Q: Dear Fr. Paul, when brief announcements are given after the Prayer after Communion is concluded, I have seen many instances where the deacon will stand at the ambo to read the announcements. Yet, GIRM 309 seems to preclude announcements from the ambo. What is correct in this regard, and does the answer change if announcements are done prior to the start of the celebration?
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A: GIRM 309 indeed does not permit announcements from the ambo. The deacon best makes them from his chair.
I’m always amazed at how widely this number from the GIRM is ignored. The readings, psalm, preaching, and petitions may take place at the ambo. Everything else goes someplace else. The ambo is not reserved for the parts of the Mass that pertain to a microphone, but to the parts that pertain to the Word of God.