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 …
Advent candles
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.
Received into full communion
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 …
Hosts from the tabernacle
Q: With all due respect to GIRM 85, I suspect it is fairly common practice in the United States to regularly rely upon the hosts reserved in the tabernacle for distribution during Mass. As far as I know, the GIRM does not comment viz. which ministers are entitled to access the tabernacle during Mass in order to facilitate Communion. If it has, are any exclusions made? Perhaps there is something I have missed here? Maybe the matter is addressed in some post-Conciliar instruction or the like? If not, then I ask – as far as you know, is the …
Broadcast Mass
Q: Our parish is growing rapidly, and we do not have enough room in the church proper for everyone. So we’ve added seats right outside the front door of the church and have two large monitors. Now we’ve outgrown that space, despite the fact that we’ve added a fifth Sunday Mass. Our pastor wants to add seats in our church hall, which is on church grounds but not attached to the church. There would be monitors, and extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist would bring Holy Communion to those in the hall. I’ve told Father that I think this set-up will …
Funeral practices
Q: I just stumbled on to your blog and have a question. I’ve noticed a strong trend lately that when a person dies, while the family dutifully sees that the full Catholic funeral rites are celebrated, only the very immediate family are invited to attend and a celebration of life or prayer service is held for friends and extended family. Is this becoming the new standard practice? In my experience, these services are warm and reverent and most often include clergy or religious leading prayers, though unlike the wake before the funeral, tend to take place afterwards — sometimes two weeks …
Paten
In my time as a deacon, I have worked with quite a few priests. As is normal, they each have slightly different ways they like to have things done during the Mass and I always do my best to remember and accommodate them. A question in my own mind has come up as I am now working with a pastor who is a fairly new priest and our associate pastor who just celebrated 25 years of ordination. When we do weekend Masses, we have two extra bowls we use for our extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to use. One of …
Vigil Mass
Q: Thank you for your continued readiness to help and enlighten us with all things liturgical. Can you tell us why some Holy Day Masses have an actual Vigil Mass, with its own readings and propers (eg Assumption) whereas for others, any Mass held on the eve is an Anticipatory Mass, with the same readings and propers as on the day itself (eg All Saints). == A: I don’t know a specific formula to explain those Vigil Mass decisions. I just say not all holydays are created equal. Some new Vigil Masses were added to the third edition of the …
Blessing of the Organ
Q: We are expecting our new organ to be finished by mid-October 2025, and I was hoping to attach the Blessing of the Organ to Second Vespers on the Solemnity of All Saints. Unfortunately, November 1 lands on a Saturday, so I am writing to inquire about the Divine Office on November 1, 2025. I feared that because the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed lands on a Sunday that the required Office for Saturday evening would be the Office for the Dead. However, I note in the Mundelein Psalter (which I happen to have in front of me open to page …
Wedding at a parish Mass
Q: Can a couple celebrate their wedding at a parish Mass on Saturday afternoon next August? == A: Yes. Look at OCM 34. It remains the parish Mass of a Sunday in Ordinary Time, the priest wears green vestments, you may switch out one scripture reading to take one from the wedding lectionary, and the priest gives the nuptial blessing.