September 2022 Praenotanda

For Parish Worship Commissions, Liturgical Leaders, Clergy, and Staff

Weds, Oct 12, 7-9pm, St. Patrick Church, Troy
Tues, Oct 18, 7-9pm, Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Monroe
Thurs, Oct 27, 7-9pm, St. Veronica Church, Eastgate

Join new, potential, and veteran members of other parish worship commissions for this workshop on your role in promoting the sacred liturgy in our faith communities with "zeal and patience"!

NEW FOR 2022:
We’ll look at first steps towards a Family of Parishes Worship Commission.

Topics include:

Why a Worship Commission is essential for your Family of Parishes
Essential liturgical principles
How to evaluate your parish liturgies for improvement
Strategies for liturgical catechesis
Preparing the liturgical year
Equipping liturgical ministers
How and when to begin forming a commission for your Family of Parishes.
And much more!

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear friends and colleagues,

As we begin a new “year” of liturgical and sacramental ministry, I hope the summer has provided a bit of time to recharge and renew your zeal. Thanks for all that you do to serve the Church at prayer.

In this month’s issue of Praenotanda, you’ll find information about pastoral planning in the Eucharist pathway, how to purchase annual publications for next liturgical year at a tremendous discount, information about preparing for our priests being away at the upcoming multi-day convocation, and more. Of note, I hope that members of parish worship commissions, liturgical staff, and clergy will join us for With Zeal and Patience, this year being served “Family style!”

Remember that while the Church values unity (the Eucharist is THE sacrament of unity!), uniformity is not our primary objective, especially when it comes to liturgy. The Roman Missal and its General Instruction, along with other ritual books, certainly have some firm proscriptions, but in many cases offer much latitude in praxis. It may serve us well to resist the urge to make everything exactly the same in the liturgies of the parishes within our Family. Despite the extra effort this may require of the priests, deacons, staff, and liturgical ministers, respecting the liturgical traditions and culture of each parish – at least in the short run – may be pastorally advantageous.

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 am asked about Spanish language music resources on a regular basis. I am happy to share some of the major and lesser-known resources in the hope you might find them useful in your music ministries.

1. Oregon Catholic Press has the most widely used Spanish language resources. Their hymnal, Flor y Canto, is in its 3rd edition and is widely used throughout the United States. It is often paired with the psalm book Responde y aclama as well as the Misal del Día. They also publish a bilingual resource entitled Unidos en Cristo/United in Christ.

2. GIA Publications publishes a bilingual hymnal, Oramos Cantando/We Pray in Song. This is a good resource for communities looking for a legacy hymnal for years of use. They also provide for a renewable resource, Celebramos!/Let Us Celebrate.

3. Ignatius Press has a renewable resource, Canta la Misa. This publication is a substantial yearly publication with many traditional Latin American hymns and songs.

4. A lesser-known known publication from Spain is the Cantoral de “Misa Domincal.” While not a good pew resource, it is definitely on my shelf as a great reference book.

5. A great web-based resource for choral music would be www.uma.es which hosts a large body of choral works edited by Nacho Alvarez. Most of these works are by Renaissance composers and the bulk of the texts are Latin, but there are some pieces in Spanish.

I am undoubtedly overlooking other resources, so please forward them to me as I am always happy to find new and exciting pieces of music (no matter the language).

Soli Deo Gloria,

Matthew J. Geerlings
Music Director

Forum on Parish Inventories

One of the important activities each parish should have done already (either in Phase 0 or in the last few months of Phase 1) is to complete the Parish Inventories.

What was one insight that you as a liturgical or sacramental ministry leader received from completing the Liturgical and Sacramental Inventory Tool for your current parish?

(Pathway discussion forums are open to all parish leaders: clergy, staff, and parishioner leaders. If you don’t yet have access to the Pathway platform but are a parish leader, please contact your pastor.)

Deaf Ministry and the Office for Persons with Disabilities

Saturday, Oct. 8
1:30pm Confession (Deaf Community)
3:00pm Mass St. Francis of Assisi Church, 6245 Wilmington Pike, Centerville

On Oct. 8, our office will host a mass for our Deaf Community with Archbishop Schnurr presiding. Fr. Mike Depcik will co-celebrate. This will be a beautiful opportunity for our hearing and Deaf Community to come together to share the celebration of the mass. All are invited to attend. There will be an ASL interpreter available.

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.

Christ’s Presence: Sacramental celebrations and other parish and school liturgies are true encounters with Jesus Christ present in Word and Sacrament, in the ministry of the priest and in the gathered assembly. (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 7)

Question for Reflection: Are the liturgical celebrations, especially of the sacraments, truly experienced by the faithful as encounters with Jesus Christ? Is there something about our worship and sacramental celebrations that hinders people’s full encounter with Christ’s presence? If so, what must change?

I Vote Catholic

We are called to live our faith in all aspects of our lives, but – when it comes to voting – this can be difficult. During this election season, immerse yourself in the Church’s teaching and gain a fuller understanding of the Church’s commitment to a consistent ethic of life which guides us to be advocates for a variety of issues related to life and human dignity. You’ll find a wonderful collection of resources, including connections to the Sunday Gospel readings, intentions for the Universal Prayer at Mass, musical suggestions, scriptural roots of the themes of Gospel justice, other prayers, and tools for teachers and parents.

Dr. James E. Moore, Jr.
1951-2022

Dr. James Moore was a renowned composer for liturgical music in the United States. From 1977-1982, he served as professor of liturgy and music at the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary and director of music at St. Agnes in Bond Hill. Among his gifts to the Church are familiar liturgical pieces such as “Taste and See” and “Come to the Feast”, as well as the formation in liturgical music that he offered to many of our priests and laypeople alike. May the angels welcome him into paradise!

Q. When can I celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of our parish church?

A. You can celebrate on the actual anniversary date unless a solemnity of a higher rank is observed. You can also move the celebration to an adjacent Sunday of Ordinary Time. If neither of those options work, the Universal Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar specify that the anniversary of the dedication should be celebrated on the Sunday prior to All Saints Day. Celebrating the anniversary of a church’s dedication is an important solemnity for a faith community.