Paul Turner

Q: Is it possible to choose one of the set of readings from Christmas Night, Dawn or Day and use […]

Q: Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. Has the rite for the Anointing of the Sick been updated?

Q: A short discussion came up in the parish recently and I would like your insight if you have the

Q: Thank you for your ministry and guidance for the Church.  Can you recommend any books or resources on Liturgical

Q: I attended a Funeral Mass last week.  The cantor sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone”  from the musical CAROUSEL at

Q: For masses specific to orders like the Knights of Columbus or Knights of St. John, are members of the

Q: In addition to the Rosary, is it recommended that lay persons pray the Liturgy of the Hours in their

Q: At the graveside, one prayer in the Order of Christian Funerals comes with alternatives that depend on whether or

Q: I checked the Ordo for the Commemoration of All Souls on Monday, November 2 this year, and it lists

Q: Is it  appropriate to use the Litany of the Saints at all in the Mass of this Sunday’s Solemnity

Q: What color chasuble should I wear for a Saturday night wedding Mass in Ordinary Time? And which readings to

Q: I am currently preparing a couple for marriage. The bride is a lifelong Catholic and comes from a very

Q: When filling oil stocks or vessels engraved with the various abbreviations (OS, SC, OI) or when preparing holy oils

Q: You say that a non-ordained person does not use the greeting, “The Lord be with you.” This has confused me. 

Q: May a Layperson perform a valid and licit Communion service with distribution of consecrated hosts?  This would be performed

Q: Could lay persons fulfill the role of deacons at the Rite of Election? == A: Oh, my. Well, my

Q: Thank you for your great insights and all that you do for the Church.  If I were to convalidate

Q: Many thanks once again for your guidance in these liturgical matters.   I have noticed at the preparation of

Q: My parish’s new music director now rings a bell at Mass when the presiding celebrant is consuming the precious blood.

Q: I have a different liturgical question for you. I have someone who is a baptized non-Catholic in RCIA. They

Q: It is my understanding that ritual of the Priest washing his hands before the Eucharistic prayers Is rooted in

Q: Toward the end of Eucharistic Prayer III there is an option, after the invocation of the Blessed Mother, St

Q: One of our parishes has a transgender teen seeking confirmation. No one, but the pastor, is aware of this

Q: Thank you for your wide ranging and high-quality help with liturgical issues. My question follows from your recent post

Q: My parishioners who watch the livestream are asking me to lead the prayer of spiritual communion at Mass. Should

Q: Could you please send me the keynote presentations you gave at the National Biennial Liturgy Conference in Australia earlier

Q: A priest friend did a funeral this week for a child who died by miscarriage. Do you think that was

Q: A member of our religious community has tested positive for the virus, and two other sisters have symptoms. We

Q: In light of the recent clarifications from the Vatican I thought I better ask this.  I have an RCIA

Q: Can a godparent fulfill their responsibility on FaceTime? We have a baptism coming up. There’s only one godparent, and

Q: I have a question about preparing for first communion during the pandemic. How can a child really prepare if

Q: When I attended a lecture by the late Fr. Anscar Chupungco, OSB many year ago, he said that the

Q: Many thanks for your continued support and guidance. I very much enjoyed your observations on liturgical matters. Can the

Q: During this Season of Creation (September 1-October 4) and as we mark the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si, are

Q: Thank you for all of your help.  It is a great service to all of us. I have seen

I guess you sent out some canon law quotes relating to RCIA recently, and they seem to say that any

Q: In my State, we are likely facing many more likely months of very strict governmental restrictions on the number

Q: It is our tradition to hold the Chrism Mass the Thursday prior to Holy Week. I have been searching

Q: I am looking at the rite of Baptism outside of Mass and I notice that the liturgy does not

Q: Greeting Father Turner!  Thank you for this wonderful blog and for sharing your time and talents with us. My

Q: In the Pontifical, the Rite of Admission to Candidacy says, “Because of its nature, the rite is never combined

Q: I hope and pray that this email finds you well. I have a friend who received the following question

Q: I get it that you think people watching a live-streamed Mass should not suddenly receive communion from a minister

Q: Love your blog.  Have learned so much both from the content as well as your attitude of faithful servant-leadership

Q: People want to know, and I don’t have a good answer: If we live-stream a school Mass, but in-person

Q: I’ve got confreres who announce the Mass intentions differently. On Sundays, as a rule, we include it in the General

Q: Can someone being received into the full communion of the Catholic Church be a godparent for a child being

Q: When someone is received under the Rite of Reception of Validly Baptized Christians into the Full Communion of the

Q: In a live-streamed Mass, can we go along like normal and then have a live person from their living

Q: I believe I remember you writing at some point that there is a request in to the Vatican about

Q: Please respond to the question a non-Catholic friend raised after attending the ordination of a permanent deacon in our

Q: I read your blog about invalid baptisms. I know a priest who always ends the invocation of the trinity

Q: Is it possible to move the Solemnity of the Epiphany which is on 6 January 2021 to 2nd Sunday

Q: Have you heard of the priest in the diocese of Detroit who discovered his baptism was invalid because the

Q: The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff’s document “The Priest in the Concluding Rites of the

A: Would it be liturgically OK to celebrate the Votive mass of the Holy Spirit and wear red vestment on

Q: Might I ask for some clarification regarding the exposition and reposition of the Blessed Sacrament.  Benediction is to be

Q: In the parishes I had served, youth under 18 years old did not receive Holy Communion with the Blood

Q: I was just reading your book Guide for Celebrating First Communion and I had a question: is it required

Q: Do other Christian Churches/communities have Holy Days of Obligation? Do you envisage a time when going to mass for

Q: What is the current translation of the Act of Contrition? I’ve heard it has been updated. == A: There

Q: Is it appropriate/acceptable  to celebrate something like a “blue mass” on the feast of the Assumption?  Does it take

Q: How does St. Francis of Assisi rank this year on October 4, which falls on a Sunday? == A:

Q: Please clarify. Does the priest give a blessing to a Deacon before the deacon proclaims the Gospel? I’m getting a

Q: So, we just had a faculty Mass with our new priest. After the dismissal he added the prayer to

Q: Is it mandatory for the tabernacle to remain locked outside of Mass? We have a beautiful tabernacle that was

Q: Given paragraph 100 in the “Instruction: The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community in the Service of the Evangelizing

Q: Our tabernacle is in the sanctuary behind the altar. Before Mass begins, when it’s time to light the candles,

Q: If you’re using more than one chalice, should you use more than one pall? And would you take them

Q: Greetings from Australia. Trusting all is well…despite the tragedy unfolding in The States. What is a recent publication you’d

Q: You recently answered a question about combining the rite of admission to candidacy for major orders with the installation

Q: I’m writing an article about funerals, and I’d like to cite the scripture readings for a Catholic funeral Mass.

Q: Can one use the body of one of the EP’s for various Occasions with another proper preface? I’m pretty

Q: Can our Jesuit community celebrate St. Peter Faber at Mass on August 2. (He was canonized in 2013). ==

Q: I think the Ordo is incorrect on something. Assumption of the BVM falls on a Saturday. The Ordo says

Q: Please also suggest a good resource for integrating the Liturgy of the Hours (e.g. Morning Prayer) into the Mass

Q: If the deacon is presiding at a so called Communion Service can he lead an abbreviated Penitential Rite? ==

Q: Is the deacon able to co- lead the Penitential Rite at the commencement of a Mass. I presume the

Q: I was asked about whether or not, at a Nuptial Mass, it would be permitted for only the Bride

Q: We are having a discussion about whether the celebrations of Admission to Candidacy (separate candidates) and the celebration of

Q: Can a funeral mass be held without a body or cremains present as in the instance where the body

Q: Our parish scheduled First Holy Communion Masses on August 15th. Must we use the Holy Day readings and  pray

Q: Can you please settle a bet?  Following a Confirmation as the vessels were being cleaned, I noticed some residue

Q: St. John Marie Vianney is the patron saint of priests and is put forward as model and inspiration to

Q: Our merged parish is named for the Assumption, but one of the churches was originally dedicated for a different

Q: Our parish church’s patronal feast is already a solemnity on the universal calendar. This year it falls on a

Many thanks for your continued support and guidance. I am preparing for a Memorial Mass where the deceased has already

Q: Is there an age requirement for those that witness a marriage? == A: This is a canonical question more

Q: Last Sunday a person collapsed at the beginning of the gospel.  Our deacon left the sanctuary, attended to the

Q: If a saint does not have a proper of his own, we use those provided in the Common of

Q: Our deacon brings communion to the choir in the loft, but if they are still singing, he leaves it

Q: Is your book At the Supper of the Lamb available in Spanish? == A: Sadly, no. You can find a list

Q: I found your website online and I have a question.  Our priest has decided during the pandemic to intentionally

Q: I have a parishioner with Alzheimer’s. I doubt from his behavior that he can distinguish between the host and

Q: I hope and pray that this email finds you well. I’ve been enjoying your posts on Facebook, especially your

Q: I enjoy your observations on liturgical matters. So what are your thoughts on giving first communicants “roles” in the

Q: I know that the teaching now is that adults in the RCIA no longer have to choose a saint

Q: I teach a course on the RCIA. Can you give me the reason why the US bishops say no

Q: Our diocese will commemorate the Solemnity of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (our diocesan patronal feast) on Sunday 15

Q: A deacon in our diocese has asked me why the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is not