Paul Turner

Q: I have a question. I’m aware that if the Sunday after January 1 (i.e., the Sunday that we celebrate […]

Q: A question has come up among our parish priests: If chalk is blessed for the Epiphany blessing of homes,

Q: I have a parishioner in ICU getting fed through a tube. May I administer communion to her the same

Q: Related to incensing the altar, I have long had the following question. In GIRM, 277, it states: “The cross,

Q: What can you tell me about blessing epiphany water? == A: That is a preconciliar practice that has been

Q: Regarding the 12/29 post titled Incense, I have noticed some presiders incense the crucifix each time the altar is

Q: As I look in the missal for the Feast of the Presentation, no mention is made of the penitential rite.  The

Q: Merry Christmas, Fr. Paul! Thank you for all your wonderful work! Growing up and even now in ministry, I

Q: A minister asked me a good Question around the Feast of the Holy Family… on all the Liturgical Calendar

1) In HCWEOM, 93, it states: “If the holy eucharist is not reserved at the altar where the exposition is

Q: I have been asked to officiate at a wedding at St. Francis Xavier on Saturday, 2 November 2024, which

Q: Thank you, Father, for all you do! I greatly appreciate it! I’ve noticed a lot of young priests crossing

Q: The rubric with Preface II of Advent  reads: “The following Preface is said in Masses of Advent from December

Q: We received a letter from our bishop reminding us that even though Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this

Q: Fr. Turner, when is the appropriate time — during or after Mass — to bless the infant Jesus figurines?

Q: First let me just say thank you for the webinar you gave on the Order of Christian Funerals.  I

Thank you again for all of your thoughtful answers to questions of all types. I am hoping you might be

Q: I note that St. Charles de Foucauld is now commemorated on December 1, but I have been unable to

Q: I’m delighted to see that iBreviary is now including the new ICEL translations of the hymns of Liber Hymnarius, and

Q: Our Parish hosts a lovely annual Mass of Remembrance on the evening of All Souls, but we have a

Q: One of my parishes has our first infant baptism in many years scheduled for the First Sunday of Advent.

Q: I have a liturgy of the word convalidation  on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and wondered if I

Q: Our conference of bishops is reviewing the Order of Celebrating Matrimony, and we’d like to include the third chapter

Q: I read in our diocesan paper that technology in liturgy was being discussed at the Bishops’ November meeting. It

Q: Thank you for your Liturgical expertise and for the great work you do. We are so very grateful for

Q: As always, thank you for your blog.  I cannot find any mention in any liturgical book (or on your

Q: I have a question.  I have never dealt with this issue before but I am seeing a trend with

Q: At the time for the priest to distribute the communion vessels off the altar to the extraordinary ministers, do

Q: I live in the Philippines. Do you have a guide there for RCIA that can help me? ***A: Here’s

Q: On December 12, in parishes that celebrate the Mass in Spanish, the people are used to two readings. The

Q: An unbaptized person is undergoing RCIA classes with us, and she is going to receive the Sacrament of Initiation on Easter

Q: Paragraph #88 of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, in the format for a Celebration of the Word

Q: Do you happen to know why the old variation on the Agnus Dei in Requiem Masses (“dona eis requiem”

Q: I’m struggling with how to use your precept, “Do what the rubric says; don’t do what it doesn’t say”

Q: In a former parish, the Pastor liked to celebrate the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (the memorial of all

Q: Thank you very much for your blog and all the information and wisdom you provide.  To that end, a

Q: Looking over both Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass (as well as it’s new translation) and Order for

Q: Thank you in advance for your response. Given the USCCB’s guidelines on multilingual Masses, would the Exultet be an

Q: Could the priest change the invitation to reconciliation ‘Brothers and Sisters let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves

Q: I read your article on funerals and find it very interesting.  One question:  you mention 9:45 reflections,  10:00 funeral

Q: If one blesses a chapel and altar using the rite in Dedication of a Church and Altar–so the altar

Q: Our parish does a “fast track” RCIA program.  So if you attend Mass with you Catholic spouse, you can

Q: One of the candidates in our RCIA has been baptized Catholic, but was not raised as Catholic because her

Q: If a catechumen wants to receive baptism before finishing RCIA, is that decision up to the pastor? The diocese

Q: I was surprised to see that the memorial of John XXIII is only designated as an optional memorial. Based

Q: A former colleague of mine had the practice of burying a ciborium’s worth of hosts in the ground at

Q: Regarding your post on the number of swings of the thurible,https://paulturner.org/swings-of-the-thurible/, in this video of Holy Thursday with Pope

Q: After the Confiteor in the Introductory Rite of the Mass, should we make the sign of the Cross while

Q: I understand that the ritual calls for the Gloria to be sung or said at weddings with mass, but

Q: I know that a  lay person who is an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist is permitted to conduct a

Q: Hi Father, thanks for your valuable insights. I recently saw a video of an adult baptism by immersion (not

Q: I recently participated in Sunday Eucharist in another diocese. They have begun to cluster parishes with one priest serving

Q: Thank you for all you do! Your service to the church is deeply appreciated.  My parish plans on having

Q: A man in my religious community has elected to celebrate his final vows Mass on the Feast of Ss.

Q: I have another question regarding the distribution of Holy Communion. I’m familiar with a local parish whose priest does

Q: In your book, When Other Christians Become Catholic, you clearly address the circumstances under which conditional baptism is recommended.   May

Q: I attend a suburban Catholic Church on Saturdays for the Vigil Mass where the Sacristan lights the altar candles

Q: Earlier this year I became a lector, “reader”, I believe is the more correct term for a lay person,

Q: What are the rules around – for lack of a better term – a blessing ceremony? When is it

Q: I believe I remember there was a directive from a few years ago indicating that only priests or deacons

Q: Regarding your post on the number of swings of the thurible https://paulturner.org/swings-of-the-thurifer/, I ran across this article online https://dcgb7f.wordpress.com/tag/incensation/ and wonder what

Q: First, thank you for all your valuable insight on the Liturgy!  Your blog is truly a blessing for us

Q: Thank you Father Paul.  I love your blog and all of your advice.  I hope God continues to bless

Q: Hi, Fr. Paul! Thank you for all you do to help us grow in liturgical knowledge.  Recently, a friend

Q: What is the support for the practice of priests coming only to distribute Communion during Mass? Is this written

Q: Couple of questions if you please. I take Communion to a hospital twice a month. Not knowing how many patients

Q: My parish has opted to transfer the parish feast day (an optional memorial on the General Roman Calendar) to

Q: Lately, I have attended Mass at a couple of places where they did not have kneelers installed. I won’t

Q: A number of people have recently asked me about teaching Masses. Do you see a place for them? == A:

Q: We see God in all creation. Can this turn into worshipping nature on the same level as God?  eg.

Q: My daughter is getting married in another state and the priest there is requiring that the couple exchange coins

I’ve been reading with interest the recent discussion on your blog concerning the proper way to refer to the sending/invitation/dismissal

Q: The first reading for Saturday of the 31st week in OT (Yr 1) begins with Rom 16:3. Do you know

Q: Regarding your post on the U.S. flag at Mass https://paulturner.org/u-s-flag-at-mass/ , as a Brit, I do find the presence of the American

Q: Currently our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) stand directly behind the alter and in front of the tabernacle

Q: I searched the archives, but did not find an answer to this question: Are (con)celebrants and deacons the only

Q: Section III of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony denotes “If a Marriage takes place between a Catholic and a

Q: This may be too personal a question, can you offer any advice on how to handle celebrations of Mass

Q: I am following up to your recent answer to the Children’s Liturgy of the Word. I wish I could

Q: I was taught in formation, because the Mass is offered by the whole assembly, things that separated out the

Q: How did the word “brethren” come to be in this translation of the Roman Missal?    I had the impression

Q: Question for you.  We will be celebration the Rite of Acceptance in a couple weeks and I always struggle

Q: Thank you for this blog and for all your good work writing and teaching. On the recent holy day

Q: When non-communicants present themselves in line, what can a lay minister of holy communion do? They shouldn’t bless, right?

Q: I am new to Children’s liturgy of the word (CLOW). I am asked to give a blessing when I

Q: Formed.org has a series called ‘The Elements of the Mass’.  In the episode on Vestments I, the priest mentions the

Q: Since I do not have the benefit of praying the Liturgy of the Hours with a stable community I

Q: A caller asked whether baptized non-Catholic adults becoming Catholic have to go to Confession before becoming Catholic. I would

Q: It is my understanding you should genuflect to the Tabernacle as you are entering and leaving the church.  However,

Q: Thank you so much for your informative blog. In our parish, the U.S. Flag is included in the Entrance

Q: In response to your recent blog post about ordinary vs. extraordinary ministers, could you clarify – it was my

Q: Recently some celebrants at daily Mass omit the General Intercessions/Prayers of the Faithful completely and simply state the Mass

Q: I work at a Catholic senior living institution. Someone here prefers to listen to a TV Mass and comes

Q: I work at a Catholic senior living institution. A lady here volunteers to work at the front desk during our

Q: Father Turner, thank you for your excellent blog and service to the Church and its liturgy.  I could not

Q: If a Deacon is present should he always be the one to read the prayers of the faithful?  Would

Q: I was under the impression that a priest celebrant could choose to offer a votive Mass on a ferial

Q: I have several questions about Ordinary Ministers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. We have two men in our

Q: Our bishop prays the collect, prayer over the gifts, and the final prayer in both languages represented by the

Q: Does Canon Law in anyway restrict when there can and can not be/have Mass Intentions? What role does Pro