Category Archive

Q: Is permission of the bishop required for initiation outside the Easter Vigil. We have a 13 year old with autism in our “special needs” religious formation program. He is easily overwhelmed by sensory overload. There is some question, considering the length of the vigil, as to whether it will be difficult for him to reamain undisturbed by the length and celebration, making it difficult and uncomfortable for him.— A: RCIA 34 §2 gives the bishop authority to determine whether and when adult initiation may be celebrated apart from the Easter Vigil. I suggest you check with your bishop’s office. …

Q: I’ve wondered recently what a parish can do to enhance Assembly participation at weddings and funerals. I realize that, most of the time, the Assembly is composed of Catholics and non-Catholics on these occasions, but even when the church is full of Catholics for a wedding or a funeral, it seems that the level of Assembly participation is diminished: muted responses and singing, hesitation with posture changes. I’m sure the difference in the ritual creates some uncertainty among well-practiced Catholics. And I honestly like the thought that an Assembly who are familiar with each other and who pray together …

Q: Father, this has been a topic at our parish Worship committee meetings. Should consecrated hosts that were not distributed by EMHCs during the Mass be returned to the altar to be re-packed into a ciborium by the deacon or priest and then taken to the tabernacle; or can those undistributed consecrated hosts be returned directly to the tabernacle and placed in the ciborium there? Thanks in advance. == A: GIRM 163 just says that he either consumes the hosts at the altar or carries them to the place designated for reservation. It doesn’t say where to combine the remaining …

Q: A couple times a year we have been in the habit of celebrating the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick during a Sunday Mass.  I read the rite for celebrating during Mass and it left me with more questions than answers.  It gave guidance as  to when not to celebrate the Anointing, which I get.  Then the outline of the liturgy says it include a penitential rite, but no Gloria.  It would seem to me that on a Sunday in Ordinary Time, when this is permitted a Gloria should be included. It also includes a litany, which I …

Q: I’ve wondered recently what a parish can do to enhance Assembly participation at weddings and funerals. I realize that, most of the time, the Assembly is composed of Catholics and non-Catholics on these occasions, but even when the church is full of Catholics for a wedding or a funeral, it seems that the level of Assembly participation is diminished: muted responses and singing, hesitation with posture changes. I’m sure the difference in the ritual creates some uncertainty among well-practiced Catholics. And I honestly like the thought that an Assembly who are familiar with each other and who pray together …

Q: I’m emailing with a liturgical/pastoral question. I’m on pastoral year as a seminarian this year and have been tasked with training altar servers. In the fifth grade class, we have several non-Catholics (I know one is baptized Presbyterian, not sure about the others). My gut told me that they should not be allowed to serve, and I told them so, but when asked to give a reason, I floundered and said something about needing to be in communion with the Church. I want to speak to these students again in order to apologize if they felt rejected, but then …

Q: As an extraordinary minister of holy communion, may I administer viaticum to the dying? And if I do it, may a priest administer it again later? Oh, and if I have one host left when I bring communion to the sick, may I consume it? == A: An extraordinary minister of holy communion may indeed administer viaticum to the dying. The Church is anxious to share communion under those circumstances, so permissions are broad. Yes, a priest may administer viaticum again later, and so may you. But it’s a good idea to keep the pastor informed, so he knows …

Q: Like many of us, I am so appreciative of everything that you do to educate and enlighten us. At the parish where I serve as the volunteer choir Director, a new, young, and very conservative pastor was just put in place back in June. Over the past month, he has instituted the use of kneelers for the reception of communion. Additionally, he has eliminated participation of the laity by discontinuing the offertory procession. We no longer have extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist either. In checking the USCCB guidelines, the proper posture for the reception of the Eucharist is to …

Q: It is my understanding that there isn’t a prescribed order for lighting Advent candles.  If so, if we place the pink candle at the 9 o’clock spot, we can start lighting the 1st purple candle at the 3 o’clock spot on the First Sunday of Advent.  Thanks for your guidance. == A: Here are some previous posts: https://paulturner.org/advent-wreaths/ The blessing is in the Book of Blessings. Just light one candle on the first Sunday, increase to 2 candles on the second, and save the pink candle to join the others on the third Sunday.

Q: I am touching base about the OCIA with a question regarding the reception of validly baptized candidates for full communion.  In short, does the OCIA say anything about when they should be received into full communion? All I can find is OCIA 409 that states the high point of their reception will be at the Easter Vigil.  Yet, the OCIA, as far as I can tell, does not specify when baptized Christians seeking full communion should be initiated.  RCIA 409 says the same. That being said, are OCIA 409 and RCIA 409 generally referring to Catholics baptized as infants …