Esolen To Lecture On The New Translation Of The Mass Texts

Professor Anthony Esolen, a noted Catholic writer and teacher, will visit St Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church on Saturday, September 24, to offer a pair of programs on the new translation of the Mass texts.

“Set Free The Word of God” will be presented in the church’s Gathering Hall, 40 Church Hill Road, at 10 am and again at 1 pm. All are welcome to attend.

“We’re very pleased that Professor Esolen is coming to St Rose of Lima Parish and grateful that he will be helping all those in attendance prepare for use and deepen their understanding of the new Roman Missal,” said Monsignor Robert E. Weiss, pastor of St Rose of Lima.

Pam Arsenault, director of parish education at St Rose, says participants can look forward to a dynamic and engaging presentation on the new liturgy. The two-hour presentation will include a question and answer session.

“Professor Esolen has written a magnificent Roman Missal Companion and has contributed to the refinement of the translation. He will discuss a wide range of issues, including a meaning-for-meaning translation, reasons for the new translation, sentence structure, the language of prayer and the resonance of scripture,” Ms Arsenault said. “No one can better convey the beauty, intricacy mystery, and richness of the new translations than Anthony Esolen.”

Professor Esolen, who is a professor of English at Providence College, also serves as senior editor of Touchstone Magazine, and a regular contributor to Magnificat, First Things Catholic, This Rock, and Latin Mass. His most recent books are The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization (Regnery Press, 2008) and Ironies of Faith (ISI Press, 2007).

He is the translator of Dante’s Divine Comedy (three volumes, Random House), Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered (Johns Hopkins University Press), and Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things (Johns Hopkins University Press).

He has also written the Magnificat Roman Missal Companion, a booklet that explains every change that is made in the revised translation of the Mass.

His lectures on September 24 will explain why the changes were necessary, including the history behind the decision to undertake such a project.

The talks are open free of charge to all those who wish to attend. Participants can attend either the morning or afternoon session; there will be some new material in each session.

For additional information contact the St Rose Rectory, 203-426-1014.