catholicism culture dictionary glossary goodphrase interest language latin mea_culpa misc phrases quotes religion research terrorism words writing

My tags:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mea culpa is a Latin phrase that translates into English as "my fault", or "my own fault". To emphasize the message, the adjective "maxima" may be inserted, resulting in "mea maxima culpa," which would translate as "my most [grievous] fault."

Contents 1 Origin 2 Popular meaning 3 In literature 4 In media 5 References 6 See also

[edit] Origin

The origin of the expression is from a traditional prayer in the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church known as Confiteor (Latin for "I confess")^[1], in which the individual recognizes his or her flaws before God.

The traditional text in Latin is:

Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatae Mariae semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistae, sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, et tibi pater: quia peccavi nimis cogitatione verbo, et opere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes Sanctos, et te Pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum Nostrum.

I confess to Omnipotent God, to Blessed Mary ever Virgin, to Blessed Michael the Archangel, to Blessed John the Baptist, to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the angels and Saints, and to you father: that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech the Blessed Mary ever Virgin, Blessed Michael the Archangel, Blessed John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the Saints, and you, Father, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

The traditional translation of the phrase, which appeared in most people's missals prior to 1970, was "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault." This same translation appears in missals used today in Masses of the Extraordinary Form, the so-called Traditional Latin Mass.

Anglican Missals of the Episcopal Church in the USA and in the Church of England that included this prayer used the same translation, though sometimes the last part was translated "my own most grievous fault."

[edit] Popular meaning

In the popular vernacular, the expression "mea culpa" has acquired a more direct meaning, in which, by doing or performing a "mea culpa", someone admits to having made a mistake by one's own fault (meaning that it could have been avoided if that person had been more diligent). It may be used even in trivial situations: if an American football player, for instance, admits that his team lost a game because he missed a field goal, this may be called a "mea culpa", meaning that he admitted his mistake, which he could have avoided (at least in theory), and that resulted in a subsequent evil. In today's American vernacular, people often say "my bad."

In some countries, phonetic versions of the phrase are used with the same meaning. For instance, in Slovene, the phrase "Moja Kolpa" is often used, sounding almost the same, but literally meaning "My Kolpa" (Kolpa is a river in Slovenia).

[edit] In literature

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (March 2009)

• "Mea culpa, mea culpa, Blessed Virgin forgive me" is cited on the first page of the 5th chapter, "November Saints AD 1064," of the novel Voice of the Fire by Alan Moore.
• "Mea culpa--mea culpa--mea maxima culpa" is said in Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead.
• "I, George Darling, did it. MEA CULPA, MEA CULPA," is said in chapter 2 of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens by J. M. Barrie.
• "Mea maxima culpa, my Lord Prince, you got me there," Jack Ryan says to the Prince of Wales in Patriot Games by Tom Clancy.
• "Mea maxima culpa" is the name of a poem by late Norwegian writer Jens Bjørneboe.
• "His final hold on Charlotte was that he recognized in himself everything I have just told you about him, and said 'mea culpa.'" Joan Didion, A Book of Common Prayer.
• In "Weighing In," a poem by Seamus Heaney: "And that way (mea culpa) lost an edge."
• In "To a Calvinist in Bali," a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay: "And CULPA carven in the rock."

[edit] In media

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (March 2009)

• Mea culpa is a Spanish language TV series, depicting real life crimes (TVN (Chile) 1994-2008).
• "Mea Culpa" is the title of scene 32 of the movie Fight Club.
• "Mea Culpa" is the name of a song and a compilation album from the Dutch symphonic metal band After Forever.
• "Mea Culpa" is the title of episode 9 (season 1) of Alias (TV series).
• "Mea Culpa" is a song from progressive metal band The Human Abstract from their album Nocturne.
• "Mea Culpa" is the title of episode 4 of Ultraviolet (TV serial).
• "Mea Culpa" is a song from David Byrne and Brian Eno's album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.
• "Mea Culpa (Part II)" is a hit song from the group Enigma.
• Excerpts of the Mea Culpa are interwoven with the lyrics of "Hellfire" from Disney's adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• "Mea Culpa" is the name of a song from the band Mike + The Mechanics from the album Beggar On A Beach Of Gold.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• List of Latin phrases