GIRM QUESTION from Mike Mallinger on November 5, 2002 First, in the 2002 Roman Missal, has the Orate fratres... been modified (degendered) to remove the ...fratres...? In other words, does the prayer now read Pray that my sacrifice and yours may become acceptable to God the Father Almighty....?
Second, is there a faithful translation of the new Roman Missal yet available on the internet?
ANSWER by Mr. Jacob Slavek on November 22, 2002 Dear Mr. Mallinger,
I'm sorry but I cannot answer your question since I do not yet own a copy of the Missal, also I do not have access to one elsewhere. Now that I have a good job I think I am ready to order one from Rome. It will take weeks to arrive, though. Maybe one of my readers has one that can look it up for us.
In the meantime, I can say that I greatly believe that this prayer has NOT been changed, since it would be totally unnecessary. fratres can be used to address a group consisting of both men and women, just as the word brothers can in English. (Believe it or not) Although fratres et sorores would be clearer, it still remains superfluous.
Oh, by the way, the prayer does not read my sacrifice and yours, rather it reads our. Although it means the same, the abuse was introduced in recent years by unfaithful priests to help blur the distinction between ordained priesthood and the laity. For that reason, and also since it is unfaithful to the original text, it must be avoided.
I do not believe that there are any translations of the Missal available yet. Most likely there will not be for years.
Thank you for writing,
Mr. Slavek
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