Q: I have a question about the readings for the 6th Sunday of Easter in a diocese that celebrates Ascension on a Sunday. As I’m doing the brochure for my first mass on the 6th Sunday of Easter, I want to ask you: Do we take the first reading and psalm from the 6th Sunday and then the second reading and gospel from the 7th Sunday ??  == A: In conferences or dioceses where the Ascension falls on Sunday, the lectionary offers the option of hearing some of the readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter that will be lost. …

Q: Sometimes I hear or find even in the internet the two words; installation and commissioning loosely used for altar servers.  Which one is the correct term?  Thank you always. == A: To be precise, neither is correct. “Blessing” is better. There is a blessing of altar servers in chapter 62 of the Book of Blessings. Chapter 63 has a “commissioning” of extraordinary ministers of holy communion.

Q: Your response to the question on the fractured Candle piqued my curiosity.  I very much like the idea of keeping the Easter fire burning all year long. How do you do it? I’m intrigued by the notion, and appreciate your daily sharings. == A: To keep the Easter fire year round we use a week long votive candle that we set up in a special area of the sacristy. As the fire diminishes, a sacristan replaces it but uses the same fire. You could do it with the tabernacle light if you wanted. Thanks for your comments on my …

Q: I am the Ministry Head of the Liturgical Environment. However, in my present parish during weekly mass , when the vestments are white or red, the altar frontals  are changed to match the color of the vestment.  Is is OK to keep purple in Lent, green in OT, for example, and not change for martyr, saints, etc?   What are your recommendations for sources on the Liturgical Environment? == A: There are no rules governing the color of altar frontals, just the color of vestments for priests and deacons. Many people change the color of other decorations to match …

Q: Should the people bringing up the gifts receive a blessing from the presider? Thank you!  == A: No. But when I watch the video feed of a mass in the Vatican, the pope quite commonly blesses and chats with those who bring up the gifts. There’s no provision for it. There isn’t even a provision for the presider and gift bearers to bow to each other, which is another common practice. (But if the presider is the bishop, then you can argue in favor of a bow to him.) The way I read the rubrics, when the gifts are …

Q: OCM #62  has the bridegroom declare his consent before the bride declares hers. Is there a reason for this?  Is it allowable to vary the order? Thanks for your most helpful ministry. == A: Looking at the research I did for Inseparable Love, I’d say it’s been that way for hundreds of years. I’m not sure why. Could it be one of these reasons? 1) Having the groom go first protects the bride from declaring her consent to him without him returning the favor and gathering a few more partners.2) The groom is the one taking the bride more than …

Q: I am an Eucharistic Minister and often visit homebound as do many others.  I had someone tell me that a priest told  him that one should not take Communion to your wife if she is homebound. I know of many who do. The reason given was that when married man and woman become one, and you cannot give Communion to yourself.  I had never heard of this interpretation. Is it true or was it once the case? God Bless  and Thank You, == A: There is absolutely no foundation for such a rule. Anyone eligible to receive communion may …

Q: I recently learned that there is a Lavabo ritual, i.e. the washing of hands before the Eucharistic Prayer. Is this condoned or approved? Is it pre-Vatican, and hence it has to be approved by the regional bishops’ conference before it can be adopted? Would appreciate most gratefully what’s the purpose of this ritual, if it is actually a past practice. Thank you as always. == A: As I indicate in At the Supper of the Lamb, the washing of hands has been part of the Catholic mass for quite some time and still is. The only change after the council was …

Q: I know this seems like a strange  question, but a member of my extended family has died, and the family wants to have the burial before the mass. Is that allowed? == A: I’m sorry to hear the news of the death in your family. Yes, you may have a burial before mass. It’s explicitly mentioned in the case of cremation, starting at OCF 422.

Q: Hello Paul, I hope you are well. We are very pleased that you are coming to Australia (Sydney) next year. See you then! Our parish include the communion minister and lectors in the entrance procession under the ‘other ministers’ ref in the GIRM. Should these ‘minister’ process out with the celebrant? == A: Thanks, I very much look forward to seeing you again on my return Down Under. I’ll post details on my talks in Australia on my web site, as they become known. Customarily the “other ministers” in the entrance procession include additional servers, but not extra lectors …