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STRUCTURE OF PRAYERS in the ROMAN MISSAL 

COLLECTS      CONFITEOR      CREDO

This prayer is shaped by its grammatical structure. The repetitions of the saints’ names and the adjectives or titles which go with them, have different endings because of their differing grammaical functions in the two halves of the prayer. The first time round they are in the dative case, the form translated by ‘to + a noun’, because the verb is confiteor I confess, which like its English equivalent is not  followed by  a direct object, and so in Latin it is followed by an ending on the noun and adjectives equivalent to what in English is conveyed by the use of the preposition 'to.    

Confiteor     I confess

beatae  Mariae ..            . to-blessed Mary ,     

 beato Michaelo Archangelo ..  to-blessed Michael the-Archangel                         

sanctis  apostolis Petro et Paulo           to the holy apostlesPeter and Paul  

et omnibus sanctis          and to-all the saints

The second time round, the endings on the same names and titles are different. They are in the accusative case, indicating the object of the sentence, because the verb is now precor which, like its English equivalent to beseech is followed by a direct object. It is impossible to convey this in translation because the two languages are structurally so different from one another and the full effect depends on the varying endings on the Latin nouns and adjectives. The result is like a litany, but with variation, where the English simply repeats the first half.

Ideo precor  therefore I beseech          

beatam Mariam ...      blessed Mary                                                                                                                

beatum  Michaelum Archangel                    blessed Michael the  Archangel

sanctos apostolos Petrum et Paulum

et omnes sanctos

See if you  can spot the other variations

Confiteor Deo omnipotenti,                        I confess to Almighty God,

beatae Mariae semper Virgini,                   to Blessed Mary ever Virgin,

beato Michaeli Archangelo,                       to Blessed Michael the Archangel,

beato Joanni Baptistae, sanctis                 to Blessed John the Baptist, to

Apostolis Petro et Paulo,                           the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul,

omnibus Sanctis, et tibi pater:                     to all the Saints, and to you

quia peccavi nimis cogitatione                    father: that I have sinned

verbo, et opere: mea culpa,                        exceedingly in thought, word,

mea culpa, mea maxima culpa                   and deed; through my fault,,      

                                                                  through my fault

                                                                     through my most grievous fault;

Ideo precor beatam Mariam                  And so I ask blessed Mary                       

Semper Virginem,                                     ever Virgin etc

beatum  Michaelum Archangelum, 

Beatum Joannem Baptistam.     

sanctos Apostolos                          

Petrum et Paulum, omnes                

Sanctos, et te pater, orare pro               and you, father, to pray for me      

me ad Dominum Deum                          to the Lord our God.

nostrum.                                         

CREDO                                                         

Anyone interested in language cannot fail to be struck by the way in which the Credo is constructed. At one level, it is very simple, but the repeated use of the coordinating conjunction ET and, combined with the use of relative clauses, beginning with the relative pronouns QUI who, QUEM whom, and CUIUS whose, permits the whole prayer (apart from the last two statements) to be a single sentence driven by one main verb, CREDO I believe, which is also the opening word. The verb CREDO is not repeated, the new set of statements being introduced by ET.  They are linked audibly and visually by the  –UM or -EM endings of the masculine accusative on nouns and adjectives, and with the statements about the church characterised by feminine nouns and adjectives, all agreeing  and ending in –AM, something translation cannot replicate. Only LUMEN light does not follow the pattern

CREDO IN I believe in      UNUM DEUM one God,

(The Father)                 PATREM  OMNIPOTENTEM  the Father almighty,                  

                                     FACTOREM caeli et terrae maker of heaven and earth

(The Son) Like the statements about the Father, those about the Son also use masculine nouns in the accusative form, with distinctive endings in –UM or -EM (and the same endings on the adjectives In the following, * indicates an adjective, the rest are nouns:

<  ET IN  UNUM * DOMINUM JESUM CHRISTUM one Lord Jesus Christ

FILIUM the Son UNIGENITUM* only-born NATUM *born DEUM VERUM* true God,       

GENITUM* begotten FACTUM* made CONSUBSTANTIALEM* consubstantial

The next two statements are in relative clauses (those beginning with who, whom, whose or which). That is to say, they refer back specifically to a noun already present, adding information about that noun as here, where the noun is: JESUM CHRISTUM .

< PER QUEM                omnia facta sunt   through  whom all things were made

 < QUI                            DESCENDIT de caelis     who came down from heaven

and the next set of statements all follow on from that point, beginning with that same QUI who which is not repeated:

INCARNATUS EST,                                                                                                                                                  homo FACTUS EST,                                                                                                                                          CRUCIFIXUS (EST),                                                                                                                                  PASSUS (EST), et SEPULTUS EST                                                

  (Who) became incarnate, was made man, was crucified, died, was buried .

The Latin uses the Perfect tense, repeating the ending, –US of the masculine nominative (because the subject of all the verbs is Jesus), before completing its narrative account with two verbs in the simple past which take the same ending as  DESCENDIT with which it began:  

RESURREXIT he rose again   ASCENDIT he ascended.

The transition is then made to the present tense, as Christ is now beyond time, the –ET ending on the third person present of the verb sedere to sit sounds like the  –IT ending on the preceding verbs in the past: SEDET AD DEXETRAM  he sits/is sitting at the right  hand.

Having spoken of Jesus in the past and the present, the prayer completes its rapid survey of salvation history with two verbs in future tenses, one ending  in –US and one in -IT:   

ET ITERUM VENTURUS EST and he will come again                                        

< CUIUS  REGNI NON ERIT FINIS to whose reign there will be no end                                                                   

This is the final reference back to JESUM CHRISTUM

(The Holy Spirit) 

The next item refers the reader right back once more to the opening word, CREDO, so beginning the third unit of the prayer, which refers to the Holy Spirit. The familiar patterns are repeated, with masculine nouns in –UM and –EM, then three relative clauses beginning with QUI referring back this time to Spiritum Sanctum. Two of the verbs have the familiar –IT and –US endings and even the unfamiliar endings on the two passive verbs in the other sentence rhyme!

< ET IN SPIRITUM SANCTUM, DOMINUM et VIVIFICANTEM                                                                               and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life

     < QUI   ex Patre Filioque PROCEDIT                                                                                                                            who proceeds from the Father and he Son                                            

      < QUi  cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur                                                                                              who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified                    

             < QUI  LOCUTUS est per prophetas                                                                                                                           who has spoken through the prophets

(The church)

As the noun ECCLESIA church, is feminine, the ending is different, although the feminine –AM sounds quite like the masculine –UM, and the agreement on the adjectives preceding it sounds good when sung. The ET returns us once more to the beginning and the verb CREDO I believe

ET IN UNAM* SANCTAM* CATHOLICAM* et APOSTOLICAM* ECCLESIAM                                                          in one holy Catholic and apoaolic church

The closing statements of the creed do not follow the psttern

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem                         I believe in one God,  

omnipotentem, factorem caeli                          the Father Almighty, Maker of

et terrae, visibilium omnium et                           heaven and earth, and of all

invisibilium.  Et in unum                                    things visible and invisible.

Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium                   And in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

Dei unigenitum.  Et ex Patre                            the Only-begotten Son of God.

natum ante omnia saecula.  Deum                  Born of the Father before all

de Deo, lumen de lumine,                                 ages. God of God, Light of

verum de Deo vero.  Genitum,                         Light, true God of true God.

non factum, consubstantialem                         Begotten, not made,  

Patri: per quem omnia facta                           consubstantial with the Father.   

sunt.  Qui propter nos homines,                     By whom all things were made.   

et propter nostram salutem                            Who for us men and for our

descendit de caelis.  Et                                 salvation came down from

incarnatus est de Spiritu                                 heaven.  

          Sancto ex Maria Virgine: ET                         And became incarnate by

HOMO FACTUS EST.  Crucifixus                  the Holy Spirit of the Virgin

etiam pro nobis: sub Pontio                           Mary: AND WAS MADE MAN.

Pilato passus, et sepultus est.                         He was also

Et resurrexit tertia die,                                     crucified for us, suffered

secundum Scripturas.  Et                                  under Pontius Pilate,  died  and was

ascendit in caelum: sedet ad                           buried.  And on the third day

desteram Patris.  Et iterum                              He rose again according to the

venturus est cum gloria                                    Scriptures. He ascended into

judicare vivos et mortuos:                               heaven and sits at the right

cujus regni non erit finis.  Et                            hand of the Father.  He will

in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et                  come again in glory to judge

vivificantem: qui ex Patre                                the living and the dead and His

Filioque procedit.  Qui cum                              kingdom will have no end. And

Patre, et Filio simul adoratur                           in the Holy Spirit, the Lord

et conglorificatur: qui locutus                         and giver of life, who proceeds

est per Prophetas. Et unam,                           from the Father and the Son.

sanctam, catholicam et                                    Who together with the Father

apostolicam Ecclesiam.                                    and the Son is worshipped and

Confiteor unum baptisma in                           glorified, and who spoke

remissionem peccatorum Et                          through the prophets. And one,

exspecto resurrectionem                                 holy, Catholic and Apostolic

mortuorum.  Et vitam venturi                         Church.  I confess one baptism

saeculi.  Amen.                                               for the forgiveness of sins. 

                                                                       And I await the resurrection of the

                                                                         dead and the life  of the

                                                                                  world to come.  Amen.