Q: I know that a  lay person who is an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist is permitted to conduct a […]

Q: Hi Father, thanks for your valuable insights. I recently saw a video of an adult baptism by immersion (not

Q: I recently participated in Sunday Eucharist in another diocese. They have begun to cluster parishes with one priest serving

Q: Thank you for all you do! Your service to the church is deeply appreciated.  My parish plans on having

Q: A man in my religious community has elected to celebrate his final vows Mass on the Feast of Ss.

Q: I have another question regarding the distribution of Holy Communion. I’m familiar with a local parish whose priest does

Q: In your book, When Other Christians Become Catholic, you clearly address the circumstances under which conditional baptism is recommended.   May

Q: I attend a suburban Catholic Church on Saturdays for the Vigil Mass where the Sacristan lights the altar candles

Q: Earlier this year I became a lector, “reader”, I believe is the more correct term for a lay person,

Q: What are the rules around – for lack of a better term – a blessing ceremony? When is it

Q: I believe I remember there was a directive from a few years ago indicating that only priests or deacons

Q: Regarding your post on the number of swings of the thurible https://paulturner.org/swings-of-the-thurifer/, I ran across this article online https://dcgb7f.wordpress.com/tag/incensation/ and wonder what

Q: First, thank you for all your valuable insight on the Liturgy!  Your blog is truly a blessing for us

Q: Thank you Father Paul.  I love your blog and all of your advice.  I hope God continues to bless

Q: Hi, Fr. Paul! Thank you for all you do to help us grow in liturgical knowledge.  Recently, a friend

Q: What is the support for the practice of priests coming only to distribute Communion during Mass? Is this written

Q: Couple of questions if you please. I take Communion to a hospital twice a month. Not knowing how many patients

Q: My parish has opted to transfer the parish feast day (an optional memorial on the General Roman Calendar) to

Q: Lately, I have attended Mass at a couple of places where they did not have kneelers installed. I won’t

Q: A number of people have recently asked me about teaching Masses. Do you see a place for them? == A:

Q: We see God in all creation. Can this turn into worshipping nature on the same level as God?  eg.

Q: My daughter is getting married in another state and the priest there is requiring that the couple exchange coins

I’ve been reading with interest the recent discussion on your blog concerning the proper way to refer to the sending/invitation/dismissal

Q: The first reading for Saturday of the 31st week in OT (Yr 1) begins with Rom 16:3. Do you know

Q: Regarding your post on the U.S. flag at Mass https://paulturner.org/u-s-flag-at-mass/ , as a Brit, I do find the presence of the American

Q: Currently our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) stand directly behind the alter and in front of the tabernacle

Q: I searched the archives, but did not find an answer to this question: Are (con)celebrants and deacons the only

Q: Section III of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony denotes “If a Marriage takes place between a Catholic and a

Q: This may be too personal a question, can you offer any advice on how to handle celebrations of Mass

Q: I am following up to your recent answer to the Children’s Liturgy of the Word. I wish I could

Q: I was taught in formation, because the Mass is offered by the whole assembly, things that separated out the

Q: How did the word “brethren” come to be in this translation of the Roman Missal?    I had the impression

Q: Question for you.  We will be celebration the Rite of Acceptance in a couple weeks and I always struggle

Q: Thank you for this blog and for all your good work writing and teaching. On the recent holy day

Q: When non-communicants present themselves in line, what can a lay minister of holy communion do? They shouldn’t bless, right?

Q: I am new to Children’s liturgy of the word (CLOW). I am asked to give a blessing when I

Q: Formed.org has a series called ‘The Elements of the Mass’.  In the episode on Vestments I, the priest mentions the

Q: Since I do not have the benefit of praying the Liturgy of the Hours with a stable community I

Q: A caller asked whether baptized non-Catholic adults becoming Catholic have to go to Confession before becoming Catholic. I would

Q: It is my understanding you should genuflect to the Tabernacle as you are entering and leaving the church.  However,

Q: Thank you so much for your informative blog. In our parish, the U.S. Flag is included in the Entrance

Q: In response to your recent blog post about ordinary vs. extraordinary ministers, could you clarify – it was my

Q: Recently some celebrants at daily Mass omit the General Intercessions/Prayers of the Faithful completely and simply state the Mass

Q: I work at a Catholic senior living institution. Someone here prefers to listen to a TV Mass and comes

Q: I work at a Catholic senior living institution. A lady here volunteers to work at the front desk during our

Q: Father Turner, thank you for your excellent blog and service to the Church and its liturgy.  I could not

Q: If a Deacon is present should he always be the one to read the prayers of the faithful?  Would

Q: I was under the impression that a priest celebrant could choose to offer a votive Mass on a ferial

Q: I have several questions about Ordinary Ministers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. We have two men in our

Q: Our bishop prays the collect, prayer over the gifts, and the final prayer in both languages represented by the

Q: Does Canon Law in anyway restrict when there can and can not be/have Mass Intentions? What role does Pro

Q: I was told to lead a Holy Hour service this week. I was given the 1976 “Holy Communion and

Q: Once again thank you for sharing your great liturgical knowledge with us, especially here in Australia. Just a comment

To keep the topic short, please comment on the situation where a lay missionary comes to make an appeal for

Q. The recent post about the validity of using Holy Ghost in place of Holy Spirit when celebrating a baptism

Q: Both the Order of Celebrating Matrimony (221) and the Book of Blessings (198) state that the Blessing of an

Q: Someone wants to replace the first reading for Sunday Mass with a non-biblical reading (words of the founder of

Q: Is a priest allowed to concelebrate in a language he does not know? == A: Go here:  https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_2004042_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html and scroll

Q: Can one mix languages in the Eucharistic Prayer, e.g. Spanish and English? == A: Go here https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/frequently-asked-questions/guidelines-for-a-multilingual-celebration-of-mass, and scroll to

Q: Regarding your post on soap in the sacrarium https://paulturner.org/17332-2/, I recall hearing at some point in my training that soap can

Q: Is there any indication on which draft translations ICEL is currently working on? == A: The commission spent most

Q: HI there, Fr. Paul, I hope that you are well today.  I was asked an interesting question this morning,

Q: Your prior comment on the forthcoming translation of Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist made me do a

Q: Thank you for this blog! My Pastor “required” me to subscribe to your blog when I started working for

Q: I just started as pastor of a parish. In checking out the sacristy, I discovered in a back cabinet

Q: When my dad died back in 2016, we had an evening Visitation with the Vigil Service, then the Mass

Q: Is it acceptable to wash the communion vessels in the sacrarium sink and therefore allow soapy water to go

Q: I’m puzzled by what appears to be a new regulation about how one places the Book of the Gospels

Q: There seems to be some confusion regarding the proper terminology regarding the  emHC distributing the precious blood. They were

Q:  Hi, Father Paul! Thanks for all that you do. I’ve noticed in my parish that Extraordinary Ministers who visit

Q:  Father, thank you for helping us all knit together the liturgical books. You are a valuable resource. I am

Q: When my professor introduced us to the Jerusalem Bible in the early sixties,  he said it was good enough

Q:  Regarding this post on lay-led communion services, https://paulturner.org/lay-communion-service/,  I presume that a deacon would use “Sunday Celebrations in the

Q:  We have a Funeral Outside of Mass at our parish this week and are unclear about whether the candles

Q:  A dear friend of my wife and mine passed the other day and we were invited to a “celebration

Q:  What is the proper vesture for a priest celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation?  I can’t find anything written in

Q:  Is the RCIA optional as a pathway for baptism of adults? == A:  No, the RCIA is the pathway

Q:  We know that the Oil of Catechumens is used immediately prior to Infant Baptism (a vestigial catechumenate?), and that

Q:  Thank you so much for sharing your wealth of liturgical expertise. It’s a great blessing to have you as

Q:  The parish where I’m newly assigned as pastor has lay communion services while I’m away and typically on my

Q:  Fr. Paul, is there any rubric that you are aware of that maintains that only a priest or deacon

Q:  I have a question about something you address in your book, When Other Christians Become Catholic: On page 141,

Q:  We recently received a lovely wooden, movable altar; it had been in storage with a community for some time,

Q:  Fr. Paul, I’m looking for the liturgical guidelines, and any rites that are available, for the dismissal during Mass

Q:  I have someone who would like to join the Catholic Church.  She received Baptism and Confirmation in the Syrian

 https://paulturner.org/cardinals-concelebrating/ It’s an interesting conversation, and there really isn’t consistent practice in its regard – some cardinals will concelebrate, vested

Q:  Regarding your post on the revised lectionary, https://paulturner.org/new-translation-of-the-lectionary/, that applies to the US. The conference of bishops of England

Q:  It was great to hear you speak during your visit to the UK! I presume when I see “emcee”

Q:  It has been suggested by our Worship Committee that the Presider or Cantor deliver the weekly announcements after the

Q:  As an addendum to your post https://paulturner.org/deacon-wearing-a-stole/, Ceremonial of Bishops §36 says “Within a celebration a master of ceremonies

Q: I write concerning the practice of when a bishop or cardinal will preside at a Mass when a celebrant

Q: My pastor is pushing for our parish to purchase new hymnals.  My parish has traditionally purchased hymnals with the

Q:  I am wondering about when lay people should or can wear an alb? It seems to be different in

Q:  Thanks for your expertise on all things liturgical.  Can you explain the provenance of the propers for July 4th?

Q:  Hello Fr. Paul and thank you for your ministries. Should the collection be placed directly in front of the

Q:  Is there any reason for a Deacon to wear a stole when wearing a cassock and surplice? == A:

Q:  I was told that our deacon is not allowed to take a paten or cup from the altar and

Q:  Do all the cups and patens that will be used to distribute communion have to be placed on the

Q:  Thank you for everything you do. I’ve noticed at Masses with the pope and some parishes, the priest will

Q:  We were just given a coadjutor bishop, and I found myself offering Mass unexpectedly at the Cathedral on the