Q:  Preaching is another concern. There are two schools of thought: 1) Deacons should preach regularly and often. 2) The one who breaks open the bread should break open the Word as well. In this mindset the deacon should rarely preach at Mass yet should at Sacraments and other functions. Your thoughts? Thanks A:  At mass, the celebrant may ask the deacon to preach (GIRM 66, 171c). So I can’t agree with those who say that the one who breaks open the bread should always break open the word.  One of the responsibilities of a deacon is to preach. In …

Q:  I have questions concerning Viaticum. Can a deacon or extraordinary minister of Holy Communion give Viaticum? If so, can they administer the Apostolic Pardon? Thanks A:  Here’s an article I wrote several years ago: http://paulturner.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/death.htm. (Sorry, the formatting is not great right now.)  In short, yes a deacon and communion minister may administer viaticum, but only a priest gives the Apostolic Pardon.

Q:  Do baptized Catholics come to the “Call to Continuing Conversion”?  We do the combined Rite of Election/Call to Continuing Conversion, and the white RCIA study edition seems to indicate that baptized Catholics are included. see par. 411 and par. 547.  Thank you. A:  They may be included, yes – if they have been baptized but have not received confirmation nor first communion. Then they are eligible.

Q:  Just another question on purifying sacred vessels. When I was in diaconate formation, we were told that when we purify the vessels that we also say the prayer during purification. While at a convocation, a priest mentioned that only the priest says the prayer. In the Roman Missal, it states that a Priest, Deacon or an acolyte can purify. But it also states “while he carries out the purification, the priest says quietly……  If a deacon is purifying vessels, should the deacon say the prayer quietly or is that reserved for the priest only? A:  You are citing the …

Q:  I have a couple marrying on June 23 – a Friday and the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Do they have to use the readings for the feast of the Sacred Heart?  The question has been posed— I don’t’ think you cover this in your book?  I said no—but then thought I had best check… A:   I cover this in great detail in my new book, which just arrived on my desk today, Inseparable Love from Liturgical Press. The answer is also in chapter 8 of One Love, but I’ve explained more about it in the new book. A wedding that takes …

Q:  Just wondering if there needs to be a “sponsor” or “witness for the reception of a minor child?  I have a child at my parish who is hoping to receive first communion, but she was baptized Episcopal. It seems that the parents make the profession of faith for the girl – or state that they wish her to be known as Catholic. A related, but a distinct question: What about for someone in grade 8 who is baptized Methodist – and hopes to  be  confirmed in March this year at my parish?  (I am facing this, too.)  His parents are Catholic but had the child baptized …

Q:  At evening prayer, if the altar is to be incensed, is only a priest allowed to do it? A:  The only instruction about incensing the altar during the office is in the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours 261. It may be done at either morning or evening prayer during the gospel canticle. The rubric is declarative: “There may be an incensation of the altar,” without saying who does it. Consequently, incensation is not restricted to priests.

Q:  If we are celebrating Vigils from the Liturgy of the Hours, and if a priest or deacon is present, must the gospel be proclaimed by that priest or deacon? A: The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours says nothing about a proper minister for the proclamation of the gospel at Vigils. #73 says that “the gospel should be read” – but does not say by whom. Because the instruction encourages lay groups and families to recite the office (27), it cannot restrict the proclamation of the gospel to an ordained person. The instruction says that a priest …

Q:  I have been wanting to make our Lenten Universal Prayer at Mass a little more “focused” during Lent.  I was wondering if it would be permissible to use a pattern similar to that in the Liturgy of the Hours, Appendix II.  The intercessions are much briefer, and I am sure with a long pause after each one… with a general response from the congregation at the end. I sure don’t want to break liturgical norms.  🙂 A:  I think that this would be fine. Just remember that the prayer is “of the faithful.” So their response is a very …

Q:  What is the difference between a sponsor and a godparent in the RCIA. I know the Latin translates to godparent so why sponsor  in the english? Thanks A:  The difference is explained in RCIA 10 and 11. A sponsor accompanies a candidate through the early stages of the process, and a godparent begins helping with the Rite of Election, continuing from then on out. When the crafters of the RCIA were drafting their work after Vatican II, the concept of long-term preparatory sponsors was new, and they were afraid that they were making too many demands on people. So …