Q: Thank you again, Fr. Turner, for sharing your expertise so generously.
I was reading about the timing of the collection in USCCB’s Introduction to the Order of Mass. Does its direction need to be followed? It prescribes that the collection of money takes place prior to the presentation of the gifts: “…all sit and wait while the collection is taken.” When I see this directive carried out at churches, it concerns me that the collection or collections frequently take several minutes at this point in the mass, dissipates the liturgical momentum created during the Liturgy of the Word, and contributes to the atmosphere of an entr’acte or to the misconception that the collection is an official part of the mass just like the Gloria or Homily is. Following the directive seems to violate the intent behind sections 50 and 56 of Sacrosanctum Concilium because the connection between the Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharistic Liturgy is obscured. By the time the gifts are finally presented, the Offertory Chant is often being sung through a second time or has simply devolved into an instrumental interlude.
Meanwhile, the GIRM has little to say about the collection. In section 73 it says, “It is well also that money or other gifts for the poor or for the Church, brought by the faithful or collected in the church, should be received. These are to be put in a suitable place but away from the eucharistic table.” The same section lists the placement of missal, corporal, purificator and perhaps chalice as the only intervening action between the Prayer of the Faithful and presentation of gifts. The amount of time required for this action is far less than required to take a collection. In section 105c, brief mention is made of those who “take up the collection in the church.” No mention is made about how, where, or when the items are collected. Would it be wrong to collect money and gifts for the poor as the congregation enters church prior to the beginning of mass and then have these brought up when the gifts of bread and wine are presented immediately after the celebrant concludes the Prayer of the Faithful and the altar is prepared? Moreover, what are your thoughts about a collection that is started while the gifts are presented and then continues during the Prayer over the Offerings in order to better highlight the connection of the presentation of bread and wine with the Liturgy of the Word and particularly with the Prayer of the Faithful and to avoid the impression that there has been an “intermission” during the mass? Finally, what about members of the congregation who are unable to donate money before the gifts are presented ? Will they be less likely to see themselves in the presentation of bread and wine because they see the presentation as a consequence of the collection not a consequence of the Liturgy of the Word?
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A: The USCCB’s Introduction to the Order of Mass is not meant to be legislative, but rather a helpful guide for implementing parts of the Mass.
That said, I like what they say about the collection. In my parish we do stop all other activity (except the music) and allow the people to contribute. That way their sacrifices are included in the procession of the gifts, and more importantly in the preparation of the gifts as the Mass goes on.
When the gifts come forward without the collection, when the collection distracts the people from the preparation of the gifts and even the start of the Eucharistic Prayer, it separates the sacrifices of the people from the structure of the Mass. Their gifts are integral to a full understanding of this part of the service. I’ve treated this in my booklet My Sacrifice and Yours.
In our parish we even take up the occasional second collection immediately following the first. That puts all the gifts of the people into the procession together with the bread and wine. The prayers of the Liturgy of the Eucharist refer to the sacrifices of the people, and their financial contributions are an important image of that.
Some parishes offer the option of contributing upon entry. I guess it’s OK, but it shouldn’t look like a fee to get inside the door.