June 2023 Praenotanda

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear friends and colleagues,

I hope this issue of Praenotanda finds you looking forward to, or already enjoying a bit of down time after a long Paschal Cycle worth of liturgical and sacramental ministry! Among the many fruits of the Holy Spirit, I am in need of patience more and more every day!

In this month’s Praenotanda, you’ll find resources related to the ongoing Eucharistic Revival underway in our nation: ways to stay connected to what’s happening nationally, resources to celebrate well the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ, and more.

As we near the end of the first year of Beacons of Light, I thank you for everything you are doing to make our Families of Parishes even more centered on the Eucharist. I hope the summer provides a chance to take the long view, to consider how the celebration of Sunday Mass and the entire liturgical life of your Family can become even more and more a priority for our planning and efforts.

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

It’s that wonderful time of the year when our programs start to take a collective breath after all the extra work required for the Easter season. It is also a time to reflect and take stock of what worked well and what could use some attention.

One of the things I was reminded of this Easter season was how our work touches people in simple, yet sometimes profound ways. Richard Clark, my esteemed colleague and music director at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston reminds us: “Remember this always: One never knows the pain, griefs, anxieties, hopes, joys, burdens, that one carries when they enter the doors of our churches, our parish communities. You will impact people’s lives in ways that you will never know. You will alter their lives for the better and forever. Your song may offer the one bit of hope that someone needs. Your act of love through song ushers beauty to human hearts. Such beauty is redemptive and salvific.” – What a great and awesome responsibility we
and our parishes carry!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Matthew J. Geerlings
Music Director

National Eucharistic Revival: Point Persons

To help make the parish phase (summer 2023-2024) of the National Eucharistic Revival a success, the national leadership team is hoping to solicit a point person from each parish (or, in our case, each Family of Parishes) to receive communications and help promote the revival locally. Each pastor should designate someone to serve in this role by completing this form. Prime candidates for this role are the Director of Evangelization, the Director of Worship, or some other key leader in the Family of Parishes.

Christmas Mass Schedules

As a reminder, Christmas Day falls on a Monday this year. The following guidance is offered for establishing Mass schedules to cover both the Fourth Sunday of Advent and the Solemnity of Christmas. Given the extraordinary arrangement of liturgies for these days, the normal parameter (from Beacons of Light) for a priest to celebrate only two Masses on Sunday does not apply. Schedules may be so arranged that a priest may celebrate three Masses each day (per the norm of canon 905 §2), if necessary, from Saturday (Dec. 23) through Monday (Dec. 25).

Masses are celebrated for the Fourth Sunday of Advent from 3:00 PM on Saturday, Dec. 23, through early afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 24. Beginning at 3:00 PM on Sunday, Dec. 24, and extending throughout the day of Dec. 25, the Masses of Christmas are celebrated. When the Christmas Mass at Night is scheduled to begin prior to midnight of Dec. 25, then that Mass should be counted as one of a priest’s Masses celebrated on Sunday, Dec. 24.

In late summer/early fall, look for more information and resources to help get word out to parishioners regarding the obligation to attend Mass for both the Fourth Sunday of Advent and the Solemnity of Christmas.

Q. Is it appropriate to go to confession during a Mass in which I’m participating? Should parishes be offering the Sacrament of Penance while Mass is taking place in the same church?

A. Generally, no. In earlier liturgical practice, confessions were routinely heard during Mass. This was possibly due to the fact that the accepted norm prior to the liturgical reform of St. Paul VI saw one's obligation to assist at Mass fulfilled by attending from the Offertory of the Mass onward and thus the faithful often engaged in other liturgical and devotional practices up to that point of the Mass (including praying the rosary, reading their own devotional texts, and – yes – going to confession.)

There is no prohibition strictly speaking about the Sacrament of Penance being offered at the same time as Mass, though the Rite of Penance does state that "[The faithful] should be encouraged to approach the Sacrament of Penance at times when Mass is not being celebrated" (n. 13).  This has a practical value in that everyone who is participating in Mass should not be distracted by anything else, including the Sacrament of Penance. Therefore, it is highly laudable that only those NOT participating in Mass should be celebrating the Sacrament of Penance while Mass is going on. The idea of “2-for-1,” i.e. going to confession while the Mass I’m participating in is happening, is not ideal and detracts from the vision of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal that says that "the entire celebration [of the Mass] is arranged in such a way that leads to a conscious, active, and full participation of the faithful, namely, in body and in mind, a participation fervent with faith, hope, and charity, of the sort which is desired by the Church and which is required by the very nature of the celebration and to which the Christian people have a right and duty in virtue of their Baptism" (n. 18).  So, if confessions are regularly scheduled during Mass (a practice to be discouraged for the above reasons), catechesis should be provided to ensure the faithful know that confession should precede Mass whenever possible, and not take place while they are participating in Mass to fulfill their Sunday obligation.

Parishes should ensure adequate times outside of Mass during which the Sacrament of Penance can be celebrated.  A mere 30 minutes on Saturday afternoon before the anticipated Mass may not be enough and likely isn’t a great time for many people.  Consider the most generous schedule, ensure confessors are always present when scheduled, and encourage the faithful to come.