Q: I recently moved to a new diocese and a new Catholic parish. On Holy Thursday they are having a mass in English of the Lord ‘s Supper at 6 PM and a Mass in Spanish of the Lord’s Supper at 8 PM. Each mass will end with a procession of the Blessed Sacrament to a chapel for adoration. I believe their bishop gave them permission for both of these masses on the same day in the same parish. However, I would think that the first mass would end as a normal Sunday mass and the second mass would have …
Combined rite
Q: May someone whose a baptized Catholic and needs only confirmation to complete their sacraments of initiation be confirmed during the Easter Vigil with other Elect using the combined rite “Celebration at the Easter Vigil of the Sacraments of Initiation and the Rite of Reception” (“Order of Christian Initiation of Adults” Appendix I is dedicated to the combined rites including “Celebration at the Easter Vigil of the Sacraments of Initiation and the Rite of Reception page 377). Or, do they have to have a separate ceremony with the bishop? == A: This completely depends on your bishop because he is …
Sprinkling rite
Q: Fr. Paul—I know you have a lot on your plate right now (it’s not like you have your own Holy Week coming up), so I am doubly grateful for your help. I’m trying to sort out where the sprinkling rite goes at the Vigil if you are doing the combined rites (Candidates plus Elect), AND having the community (and the Candidates?) renew their baptismal promises when the Elect make their profession of faith and renunciation of sin (no. 49 in the Missal, and repeated in the OCIA book as an option). So three questions: == A: No worries. These …
Master of ceremonies
Q: At a large episcopal celebration, a priest wearing a cassock & surplice, functions as the master of ceremonies. After the Holy, Holy, Holy is sung, he dons a stole and ‘concelebrates’. After the ‘Our Father’, he removes the stole and continues to function as the master of ceremonies. Something isn’t correct. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? == A: Here’s a previous post about deacons: https://paulturner.org/deacon-vesture/. The same would apply to a priest serving as a master of ceremonies. Furthermore, no priest may begin to concelebrate after Mass has begun (GIRM 206).
OCIA and Sunday Scrutinies
Q: My question has to do with OCIA and Sunday Scrutinies in a multi campus parish, where the Elect will go thru the rituals at one designated liturgy…I questioned whether all campus liturgies would then do the Year A Scriptures… or do the Year C scriptures, in this case prevail at the non-Elect Masses? If, and whenever you can get around to this…appreciate! == A: The lectionary itself permits the use of the Year A readings any year of the cycle. (See the rubric on top of the first reading on these three Sundays.) The OCIA does not require the Year A readings at …
Extraordinary ministers
Q: My bishop is in the process of allowing sacristans and extra-ordinary Minister of Holy Communion who are trained by my office to purify vessels used for Holy Communion in the sacristy after Mass. The clergy have cited the need to have others available to do the purification since they need to travel to multiple parishes on the weekends. I’ve reviewed your book, Let Us Pray. I’m wondering if you are aware of any other written guidelines regarding the proper way to purify. I’ve observed the way some of our priests do it and question just how elaborate (vs. thorough) it …
Passion of John on Good Friday
Q: I am aware that the Passion Narrative is proclaimed at both the Mass on Palm Sunday (from the Gospel of Matthew in Year A, the Gospel of Mark in Year B, and the Gospel of Luke in Year C) and at the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday (which is always from the Gospel of John). However, I am curious as to why the Passion Narrative on Good Friday is always taken from the Gospel of John, rather than from one of the other Gospels. For instance, this year is Year C, meaning the Passion from the …
Sharing the host
Q: I remember reading somewhere (GIRM?) that the priest is to share part of the host he has consecrated. Am I making this up? I hear that at our seminary, they’re being told that even the concelebrants must have their own large host. Sigh… == A: I usually cite GIRM 321 for this. The bread is to be fashioned in such a way that the priest “is truly able to break it into parts and distribute these to at least some of the faithful.” So, the instruction is for the bread to be made that way; it doesn’t really require the …
Holy Thursday
Two (minor) questions regarding Holy Thursday have come up: == 1. Yeah, that’s not the CDWDS’s clearest instruction. However, I think that the second half illuminates the first half of the sentence. The Holy Thursday Mass is Mass, so those entering the church may avail themselves of blessed water in preparation for celebrating the eucharist. The Ceremonial of Bishops notes the old and honored practice of doing this upon entering a church, though it does not associate the practice with Mass (110). And remember there’s still an active tradition in many parts of the Catholic world that the Chrism Mass …
Presentation of Creed and of Our Father
Q: I searched your blog archive and found nothing that answered this question, but I apologize if I missed something. The rubrics of the RCIA ritual book (still used in my country) indicate that the presentations of the Creed (144) and of the Our Father (165) indicate that they “should preferably be celebrated in the presence of a community of the faithful, within Mass”. I can find no indication of how to carry out the presentations outside of Mass, other than by presenting the Our Father on Holy Saturday (172.2), although I know that it is possible, though not desirable, …