Paul Turner’s Catholic Liturgy Blog

Baptism outside of mass

Q:  According to the Roman Missal, Ritual Masses #3, if a Baptism is conferred during Mass then it is permissible on days when Ritual Masses are permitted.  If a Baptism is conferred outside of Mass, are there any restrictions on the days they are permitted throughout the liturgical year?  Thank you for all you do.

==

A:  Baptisms are forbidden on Good Friday and on Holy Saturday before the Vigil. Otherwise, Sundays are recommended, but other days are permitted.

Ashes at Sunday mass

Q:  A parishioner wants to bring an urn with the ashes of her deceased relative to the parish mass this Sunday and have me say a few prayers. Is this allowed?

==

A:  GIRM 380 permits funeral masses “on any day except for Solemnities that are Holydays of Obligation, Thursday of Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, and the Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter, with due regard also for all the other requirements of the norm of the law.” Normally, I would consider a Sunday a Solemnity that is a Holyday of Obligation, but the specific references to Sundays in Advent, Lent and Easter gives me pause. The Ceremonial of Bishops’ Appendix III explicitly says that a funeral mass may be said on a Sunday in Ordinary Time.  But that would mean, in this case, turning the entire parish liturgy over to the funeral, which may not be pastorally sound.

Paragraph 6 of the introduction to the Order of Christ Funerals says, “Pastoral reasons may on occasion require that a funeral be celebrated in the church without a Mass (which in all cases must, if possible, be celebrated on another day within a reasonable time); in that case a liturgy of the word is prescribed absolutely.”

Consequently, I advise celebrated a Mass for the Dead in honor of the deceased at some time in the near future, whether or not the family can participate.

Bells at the consecration

Q:  With the ringing of bells at the consecration, many are doing three distinct rings. I had always done just one.  Is one preferred.  I guess I am old school?  At our parish it began around a few years ago.

==

A:  The preconciliar rubric called for ringing the bell three times. That was removed in 1969. Now GIRM 150 simply says “the minister rings the small bell at each elevation by the Priest, according to local custom.” When “three times” was removed from the rubric, a single ring was left behind. This was also true of the number of times one strikes one’s breast during the “I confess to almighty God.” One strike, not three.

Litany of the Saints

Q:  Can you comment on the appropriateness or lack thereof for singing the Litany of the Saints at liturgy on  All Saints Day? If it is inappropriate, can you explain why? If it is appropriate, can you provide the relevant citations in the documents? And if appropriate, when would it best be sung? Thank you for your time in responding to my question.  It is so appreciated.

==

A:  We have sufficient flexibility for parts of the mass such as the entrance and the communion chants for singing the litany of the saints, but it is not one of the texts suggested for All Saints’ Day, nor is this recommended as one of the uses for the litany.

GIRM 48 includes among the options for the entrance chant “another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year.” That could certainly include the litany.
Perhaps a more melodic version (not the chant original) would make a better choice. But the liturgical books suggest other music for All Saints’ Day. As with every other solemnity, the official prayers of its mass are directed to God, not to the saints.
==
Q:  Thank you for your response. If I could follow up with more questions….

By “…a more melodic version (not the chant original)…”, would you include Becker’s Litany of the Saints?

When I consult various liturgical music suggestion sites, it is mentioned as an option.  Although there are many other sites where much discussion ensues about whether to use it on All Saints or not, and if so, when & how (as a procession coming from another place into the church prior to liturgy, in place of the Universal Prayer, as a procession AFTER the liturgy, completely separate from the liturgy, etc.)  Is doing a melodic version of the Litany not the same as chanting the Litany? Sorry to be so persistent, but want to make sure I have liturgical grounding underneath me.  I always feel I can trust your extensive knowledge.
==
A:  The reason I recommended a more melodic version (such as Becker) is that the chant version is associated with events such as the blessing of the font at the Easter Vigil and the ordination of deacons and priests. No such activity is happening at an All Saints mass, and the liturgical texts in the missal never propose it. I thought that perhaps the melodic version would disassociate the litany from those ceremonies that typically use chant. But you’re right, a litany is a litany.
However, the missal’s permissions for using a variety of sacred song are quite broad, and a litany of the saints would, in my opinion, fit within the permissions. It may not be recommended, but could hardly be forbidden.
For what it’s worth, here’s a paragraph I wrote for the 2005 Sourcebook for Sundays and Seasons (Liturgy Training Publications, now out of print) for the First Sunday of Lent:

The Circular Letter on Preparing and Celebrating the Paschal Feasts (Congregation for Divine Worship, 1988, #23) recommends a penitential procession to open the Mass for the First Sunday of Lent. The Ceremonial of Bishops (#261) suggests a procession for all the lenten Sundays wherever the bishop presides. The community gathers someplace outside the church and a procession forms. The presider may wear a violet cope. During the procession the Litany of the Saints is sung. Upon entering the church, all take their places, the presider reverences the altar and then goes to the chair. The opening prayer for Mass follows immediately. If the Kyrie was not incorporated into the litany, it may precede the opening prayer.

In my view, a parish could argue for a similar beginning of All Saints Day. However, All Saints Day is not Lent. There are no historical or theological grounds for starting with a litany of the saints. But it’s not forbidden, and not completely outside the framework of Catholic piety.

Psalm 128

Q:  I have an interest in Inseperable Love: A Commentary on The Order of Celebrating Matrimony and when I looked it up online, I came across your blog.

I study in Rome and I’m writing a commentary on Psalm 128. The OCM is wonderful and I have experienced it in person, but I was taken aback when I discovered around this time last year that the end of Psalm 128 is omitted. Often a reading is cut short as an option, so the long and short versions both appear; however, with this ordo the Psalm is only available in the short form. I think this is problematic.
Could you please point me in the direction of best resources to approach the rationale behind shortening the responsorial psalm so that it ends with the hope of seeing grandchildren? With the younger generations leaving the Church in droves, it seems like a wedding is a perfect place to encourage not only the begetting or more children, but that we would retain the faith. The psalm is not angry or over the top, but that final line can offer preaching points for the deacon or priest who witnesses the vows.
Any assistance you can offer would be tremendously appreciated.
==
A:  Just to make sure I understand your question, are you referring to the absence of the line, “On Israel peace”?  Or the absence of the line about seeing children’s children?
==
Q:  The OCM 2nd edition omits the following: “in a happy Jerusalem! On Israel peace!” The responsorial psalm simply ends “May you see your children’s children,” which is a lovely notion (presumably that the newly weds will live to old age to see their grandchildren; however, the Christian understanding of “in a happy Jerusalem” seems to indicate that the newly weds, their children, and even their grandchildren will be happy members of the Church Militant and eventually, following the ultimate end of marriage, as members of the Church Triumphant.
Again, I am most grateful for your even taking time to reply.
==
A:  You raise an interesting question. I’ve checked the Ordo lectionum, and Psalm 128 (127) occurs in the following lectionary numbers: 17, 140, 157, 332, 356, 375, 424, 427, 480, 658, 739, and 803, which is the one for weddings. Out of all of these instances, the only one that includes any of verse 6 is 140, the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, when Jesus teaches about marriage in the gospel (Mark 10:2-16) and the first reading gives the story of the two becoming one in Genesis 2:18-24.
The English translation of the OCM has ADDED verse 6a to the citation in the second Latin typical edition. All of verse 6 is missing in Latin, including the reference to children’s children.
I now enter the world of speculation. The first instance, lectionary #17, is Holy Family Sunday, where, PERHAPS, verse 6 was omitted because Joseph and Mary were not going to see their children’s children. PERHAPS the full psalm was included in the second instance of the lectionary to refer to the blessings of married life. After that, PERHAPS it was a clerical error. The abbreviated psalm ended up filling the rest of the lectionary where the full psalm would have worked just fine, but someone got confused. And when the English translation was made, someone else may have gingerly requested that the Vatican add 6a to our translation, at least to get the reference to children’s children into a responsorial psalm, without thinking of going for the full verse and not considering why it may have been omitted.
The International Commission on English in the Liturgy has digitized the reports that the study groups made to the Consilium while the revised liturgy was underway. It would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, but you could read through hundreds of pages of reports in Latin that the lectionary study group prepared in the 1960s, just to see if anyone wrote anything about this psalm. I think it’s unlikely.
Thank you for your comments on my work. Be assured of my prayers as you continue your study in the eternal city.

Elevating the host

Q:  I have a question regarding the Liturgy of the Eucharist at Mass. I am a lifelong Catholic, and as long as I can remember, when the Priest speaks the words “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world………” the Sacred Host has always been elevated for the people to gaze upon. At the parish where I attend Mass, the Pastor elevates a chalice in one hand and a ciborium in the other and elevates these together while praying the words (Behold the Lamb of God….) I have never seen this done and was wondering if this is permitted under the current Rubrics.

==

A:  The priest is supposed to hold the host over the paten or over the chalice (Order of Mass 132, GIRM 84). So, neither of your examples is correct. The priest is not to elevate the host for the people to gaze upon, nor is he to hold the two vessels – or even one vessel, which many priests do. Almost no priest does this correctly, but I would not categorize it as a liturgical abuse. It’s probably just an oversight formed by habit.

Water to the wine

Q:  A question has come up about adding a drop of water to wine at the Preparation of the Gifts that I have not found detail for in the Roman Missal.  The deacon has been adding drop(s) of water to the flagon first, praying the prayer that is his part, before filling the Celebrant’s chalice.  He then fills the cups used for the people.
Is adding water to the flagon or only to the Celebrant’s chalice proper?
==
A:  Take a look at the bottom of page 19: http://www.usccb.org/about/divine-worship/newsletter/upload/newsletter-2012-05-and-06.pdf

I’d say that best practice is to add water to one chalice.  As the saying goes, “It’s a symbol, not a recipe.”