May 2025 Praenotanda

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear friends and colleagues,

Happy Easter! I hope these 50 days of unbounded paschal joy continue to be 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 information about training and formation for new and veteran EMsHC, workshops for Family Worship Commissions, resources to celebrate well the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ, a new webinar series on ars celebrandi (the art of celebrating the liturgy) and more!

As always, if there’s anything that Matthew, 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

“In true beauty, we begin to experience the desire for God.”

These words were spoken by our late Holy Father, Pope Francis, in his address to artists in June of 2023. He also told artists, “you are called to reject the allure of that artificial, skin-deep beauty so popular today and often complicit with economic mechanisms that generate inequality: a fake, cosmetic beauty, a greasepaint that conceals rather than reveals.”

These statements, while not addressed specifically to musicians, certainly ring true for us as well. Sadly, much of the music in our churches today reflect poorly on our tradition of hymns and chants. While much of our repertoire in common use comes to us from other faith traditions, it sometimes is at the expense of what is truly Catholic. Our repertoire spans centuries and is a treasure of inestimable value, surpassing other art forms.

I encourage all of us to take time and rediscover many of those great works. They are not merely museum pieces but rather have a beauty about them that can lead all of us into a deeper, more profound relationship with God.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Matthew J. Geerlings
Music Director

You can find information about the liturgical considerations regarding the papal transition on the ODWS website, including norms for mourning Pope Francis, liturgies and devotions during the novemdiales and the conclave, as well as liturgical details upon the election of the new pope. These pages will be updated as new resources become available so check back over the coming weeks.

Also, please join Archbishop Casey as he celebrates Memorial Masses for Pope Francis throughout the archdiocese:

Mon, May 5, 7pm, St. Francis of Assisi (Centerville)

Mon, May 12, 7pm (in Spanish), Immaculate Conception (Dayton)

Weds, May 21, 7pm, Cathedral Basilica of St Peter in Chains (Cincinnati)

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.

With Zeal and Patience: The Role of the Parish Worship Commission – Family Style!

Thurs, May 8, 7-9pm, St. Paul (Englewood)
Mon, May 12, 7-9pm, St. Columban (Loveland)
Tues, May 13, 1-3pm, Online

Join other worship leaders from Families of Parishes – worship commission members, directors of worship, music directors, pastors, deacons, and others – for our annual workshop With Zeal and Patience. This free workshop is an opportunity to explore the role of the worship commission and how to bring commissions together at the Family level.

Shop the ODWS Online!

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. Shop now!

Q. Must the monetary gifts collected during Mass be brought forward with the gifts of bread and wine?

A. No. While the General Instruction of the Roman Missal notes that it is “acceptable” for money or gifts for the poor or for the Church to be brought forward, it is not required. Many parishes find it helpful or more secure to simply put the collected money away. Some parishes collect money and secure it in the safe, bringing forward tangible gifts for the poor (e.g., food, clothing, etc.). In any event, the GIRM directs that money or other gifts for the poor, “given their purpose, they are to be put in a suitable place away from the Eucharistic table.” (GIRM 73). It is also not necessary to unduly prolong the Preparation of the Gifts by waiting for such collected items to be brought forward, but if they are brought forward, it would be undesirable that they are placed in a visible way after the Eucharistic Prayer begins with the Preface Dialogue.