Fr. Anscar Chupungco's final work brings the heart of his liturgical and pastoral work home to the newly revised Roman Missal: attentiveness to culture and context, and a dedication to bringing balance to the interpretation and practice of liturgical celebration. This short work introduces the reader to important techniques in interpreting the presidential prayers of the newly revised Roman Missal in English. The recent English translation of presidential prayers, or orations, has been criticized for its propensity for opaqueness and circuitous word order. However, Chupungco reminds us that, at the end of the day, “what matters is that the Latin oration is understood by the priest and communicated faithfully to the assembly” (2). The premise for this work coincides with the goal of liturgical reform in the twentieth century: promoting the active, intelligent participation of all the faithful so the liturgy might shape their love of God and love of neighbor. Rather than roadblocks alone, the challenges presented by the new English translations offer opportunities for liturgical catechesis. Chupungco selects three dozen orations from across the liturgical year whose meanings are, as he says, “not immediately obvious” in either source or receptor languages (1). In each example, Chupungco provides the new translation of the oration as it appears in the Missal. A brief textual analysis unpacks the meaning of the English text by introducing the reader to the theological and historical context of the Latin original. For each oration, Chupungco provides his own “literal” translation of the Latin prayer text as well as a short description of the “sense” of the prayer. In doing so, he suggests a balance between the usefulness of formal translation and dynamic equivalency. Following his interpretation of the prayer text, Chupungco provides a “homiletic-catechetical” note. These notes are particularly useful, as they highlight connections with Scripture and the theological tradition, themes in the liturgical year, traditional devotional practices, liturgical renewal, and the present world. Through this method, the reader is reminded of the breadth of time over which the presidential prayers developed, is alerted to how the orations pair with the liturgical year as well as with broad theological and spiritual themes, and is introduced to the intricacies and challenges of translating ancient and medieval Latin compositions.

Throughout this work, Chupungco gently balances critique with constructive catechesis. He acknowledges the difficulties of interpreting and performing the oration texts, yet suggests that these very difficulties might invite us to learn from the liturgy. His first chapter, “General Observations,” addresses key points of structure and vocabulary that recur throughout the orations. For example, he explains the logic behind constructions that may be judged awkward, such as the seemingly disconnected doxological conclusions to the orations, which begin with phrases such as “Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son” and “Who live and reign with God the Father.” As Chupungco notes, the function of such conclusions is to remind us that prayers are addressed to Christ the mediator.

Drawing from the general norm of Sacrosanctum Concilium (33), that the liturgy can and should be a source of catechesis for the faithful, Chupungco offers this work as a tool to access the liturgy so that people might be formed by their liturgical prayer. His interpretation of some of the more complex orations leaves the reader wishing the work were even more comprehensive. While his critique of the new English translation highlights the logic of the translators, occasionally his response to some newly translated texts is stringent when he feels that the wording may be theologically misleading for the faithful.

This book provides a model for those studying liturgical prayer, and would be particularly useful for homiletics courses in seminary education or diaconal formation. A thorough knowledge of Latin would allow students to apply Chupungco's technique most effectively. However, the text would also be suitable for a more general audience of students of the liturgy and catechesis, especially as it provides a method of accessing these somewhat challenging prayers with more hope than hesitation or consternation. In the spirit of bringing the prayers to the people and the people to the great prayer of the church, Chupungco leaves us looking with hope to the future.