Q:  I wish to ask some questions with regards to the rite of sprinkling and blessing with Holy Water on Easter Sunday.  I had just watched the Easter Mass celebrated by the Pope and I note the following: The sprinkling was done at the beginning of Mass thus omitting the Penitential Rite There was no Renewal of Baptismal Promises hence no sprinkling of Holy Water. I understand it is preferable that the Sprinkling Rite be at the beginning of the Mass for Easter as well as during the Sundays of Easter( if possible) however, might I know why the  Renewal of Baptismal …

Q:  I had in my personal notes that a collection for the Holy Land is supposed to be taken sometime during the Good Friday Passion of the Lord service.  However, after looking through Glory in the Cross, the Green Ordo, and the small red print in Roman Missal 3rd edition, I cannot find a single sentence calling for it.  Perhaps you can update or enlighten me.  Or maybe 67 years are catching up with me! Thanks for your consideration of this matter and may the Lord grant you a joyous Triduum and Easter. A:  It’s a national collection. It’s not in the rubrics. I plan …

Q:  Should a large fixed crucifix behind the altar be covered on Good Friday (it was not covered on the Sunday before the Fifth Sunday of Lent…)? A: The missal’s introductory paragraph 3 for Good Friday says that the altar should not have a cross on it. By extension, if the cross used for mass is on the wall, it should be removed or covered.

Q:  For the dismissal on Easter Vigil and Sunday, before the sung “alleluia” dismissal, would the priest still begin with “The lord be with you” ? I ask because #69 in the Vigil Liturgy just says: “To dismiss the people…the priest sings or says: Go forth the Mass is ended, alleluia, alleluia” I would assume the priest would start with dialogue first? A:  Yes. All the parts of the concluding rite remain in place. The difference is the addition of the alleluias to both parts of the dismissal dialogues. The alleluias are added daily from the Easter Vigil through the …

Q:  Is it allowed to have a Funeral Mass on Good Friday?  Someone told me they do it in in another diocese.   I am just curious, since Good Friday does not have a mass.   God Bless and Thank you, A:  It is not permitted to have a funeral mass on Good Friday. There may be a funeral without mass.  It’s possible that a priest was unaware of this or thought that the rule did not apply in his case. I just don’t know how to explain it.

Q:  For the Liturgy of the Word at the Easter Vigil, do the readings end with “The Word of the Lord” or does the Psalm begin immediately following the reading. A:  The readings should end with “The Word of the Lord.” But many parishes omit it at the end of the third reading (Exodus) because the canticle that serves as the responsorial continues the very next verses of the same biblical passage. That is how the third reading ends even when the pope celebrates the Easter Vigil in the Vatican.

Q:  It was my understanding that a crucufix must be shown for Mass. Our church has everything covered in purple(already) including the processional Cross,no crucifix showing anywhere. It doesn’t seem right, is it? A:  The instructions for the optional covering of crucifixes appears in the missal at the beginning of the Fifth Sunday of Lent. It does not distinguish between the cross on the altar and the crosses in the church, but I agree with you. If the processional cross carries a corpus, it is best left exposed, and the main crucifix for the celebration of the mass should best …

Q:  My question relates to #42 of the Missal. I understand this to mean that no baptisms means no litany. It seems to follow that the font, ie. the water for baptism at that event is not blessed, but the priest moves to the Blessing of Water, #54. Our priests do not accept this interpretation; they insist on the Litany. I have read the missal, plus your very helpful book “Glory In The Cross“, page 155 over and over. I have conferred with Liturgy Coordinators who said “no Baptisms, no blessing of the font, hence no Litany.” I would really …

Q:  We have a Blessed Sacrament chapel with 24-hour adoration. What do we do during the Triduum? A:  The USCCB web site says pretty strongly, “Under no circumstances may perpetual exposition take place during the Easter Triduum.” http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/adoration/perpetual-expositon-of-the-blessed-sacrament.cfm My suggestion – and that’s all this is – is that the lunette from the monstrance be brought to the altar after communion has been distributed at the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Let the priest remove the host and break it into four pieces in full view of the faithful. Place those pieces among the hosts that will be processed …

Q:  We have a person in RCIA who was baptized a Catholic but confirmed in the Lutheran Church. Do we use the Rite of Reception of Validly Baptized Christians into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church for him? A:  No, his baptism is a Catholic baptism. If he wishes to be confirmed in the Catholic Church, the bishop is the ordinary minister. But the bishop may give the pastor permission to confirm him at the Easter Vigil or at some other time. If the person or the bishop wishes to have the bishop do the confirmation, you may proceed …