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Office for Divine Worship and Sacraments
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FROM THE DIRECTOR
Dear friends and colleagues,
At this midpoint of Lent, we can see the sacred days of the Paschal Triduum before us. Thank you for your diligent efforts in liturgical and sacramental ministry to prepare these liturgies, journey with the Elect, and foster genuine and faithful prayer in your parish communities.
In this month’s Praenotanda, you’ll find many resources to continue preparing for the Paschal Triduum and Eastertide in your Family of Parishes, resources to prepare to sing the Exsultet, rubrics for multiple paschal candles at one Easter Vigil and other considerations for celebrating the Triduum as a Family of Parishes, and more. Let us know if you need any more support to prepare these important liturgical seasons.
You’ll find information about upcoming formation opportunities for worship commissions and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. Of note, I hope you can participate in the upcoming series of webinars on ars celebrandi, the “art of celebrating” the sacred liturgy offered nationally by the FDLC; they’re free and recorded if you have to miss one.
As always, if there’s anything that Matthew, Gloria Ann, or I can do to assist you in your worship and sacramental ministries, please let us know.
Jeremy Helmes
ODWS Director
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FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR
The Easter Sequence, sung or said after the second reading on Easter Sunday, raises a few questions: should it be sung or spoken? What is the official translation? Many music settings take liberties with the text, are these also approved? If sung, who sings it, a priest, deacon, cantor, choir, or is it meant for the entire congregation?
Firstly, the sequence must be used on Easter Sunday, it is not optional. It may also be used at daily Masses during the Octave of Easter. The approved text found in the Lectionary is best, and singing by a schola or cantor works best. Just as we don’t ask the entire congregation to read along with the lector, in the case of Easter Sequence, it is fine to have the congregation follow along in their missals or hymnals with the cantor or choir.
Since the Easter Sequence appears in the “official choir book” of the Church, the Graduale Romanum, we can be sure that the sequence is ideally meant to be sung by the choir or a small schola.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Matthew J. Geerlings
Music Director
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Liturgical Preparation for the Paschal Cycle
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You’ll find a multitude of resources to assist in preparing the liturgies of Palm Sunday, the Triduum, and Eastertide including the annual preparation resource from the FDLC, preparation checklists for Holy Week liturgies, updated rubrics for the Mandatum and text for the presentation of the sacred oils, and guidance on celebrating Holy Week in a Family of Parishes.
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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.
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Training and Formation for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
Please share these opportunities with Extraordinary Ministers in your parish family and those interested in joining this ministry.
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Webinars on the Art of Celebrating
Wednesdays, 1–2:15 pm
May 7–June 4
Join the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions for a 5-part web series on ars celebrandi. Led by renowned presenters, topics will include artful presiding, the role of the assembly, the art of liturgical music, and more!
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SACRED OILS: Guidelines for Custody and Care, and Reception in the Parish
Having received fresh oils from your dean, please be attentive to our guidelines on the proper Custody and Care of Sacred Oils, found on the ODWS website.
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Q. When a child above the age of reason is baptized, must he/she also be confirmed and receive First Communion, or can those sacraments be delayed?
A. According to the Code of Canon Law, “The sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Most Holy Eucharist are interrelated in such a way that they are required for full Christian initiation” (Canon 842 §2). Because of this theological truth, unbaptized persons who have obtained the use of reason are to receive Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist in a continuous rite in the Eucharistic Celebration “unless there is a grave reason to the contrary” (Code of Canon Law, canon 866.)
As the U.S. Bishops noted in their November 2024 Worship newsletter, when Confirmation and the Eucharist are separated from the Baptism of those who have attained the use of reason, ministers fail to respect the right of the neophyte to the other sacraments of Initiation, neglect their duty to administer the sacraments, and deny the faithful sacramental grace which they need to live the Christian life. This approach to Christian Initiation also diminishes the primacy of Baptism, making it seem like greater maturity and readiness is required for Confirmation and/or the Eucharist. A child suitably prepared to be baptized is, by definition, mature enough to be confirmed and receive the Eucharist. As with the immediate conferral of Baptism, this approach is also frequently motivated by good intentions, namely, to ensure that these children become deeply rooted in the faith and life of the Church. Nevertheless, as canonist John M. Huels notes, “It must be stressed that it is not a sufficiently serious reason to delay confirmation merely to allow children to have more catechesis for confirmation or to enable them to be confirmed with older classmates.”
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