Paul Turner’s Catholic Liturgy Blog

Conditional baptism

Q:  I have a question concerning conditional baptism. I looked in your book for priests on Celebrating Initiation and The Catechumenate Answer Book but couldn’t see any mention of it.   So I looked up Canon 869 which quotes the RCIA Appendix by saying the minister “should administer it in a private form.”   However, the Australian version of the same segment says: “the minister should explain beforehand the reasons why this is being done and a nonsolemn form of baptism is to be used.” #393

I am presuming that “nonsolemn” means it is not only shorter but also  private, as quoted in the canon. Would this be correct? Also, there doesn’t seem to be a special rite for conditional baptism as I think there used to be: (i.e. “If you are not already baptized, I baptize you …..etc) Is this correct?

Finally, if a baptism is celebrated privately due to the fact that there is no proof of baptism or the baptism that was performed is not recognized by the Catholic Church, can it stand alone so that the person can later be confirmed with his or her peers if he or she has been journeying with others preparing for full communion, or should it follow the baptism and if so, should it also be within a Eucharist so that the person can then go to Holy Communion – or can that also wait until the one baptized can join his or her peers? It would seem that if all three sacraments are celebrated together, but “privately,” that it presumes that only a very few would be present and therefore hardly what the occasion calls for!

A:    Yes, I interpret “non solemn” to mean “private”.

I try to avoid conditional baptisms. They are supposed to be done rarely only after a vigorous investigation has exhausted possibilities of resolution, but we’ve discovered that about 60% of the parishes in the US do a conditional baptism in a typical year. I try to make a decision yes or no, and then proceed accordingly. But if you must have a conditional baptism, then, yes, it should be private.

You’re right that there is no special formula for a conditional baptism. During the ceremony, the minister explains why he is going to baptize conditionally, and then he baptizes with the usual formula.

There is no official answer to your questions about what happens next, so to be on the safe side, I think the priest should request permission to confirm from the bishop, and to separate the confirmation from the baptism, treating the person more as a baptized candidate than a catechumen.

Holy Thursday Question

Q:  I have a Holy Thursday question for you.
 
Right now we are experiencing freezing rain and one of our parishes is currently without power…they have called to ask what to do if the power is not back on by tonight.  I would imagine there are building occupancy laws that would state the church could not gather if the power was out – so finding a way to inform parishioners and invite them to attend at a nearby parish.
The pastor asked what he should do – I said he could go to same parish and concelebrate there.  He asked “does the Mass have to be celebrated even if no people are present?” He feels Mass without the people would not be permitted.
 
Along the same lines – if multiple parishes were in the same situation of no power this evening and absolutely had to cancel the Mass what do they do tomorrow for communion?
 
Thank you for this consideration.
A:  I’m very sorry to hear about this situation you are facing right now. It’s horrible under any circumstances for people to be without power and facing the perils of freezing rain.

I think the best is for the parish without power to cancel its Holy Thursday services and urge people and priest to go to another place – if they can get there safely. If the priest cannot do that, he is under no obligation to celebrate mass on Holy Thursday. If he wants to anyway, ideally, he should get one other person to help and follow the Order of Mass with a Single Minister in the missal. He could then consecrate sufficient hosts for Friday. If he cannot find another person for the mass, well, there are plenty of priests (and bishops) who celebrate private mass. Under these circumstances, I’d say he’s free to do so.
If he cannot consecrate hosts for Friday, he could obtain some from another church. Or break into smaller parts the hosts he has on hand.  Or explain to people before the service what has happened, and offer what communions he can. He probably should receive communion himself, even though this is not a mass. Good Friday is just a different kind of celebration.
Be assured of my prayers for everyone’s safety.

Location of the tabernacle

 

Q:  If the pastor and parishioners desire to locate the tabernacle in the worship space rather than a side chapel, should it be placed to the side or to the center against a back wall?  I have an understanding of church history and practice in this regard, however, I am most interested in liturgical theology in the spirit of Vatican II.

A:  I think the more important question is, “How are you using the tabernacle?” If people receive communion from it at every mass, you are defeating the purpose of the altar. See my book, Whose Mass Is It? for more on this topic. The location of the tabernacle in the center of the back wall draws attention to it, but we build churches for the celebration of the mass, and the altar should be what catches the eye, and the place from which the people are fed.

Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday

Q:  Holy Thursday, the tabernacle is to be empty at the beginning of Mass with the doors open and the tabernacle candle extinguished; is it proper to reserve the Blessed Sacrament some place else before Mass, and possibly distributed during the Holy Thursday Communion Rite, or should it all be consumed before Mass begins?

A:  It’s best to reserve the Blessed Sacrament somewhere else; for example, in the sacristy. The hosts don’t have to be consumed before the mass.   Please do NOT distribute previously consecrated hosts during the Holy Thursday mass. That’s precisely why the tabernacle should be empty beforehand. No one gets “leftovers” on Holy Thursday.
Q:    Thanks, I appreciate your quick response. But I do want to clarify something about this; the Liturgy of Holy Thursday has us transfer the Blessed Sacrament to a place of repose that is not the main tabernacle in the church. Most places I’ve been at take it out of the church altogether to a place set up for just this occasion. Does this mean that if what was in the tabernacle before Holy Thursday Mass is taken to the sacristy, that we would have the Blessed Sacrament in two places at the end of Mass? And what regulations apply to reposing the Blessed Sacrament in places other than the main tabernacle of a parish church (at times other than at the end of Holy Thursday Mass)? I think I remember that parishes are not allowed to reserve it anywhere other than the main tabernacle, right? If so, wouldn’t reserving it before the Holy Thursday Mass in the sacristy be against that kind of regulation? Or am I just too deep into the weeds and need to just let “God supply” for what’s no big deal?
A:   I think you’re overthinking this. I set aside a space in the sacristy for the ciborium and the red candle. For the purposes of these days, I think it’s fine. There is no explicit legislation on where to put the reserved sacrament for Thursday and Friday. There’s little point in combining the reserved sacrament. Adoration is closed Thursday midnight, so even the temporary tabernacle is not open for viewing after that time. Ideally the Blessed Sacrament is kept in a more secluded – and secure – place.

Lay readers for the Passion

Q:  Is it proper to have lay parishioners read portions of the Gospel Passion?  If it is broken into a number of parts (not scripted as a play), should there be musical/choral interludes between the parts?

A:  The Passion is divided into parts in the Lectionary. It’s fine if lay parishioners read the parts designated for a reader or the crowd. As I mentioned in a previous post, there is no provision for breaking the Passion with musical/choral interludes. At the Vatican, on Palm Sunday, the choir sings the part of the crowd, which introduces music into the proclamation. But the text is always the text of the Passion in proper sequence.

 

Oil of catechumens before the Easter Vigil

Q:  Can I anoint with the oil of catechumens before the Easter Vigil? Like on Tuesday of Holy Week?

A:  In fact, in the United States, we are not supposed to anoint with the oil of catechumens at the Easter Vigil. The best time is before the Rite of Election. But if you haven’t anointed them yet, then Tuesday is as good a day as any. For details, see my book Celebrating Initiation: A Guide for Priests.

Breaking up the passion narrative

Q:  At my parish, it has been a tradition for them to break up the Passion narrative and have musical interludes between the parts. I have allowed this practice but others say that such practice is not allowed.

A:  As far as I can tell, the custom was never formally allowed, but I do know of cases where it was practiced. I can even recall it happening in parishes where I served in the past. It helped people imagine the various scenes of the passion. It’s actually close to the way J. S. Bach presents his setting of the passion of St. Matthew, where congregational hymns break up the biblical text.

Anymore, I think it’s advisable to let the scriptures speak for themselves. Although musical interludes may aid in meditation, they tend to interrupt the flow and attempt to interpret the text, instead of letting the bible speak directly to each one’s heart.

Signing documents on the altar

 

Q:  Is the signing of documents, i.e. Marriage license and church marriage certificate, allowed on the altar?  I understand that this practice is not allowed in Australia and Mexico.

A:  The second edition of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony now states clearly – multiple times – that the marriage record is not to be signed on the altar. Both Australia and Mexico have had the second edition ahead of us in the US.

The rubric refers to the marriage record, which I believe means the parish marriage record, not the civil record. By extension, though, it would not be appropriate to sign the civil record on the altar either.

Sprinkling Rite for Easter

Q:  For Easter Sunday, should the Sprinkling Rite take place after the Renewal of Baptismal Promises which is after the Homily in the place of the Creed? Or is it during the place of the Penitential Act before the Gloria? I always get confused, I know Sundays after Resurrection Sunday (Easter) the Sprinkling Rite takes place of the Penitential Act before the Gloria, but on Easter would the Sprinkling be after the Renewal of Baptismal Promises? Also, can we or do we sing the Lord, Have Mercy (Kyrie Eleison) on and throughout Easter?

A:  The renewal of baptismal promises is optional on Easter Sunday. If you do it, you should probably not do the blessing and sprinkling of water at the beginning of mass, and save the sprinkling for later. The sprinkling rite is optional – never obligatory – to replace the penitential act, even during Easter Time. It is especially appropriate to sprinkle during Easter, but not required.

You may sing the Lord, Have Mercy (Kyrie) on any day that the liturgy calls for it, even during Easter Time. But if you use the sprinkling at the beginning, then there is no Lord, Have Mercy.