May 2024 Praenotanda

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear friends and colleagues,

Happy Easter! I hope these 50 days of unbounded paschal joy have been a time of great grace for you and your parishes, schools, and other faith communities. Thank you for your faith-filled liturgical and sacramental ministry especially vis-à-vis the many important celebrations that mark this season: First Communions, Confirmations, quinceañeras, graduations, ordinations, and more!

In this month’s Praenotanda, you’ll find resources related to the ongoing National Eucharistic Revival underway in our nation: ways to stay connected to what’s happening nationally, training and formation for new and veteran EMsHC, resources to celebrate well the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ, a new series on polarization and the Eucharist, and more.

As always, if there’s anything that Matt, Monica, or I can do to assist you in your worship and sacramental ministries, please let us know.

Jeremy Helmes
ODWS Director

FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR

Wedding season has arrived and the meetings with brides and grooms are being scheduled. As liturgical musicians, this gives us an opportunity to meet with young (usually) couples who have chosen to be married in the Church instead of opting for a secular ceremony. But let us be honest…sometimes these good folks are not regular attendees at Mass and do not fully comprehend the issues surrounding music selection for their nuptial Mass. What a great opportunity for evangelization!

The challenge lies with those couples who come into a music planning meeting with music selections that are simply not appropriate. Sometimes a compromise can be found, but at other times their requests are not suitable. How we handle these types of requests can be challenging. First, we must always be pastoral and charitable in our response. Quoting policies or church guidelines might be the easiest response (and you should definitely provide them with our archdiocesan guidelines), but it rarely results in a couple feeling satisfied with their interaction (remember, this might be the only interaction they have with a Catholic church for some time). Having clear, concise music guidelines in place that are made available to the couple prior to the planning meeting is a must. Making certain you and your pastor are in sync regarding music is also a must. But what about those who insist? I have a few stock responses that have almost always worked:

1. “That’s a great song, but it would be best as a special piece played by your DJ at the reception.”

2. “That’s a nice song but will sound dreadful on the organ or piano, especially in our acoustic!”

3. “Well, that piece is nice but there is only talk of love between the couple. Music in the Church should always address the love God has on his children (us).”

4. Only if they insist on a piece that is inappropriate should you then tell them that as much as you would like to accommodate them, that piece is simply not something you can have sung or played at a liturgical celebration. And always have alternate pieces that perhaps they’ve not considered to demonstrate.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Matthew J. Geerlings
Music Director

Our Eucharistic Mission in a Polarized World

For the 2024 election cycle – both the election year and the time that will follow – we have decided to lean into both our reliance on the Eucharist (especially in this year of the National Eucharistic Congress) and our call to heal the deep divides that exist in our country and abroad. This powerful series with Fr. Aaron Wessman, GHM will consist of six distinct talks – each focusing on a different challenge with polarization and how the Eucharist can address it – held at different locations around the archdiocese as well as live streamed. You’ll find more information online and we invite you to explore both this page and iVoteCatholic to explore how you and your community can live out our call to be faithful citizens.

OCIA: Updates on Publication and Formation

Rome has confirmed the revised translations of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults and the Ritual de la Iniciación Cristiana de Adultos. The final texts have been received by the USCCB which will issue a decree of publication soon. The revised OCIA/RICA retains the identical arrangement and numbering as the current USA editions, and the appendices remain. The National Statutes (formerly in a third appendix) will now be moved to the front matter of the text, along with the Introductions, decrees and other legislation. Terminology has been refined to better clarify titles, e.g., “inquirer,” “catechumen,” “elect,” and “candidate.” New sample introductions are provided for use by the celebrant in the combined rites, making clear the distinctions between groups. The combined rites for Easter Vigil also now include texts for the baptism of an infant (adapted from the Order of Baptism of Children) since the Missal and other liturgical texts provides for this possibility. The ODWS will provide updates on the publication timetable in the coming months, will offer the new book at a discounted price, and provide formation for parish initiation ministers.

Mass Schedule Changes

Summer may be an opportune time to revise the Sunday Mass schedule for your Family of Parishes, especially if the last changes were made in 2022. In accord with the archdiocesan Sunday Mass Schedule policy, please send notice of any changes to the parish’s liturgical schedule to the Chancery, accompanied by the written opinion of the local dean. If you need assistance with analysis of your schedule and/or strategy for making a change, please contact the Office for Divine Worship and Sacraments.

Shop ODWS Publications

Don’t forget that you can shop all year online for archdiocesan resources to assist bereaved families, engaged couples, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and more. You can also find resources from national liturgical publishers at deep discounts. Parishes, schools, and other non-profits can always shop tax free. And the Two Shall Become One, our archdiocesan formation and policy book for the sacrament of matrimony, is a handy and inexpensive resource for parishes to provide to engaged couples.

Q. Why is the Ascension celebrated on Sunday in some parts of the world?

A. With permission from Rome, the Catholic bishops of Ohio (along with other states and provinces) decided to move the yearly celebration of the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord from Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter to the Seventh Sunday of Easter. This change has been in effect since the first celebration on June 4, 2000. While the culture in some parts of the world includes civic holidays on holy days enabling the faithful to participate in Mass, in the United States days such as the Ascension are not typically days off work. Thus, the bishops chose to transfer this feast (and others) to a Sunday so more people can celebrate this important mystery of faith.