freedom in translation.  Over the last 50 years this freedom has led to an imprecise use of language in expressing the Church’s deep and rich theology found in the prayers and hymns used at liturgies. That is why Blessed Pope John Paul II commissioned a more accurate translation of the prayers that had been in use at Mass.  This new translation was introduced the First Sunday of Advent 2011 in order to preserve this richness found in the original Latin. 

However, some people feel more needs to be done to bring Gregorian chant back into the sacred liturgy. “People liked the vernacular, but they missed the Gregorian chant.  They were disappointed about liturgical music losing its sacred quality,” Msgr. Mc Gettrick said.

Modifications to the rubrics of the Mass, which were more difficult for the faithful to accept, followed the change to the vernacular.  Among these changes were not praying the St. Michael prayer after Mass, taking away the altar rail at Communion and the priest facing the people.
“It was very nice to be able to understand what was being said at the altar.  Most of the changes that upset me happened afterward,” Bassett said.

Even though some had more of an adjustment to these changes than others, the bishops, in union with the pope, strived to make the Church more accessible to the faithful in a changing world.  Many priests and religious at the time were of the opinion that if the change to the vernacular was something the Church was calling for, they ought to do it with the hopes that it would draw people into a deeper appreciation of the Mass.

“No matter what language you’re using, Mass is being celebrated and you’re praying the same prayers to our Lord, and of course, they’re bringing about the changing of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.  You have to keep that in mind.  Ultimately, the most important thing is that which is central to the Mass, celebrated all over the world.  It’s important that we understand it and celebrate it together,” Sister McDonagh said.