Q: When the pastor and I were discussing the Psalmody for the Easter Vigil, we discovered that we had different experiences of the Alleluia after the Epistle. In my past experience, the priest (or cantor) has intoned the Alleluia three times (raising pitch each time), with the Assembly’s repetition, BEFORE the cantor proclaims the verses of Psalm 118 (with Alleluia serving as the refrain between verses). He shared that his experience is that the Alleluia is not intoned three times in a row; rather, he has inserted a verse of Psalm 118 sung after each Alleluia, and then he raises the pitch on the next refrain / verse unit. To my reading, #34 and 35 of the Easter Vigil rubrics indicate that the Alleluia is to be intoned 3 times in a row before the Psalm begins. However, I know my own understanding and experience is limited. Thank you for the clarification on this point as the pastor and I and I synchronize our experiences into our plan for this year’s celebration.

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A: I read no. 34 the same way you do. The presider or cantor intones the alleluia three times, raising the pitch each time, without interruption, and then the psalm follows.

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Q: When an abbot presides at Mass, and there is no deacon, and a concelebrating priest is to proclaim the gospel, does that priest go to the abbot for a blessing as a deacon would? The Ceremonial of Bishops says he does when the presider is a bishop, but does that apply to a presider who is an abbot?

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A: Not always. Some abbots are bishops, and the rules of the Ceremonial of Bishops would then apply. But when the abbot is not a bishop, then he presides as a priest, and the concelebrant goes directly to the ambo.

Now, there are Ceremonials for monasteries, so it’s possible that internally another rule applies for the monk priests who may concelebrate.

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Q: Hi Father. Hope your Lent is going well. I have a scheduled communion service on Holy Thursday morning. My question: can we celebrate daily Mass on Holy Thursday. I do not see any GRIM rules against it, but I may not be looking in the right areas.

One additional question. Assuming it is OK for daily Mass on Holy Thursday, would the readings come from the Chrism Mass? I do not see anything pertaining to “daily Mass” readings – thus my question.

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A: Open the Roman Missal to Thursday of the Lord’s Supper, and read numbers 3 and 4.

Only the bishop may approve another Mass on Holy Thursday, and you’d need a very good reason to have one.

A communion service is forbidden on Holy Thursday. However, you may bring communion to the sick.

For more, see my book Glory in the Cross.

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Q: We have our “Altar of Repose” at a side altar where the Mass of the Lord’s Supper is celebrated. The Good Friday Passion Liturgy is held in the same church. Typically, we remove the Altar (flowers, candles, and the Blessed Sacrament) after Adoration concludes on Thursday night. The Blessed Sacrament is placed in the sacristy with the Sanctuary Candle. On Good Friday, the Blessed Sacrament is brought to the altar from there and returned after Communion.

The question is simple: Is this an appropriate procedure?

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A: Yes, that procedure is fine. The Missal understands that not everybody has the same options available.

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Q: Is there  provision for a priest/deacon ( bishop) to contribute to a homily which the ordained commence and finish (thus giving the homily) and a lay person offering some thoughts on the scriptures.

Might this in some way be like a homilist using a song, image or other enrichment strategy during their homily?

Blessings from Downunder 

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A: There’s no provision for it, although it surely has been done.

Ordinarily I suggest finding other ways to share the beautiful thoughts of parishioners.

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Q: There seems to be some confusion as to who is actually dismissed when we dismiss the Catechumens after the homily in Mass.

One camp maintains it is just the unbaptized (the true catechumen).

One camp maintains it should be both the unbaptized and the candidates.

One camp maintains that whichever group is dismissed, their godparent/sponsor should be dismissed with them.

As I read the new OCIA, it simply says the catechumens should be dismissed (#67) with no mention of candidates or godparents or sponsors.

Do you have any clarification to offer?

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A: The OCIA calls for the dismissal of catechumens, never of candidates, never of godparent or sponsors. The RCIA had the same. There’s been no change.

The unbaptized do not have the tools to participate fully in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

For more on the deference we owe the candidates, see my book Full Communion with Us.

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Q: Good evening, Fr.  Turner.  We have two priests and two deacons at our parish.  Should we decide the washing of the feet among them, meaning each of the clergies will wash three person’s feet or let the priests wash the feet of the parishioners and let the deacons to assist?  Thanks.

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A: In the Missal, for the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, at no. 10, it says that the priest washes the feet “with the help of ministers.” I admit this is a little vague, but it implies that the presider of the Mass is the one who washes feet. There’s never an explicit provision for deacons to do so—or concelebrants or others for that matter.

Here’s a previous post: https://paulturner.org/washing-feet/

For more, see my book Glory in the Cross.

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Q: Whenever I bless a deacon before he proclaims the gospel, I hold my hands over his head before making the sign of the cross. A friend told me that’s not right?

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A: I’ve checked Order of Mass 14, GIRM 175 and 275b, the Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass 17, and the Ceremonial of Bishops 140. None of them gives any instruction for how the priest (or bishop) is to hold his hands before making the sign of the cross while blessing the deacon.

His default position is hands folded.

I imagine the frequently observed custom of a priest imposing hands over the deacon while beginning the blessing borrows the gesture from the optional prayer over the people at the end of Mass or from many instances in the Book of Blessings.

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Q: Hello, Fr Paul.

I have a couple of questions re Palm Sunday described in your book, “Glory in the Cross.”

– On page 9 you write: “The 1956 Rite called for a subdeacon or acolyte to carry the cross, which accounts for the reappearance of the acolyte as the suggested minister for this role.  The same rite specified that the cross should be unveiled, which would have distinguished it from other crosses veiled during the lasts two weeks of Lent.”

Question: If today we veil all crosses during the last two weeks of Lent, would we NOT veil the processional cross according to the 1956 Rite or would we also veil the processional cross?

– On page 17 you write: “The kissing of the book after the passion was discontinued in the 1956 reform, but it is no longer listed among the excluded reverences.  The deacon or priest would therefore continue the practice, as was done prior to the 1956 reform.”

Question: Is the book kissed only if the Passion is read by a Deacon or a Priest alone, or is the book kissed (and by whom?) also if the Passion is read in parts?

Thank you very much for your help. I am sorry if I missed the answers to these questions in your book. God bless you.

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A: I noted the custom some years ago: https://paulturner.org/covering-crosses-on-palm-sunday/. To answer your question, and in the light of the 1956 rite, I would suggest not veiling the processional cross on Palm Sunday so that it may exercise its function. But as I noted in the past, you could make a case for a different answer.

Regarding kissing the book after the Passion, when I wrote Glory in the Cross, I overlooked a rubric in the Ceremonial of Bishops, no. 273, which says that the book is NOT kissed after the Passion. I acknowledged it here: https://paulturner.org/kiss-after-the-passion-is-proclaimed/.

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Q: I received the following from a fellow deacon-

At Palm Sunday gospel I take the part of Jesus, we have the Archbishop with us this year so would he take this part ?

Having given this some thought I was wondering if we as deacons should be the narrator as our task is to proclaim the gospel and this would fit , or would we or the priest or lector read the part of Jesus? Thanks for your guidance.

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A: Believe it or not, the archbishop’s role is to stand and listen while others proclaim the Passion. The Ceremonial of Bishops envisions that, as the presider, the bishop blesses the three deacons who will proclaim the Passion (273). He does not take part in the proclamation. 

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