Q: Thanks, Father, for everything!

Can a bishop change the liturgy as he deems fit for the diocese? For example, can he say the diocese does not have to recite the creed on Sundays or change the liturgical color from violet to white on the Fourth Sunday of Advent? Also, do you have any reading recommendations on the application of liturgical law?

==

A: The GIRM presents the authority of the diocesan bishop in a single paragraph: “The Diocesan Bishop, who is to be regarded as the High Priest of his flock, from whom the life in Christ of his faithful in a some sense derives and upon whom it depends, must promote, regulate, and be vigilant over the liturgical life in his diocese. It is to him that in this Instruction is entrusted the regulating of the discipline of concelebration (cf. nos. 202, 374) and the establishing of norms regarding the function of serving the Priest at the altar (cf. no. 107), the distribution of Holy Communion under both kinds (cf. no. 283), and the construction and ordering of churches (cf. no. 291). It is above all for him, moreover, to nourish the spirit of the Sacred Liturgy in the Priests, Deacons, and faithful.”

I don’t have specific suggestions for reading on liturgical law, but I suggest you contact a canon lawyer.

View All Blog Posts | Explore Books | Submit a Blog Question | Share Post via Email