Q: We have a priest who joined our staff this month and he is asking for bells to be rung at the beginning of daily Masses (not weekend ones where we have music) during his short procession out of the sacristy and into the sanctuary. Are there any instructions on bells at this time? This is not our current practice. == A: I treat this in my book Let Us Pray. The USCCB’s Built of Living Stones mentions it in #99. The Book of Blessings includes a blessing of bells and notes that “It is an ancient practice to summon the Christian people …

Q: At both of my parishes, we have been purifying the Altar cloths as we should (i.e. soak them in water for minimally 20 minutes, wring out the cloths, pour the used water on the ground in a spot with no foot traffic, and wash the cloths like normal in a sink or washing machine).  At one church, no one is around there between Monday – Thursday. We are wanting to soak the cloths immediately after Mass ends on Sunday, but no one would be around to pick them up/handle them appropriately for Monday – Thursday. Is there any option for us to …

Q: I ran across a wrinkle that has me (canonically) curious regarding Sacraments of Initiation received at the Easter Vigil.  It seems highly problematic to my current understanding – which maybe you both can enlighten.  RCIA (soon to be OCIA) no. 226 states that if there is a great number to be baptized [the bracketed ‘exceptions’], they may be divided into groups and baptized by assisting priests or deacons…. Then, no. 232 states when there are a great many persons to be confirmed, the minister of confirmation may associate priests with himself as minister of the sacrament (see no. 14). So, according to OCIA, a priest …

Q: I’m afraid I have a mundane request. I was looking online for a simple answer to the question of why children of catechetical age receive all three sacraments of initiation in one ceremony, whereas children who are born Catholic wait to be confirmed and receive Communion, and I came across your excellent article on the subject. I was wondering: Would you mind improving the formatting so that those black question mark symbols no longer appear? Those symbols make it a little hard to read, so before I direct people to it, I thought I’d see if you would be willing …

Thank you for your counsel, which has helped me and many others minister to the People of God. I have a small family in my parish preparing to enter the Catholic Church. They consist of a husband, his wife, her son from a previous marriage (over age seven, younger than 18), and the husband and wife’s two children born from their marriage (younger than seven). The wife is already baptized; her husband and son from her previous marriage have yet to be baptized and have been in the catechumenate for over a calendar year. The two younger children have also …

Regarding this post, https://paulturner.org/vestments-3/, I found this link:  https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/orientchurch/Istruzione/pdf/istruzione_inglese.pdf. In the Instructions for Applying the Liturgical Prescriptions of the Code of Canon Law of the Eastern Churches, section 68 states, “The liturgical vestments and bread from the particular rite are to be used.” The Dicastery clarifies that the provision to use the vestments or bread of another Church sui iuris (CCEO c. 707 §2) is given for exceptional cases (e.g., impossibility of procuring the vestments). == Thank you very much for this helpful information.

Q: Who, perhaps, penned this ‘unspoken’ prayer? I pray it silently as the deacon does.  At daily mass, if there is no music or singing, I pray it aloud.   “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” Sounds like Irenaeus.   == A: The prayer is so old that its author is unknown, but many guess that Pope Leo the Great wrote it, as it aligns with his Christmas homily messages. I generally pray it silently as the missal requests. It’s one of many …

Q: Two versions of the Apostolic Pardon are found in the Rite of Pastoral Care and Anointing of the Sick.  Version A is: “Through the holy mysteries of our redemption, may almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come.  May he open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy.” Version B is as follows: “By the authority which the Apostolic See has given me, I grant you a full pardon and the remission of all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, …

Q: At both of my parishes, we have been purifying the Altar cloths as we should (i.e. soak them in water for minimally 20 minutes, wring out the cloths, pour the used water on the ground in a spot with no foot traffic, and wash the cloths like normal in a sink or washing machine).  At one church, no one is around there between Monday – Thursday. We are wanting to soak the cloths immediately after Mass ends on Sunday, but no one would be around to pick them up/handle them appropriately for Monday – Thursday. Is there any option for us to …

Q: Is there a standard for the type of wine to be used at Mass? Is a “jug” wine acceptable? This is for a low income, struggling  parish. == A: See Redemptionis Sacramentum 50:  https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html And this letter:  https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20170615_lettera-su-pane-vino-eucaristia_en.html For questions of validity, please consult a canonist, but most people I know worry that jug wine has additives that alter its properties. It needs to be wine made only from grapes.