January 2023 Praenotanda

EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL: RELICS TOUR

As part of the 3-year National Eucharistic Revival led by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will host the relics of both Blessed Carlo Acutis and Saint Manuel Gonzalez Garcia from January 14th – February 4th. You’ll find host locations and specific dates, as well as more information about these two holy men, and the Eucharistic Revival itself on the archdiocesan website. Parish leaders are asked to publicize this opportunity to the faithful throughout January on social media, verbal announcements, and in bulletins and other print publications. For assistance in publicity, please contact the Communications Dept.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear friends and colleagues,

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I hope that your celebrations of the Nativity of the Lord were wonderful and joy-filled. THANK YOU to all who serve our Church at prayer during this solemn season as liturgical ministers; you help to show Christ’s abiding presence in our midst to a world desperately in need of hope. As we soon conclude our Christmas season with the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord and transition into a stretch of Ordinary Time, may we be ever more aware of Christ’s manifold presence in our liturgical and sacramental ministry.

In this month’s Praenotanda, you’ll find information about celebrating the Sunday of the Word of God, the Rite of Election, and more. Please note new archdiocesan law on ad orientem worship. You can also participate in two aspects of the National Eucharistic Revival: join Archbishop Schnurr in learning more about Mass and praying with relics.

Our popular web series, Beacons Roundtable, resumes on Tues., Jan. 17; we’ll kickoff with some conversation about Lent & Holy Week: Family Style! And don’t forget that the revised Order of Penance will come into use in the coming months: you can still pre-order the new ritual book through the ODWS shop at a discount.

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

I hope all of you had a rewarding Advent and Christmas and “weathered” the sub-zero temps, ice, and snow. It’s always nice when Mother Nature throws us a curve ball so close to one of the most important liturgies of the year.

With the normal stress that usually accompanies the Christmas Eve and Day Masses, many of us had to adjust our final rehearsals due to the inclement weather. I am sure your pastors and parishioners appreciated the extra effort required!

Dr. Kensley Behel holds a Ph.D. in Performing Arts Health and recently discussed the high rate of church musician burnout on the Sacred Music Podcast. You can find that discussion at www.sacredmusicpodcast.com. In this discussion she points to three factors that lead to burnout and how to cope with them to avoid it. There are some other great interviews and discussions at this website!

Again, thank you for all your hard work. I do hope you take some time to recharge your batteries. And hey! Next year? The 4th Sunday of Advent is on December 24th!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Matthew J. Geerlings
Music Director

The Mass with Archbishop Schnurr

As part of our participation in the national Eucharistic Revival, Archbishop Schnurr invites everyone in the archdiocese to join him in studying the Mass, using the video series by the same name from Bishop Robert Barron.

For the six weeks between Christmas and Lent, Archbishop Schnurr will send out one short video each week to help us deepen our appreciation for and participation in the Mass.

Parish leaders are asked to publicize this opportunity to the faithful and incorporate it into the rhythm and activity of parish and school life. Resources for publicity on social and print media, as well as verbal announcements, images, and more are available online.

Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion:
Feb. 26, 2023

This important Lenten ritual is for catechumens preparing for full initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion) at the Easter Vigil 2022. Also invited are those baptized Christians who are seeking to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church this Easter and have been preparing alongside the catechumens. (Please remember that non-Catholic Christians may be received into full communion any time during the year.)

Beacons Roundtable Returns Jan 17!

Join other parish leaders – priests, deacons, lay staff, and others – for Beacons Roundtable on Tues, Jan 17th from 1:30-3:00pm online. The Spring 2023 series will focus on leading change in a Family of Parishes. In particular, we’ll look at the importance of vision and the role that leaders play in creating and communicating vision. We’ll also focus on the importance of spiritual, physical, and mental health for parish leaders. Our Jan 17 session will focus on new approaches to Lent and Holy Week: Family Style! We’ll also talk about the upcoming Visio Days in March.

Eucharist-Centered Parishes

The first principle of Beacons of Light is Eucharist: “The Mass is the source and summit of the whole Christian life. Accordingly, the Eucharist is the essential moment for building up and strengthening the parish community, along with the sacraments and other celebrations of the paschal mystery — the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Each month, we’ll look at one of the aspects of the vision for a Eucharist-centered parish and offer a prompt for your reflection upon your own Family of Parishes.

Ars Celebrandi: Attention to the art of celebrating the liturgy is important: fidelity to texts and rubrics as well as a prayerful understanding of liturgical texts, feasts, and seasons kindles full, conscious, and active particip
ation among the faithful. (Sacramentum Caritatis, 38) Preaching and music are foremost among the liturgical arts and are well-prepared for liturgical celebrations.

Question for Reflection: In what ways are we not attentive enough to ars celebrandi in our liturgical celebrations? Are preaching and music prioritized among the liturgical arts and well-prepared for liturgies?

Ad Orientem Worship

On December 21, Archbishop Schnurr issued a decree promulgating a new policy on ad orientem worship in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. This new policy is now particular law for the archdiocese. It establishes that Mass facing the people is “desirable wherever possible” and that this should be the regular practice in the churches, chapels, and oratories of the archdiocese. It also requires advance notification of the inclusion of regularly scheduled parish Masses celebrated ad orientem, and permission from the archbishop for any exceptions to the policy. Contact the ODWS with any questions or concerns.

Guidelines for Renovating and Reconfiguring a Church

Before undertaking a major project in renovating or reconfiguring a Church, permission is needed from Archbishop Schnurr. The Archdiocesan Committee for Sacred Art & Architecture has the responsibility of providing consultation to parish leaders and recommendations to Archbishop. That committee should be involved at the early stages of such projects, including movement of liturgical furniture, major aesthetic changes, etc. Please review the guidelines and direct any questions to the ODWS.

Q. What is the Epiphany Proclamation and how do I use it?

A. An ancient tradition in the Roman Rite is to announce the date of Easter and the other moveable feasts (i.e., those not assigned to a particular date on the secular calendar) each year on the Solemnity of the Epiphany. This so-called "Epiphany Proclamation” is described in the current edition of the Roman Missal in this way: “Where it is the practice, if appropriate, the moveable Feasts of the current year may be proclaimed after the Gospel” and then indicates that you can find this among the various chants in the back of the missal. The chant is sung by a deacon or cantor from the ambo. Be sure to consult your liturgical calendar or ordo for the coming year to sing the proper dates!

Even if you have never done this before in your parish, consider this ritual for one or more of your Masses for Epiphany. This will help to strengthen the connection between the Christmas and Easter feasts, reminding us that the Incarnation is fundamentally connected to the Paschal Mystery.