Q: I hope you don’t mind a liturgical question from me, despite your busy schedule. August 22 is the anniversary of the dedication of our parish church. I understand that we will celebrate the dedication at the parish church on the closest Sunday–that would be Sunday, August 20, the 10:30 AM Mass. I drive there from my other parish church every Sunday morning, then back to the first.
I found the common of the Mass in the Roman Missal III, page 887. My question to you is: may I use the readings from the 20th Sunday in Ordinary time, along with those commons on p. 887? After looking them over they seem adaptable to the occasion.
It would simplify things for our lectors, for me, and for the whole parish who like their missalettes anyway. Otherwise, if I bring in another ritual book, volume 2, 3, or 4, with the little cloth arrows from reading 1, response, reading 2, and Gospel, (the optional readings for the dedication) it will be difficult to coordinate given my short amount of time between my arrival and the beginning of Mass.
What I’m asking is for this pastoral need (if not necessity) it will work a lot better to use the readings in the lectionary for 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time year A. Is that permissible?
I respect your knowledge and will do my best to follow your advice.
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A: What you propose sounds reasonable. There shouldn’t be any problem with it. After all, you are not required to transfer the parish Solemnity to the Sunday. You may do it if you wish.
The liturgical books do not give a clear permission or prohibition for what you want to do. But when several options exist (as with the readings for the solemnity and even with the choice of mass for that day), the hybrid you propose seems perfectly acceptable.