ICEL Meets eBay

The new Mass texts were auctioned on eBay.... Cindy Wooden from CNS got them yesterday -- as you know, I had them two weeks ago.

A new draft translation of the main Mass prayers in English has been distributed to bishops and was auctioned off Oct. 5 on eBay, the Internet auction site.

The draft of the "Ordo Missae," or Order of the Mass, was compiled by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, which works for 11 bishops' conferences and drafts translations of original Latin prayers.

The online bidder paid $61 for the 44-page document.

The eBay seller, who asked not to be identified, told Catholic News Service in Rome Oct. 7 that he was about to auction off another copy of the text "not to make money, but to put the text out there and show people the sillier bits."

"These are the words of the holy sacrifice of the Mass and they belong to us," he said, adding that the process should not be secret.

That's my point exactly.

-30-