Do Weddings Count for Sunday?, St. Joseph, Ashes & More
Pope Francis has proclaimed 2021 a year of St. Joseph,
in honor of the the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. This is why we are currently praying a special St. Joseph prayer after communion.
With the winter surge in decline finally, we plan on gathering again soon for youth formation and youth liturgies. At the same time, we encourage you to continue to try new and enriching ways to raise the bar of faith formation at home. Have you signed up for the weekly Family Zone email newsletter from Katey Bourne of the Diocese of Rochester? I am loving it! It’s full of pick and chose options that meet all age group needs, and us parents learn a whole lot along the way. Click on the top left of that web page, on the 3 grey bars, to sign up for the email.
ASHES: Lent approaches in a couple weeks.
Expect a Lenten letter from Father George sent to all parish families. One of the messages is about a slight change to dispersing of ashes this year:
COVID-19 Protocol for Ashes As stated on January 10, 2021, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ashes should not be imposed on a person’s forehead in the usual manner. Instead, the European custom of sprinkling ashes on the crown of a person’s head should be employed.
This Directive comes from the The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
— The priest says the prayer for blessing the ashes.
— He sprinkles the ashes with holy water, without saying anything.
— Then he addresses all those present and only once says the formula as it appears in the Roman Missal, applying it to all in general.
— The priest then puts on a face mask, cleanses his hands, and distributes the ashes to those who come to him or, if appropriate, he goes to those who are standing in their places.
— The priest takes the ashes and sprinkles them on the head of each one without saying anything.
2 more Q&A from our youth about mass:
Below that, I have all the Parts of the Mass explanations that appeared in the bulletins recently, in hopes they will inspire new questions from our youth, and finally, a few words to live by.
Answers from Father George Devanapalle:
Q. If you go to Mass on a weekend for a funeral, holy day or wedding, why do we have to go again for Sunday?
A. The 3rd Commandment from God states: “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.” Sunday’s liturgy is a solemn, unique liturgy that other Masses are not equal to. And we, as a parish community, have a need to worship as a family. The Sunday liturgy gives us this opportunity. So another Mass cannot fulfill our Sunday obligation.
Q. How many times in a day can we receive Holy Communion?
A. The code of Canon Law #917 says a person who has received Holy Communion may receive it again on the same day only during the celebration of the Eucharist. But the person should have a true desire to receive and is obligated to fully participate in the entire Mass from the very beginning to the very end. Only when a person is in danger of death, and could receive as viaticum (that means when the Eucharist as given to a person near or in danger of death), may we receive more than twice in a day.
PARTS OF THE MASS Week 1 of 4 all Excerpted from “The ABCs of Worship – Mass Appeal”
I. Introductory Rites
A. Entrance (Latin, Introit, “He enters”). Mass begins when the priest who will celebrate enters and approaches the altar. Others who will serve accompany him. Singing may begin.
B. Veneration of the Altar. The priest arrives at the altar, venerating it with a kiss as a sign of reverence for the place where Christ will become present.
C. Greeting. As priest and people make the sign of the cross, the priest calls upon God saying, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” to which the people respond, “Amen.” This reminds us of our baptism and consecrates our actions to God. The priest greets the people with “The Lord be with you,” and people respond, “And with your spirit.”
D. Penitential Rite. The priest exhorts people to prepare to worship God by recalling their sins, repenting, and asking for God’s mercy. People think of their sins, then pray together”, “I confess to almighty God…” OR
E.“Lord, Have Mercy” (Greek, Kyre Eleison). The acknowledgment of our sins concludes by asking God’s forgiveness, “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.” This may be sung, said in English or in Greek. Mass was celebrated in Greek in the Church’s earliest centuries.
F. “Glory to God in the Highest” (Latin, Gloria in excelsis Deo). The time for praise consists in the Gloria prayer.
G. Opening Prayer (Collect). The priest says “Let us pray,” and he gathers together (collects) prayers to thank God, ask his blessing, and introduce the themes for that day’s Mass. The people respond, “Amen,” closing the Introductory Rites.
PARTS OF THE MASS Week 2 of 4
II. The Liturgy of the Word
A. Scripture Readings. There are always two readings, but on Sundays and certain holy days there are three. The first reading is from the Old Testament (except during Easter season). Afterward the lector says, “The word of the Lord,” and people reply, “Thanks be to God.” Then one of the Old Testament psalms is said or sung in responsorial style. Typically the cantor sings part of the psalm and the people respond. The second reading at Sunday Mass is from the New Testament, but not from the gospel. After this reading the lector and people respond as at the end of the first reading. The reading of the gospel is especially solemn, beginning with an “Alleluia (Hebrew, Hallelujah, “Praise the Lord”) being said or sung. As a sign of respect for this story of the life of Christ, all stand as the clergyman reads. Only a deacon, priest, or bishop may read the gospel. At its conclusion the priest says, “The gospel of the Lord,” and all respond, “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.”
B. Homily. The homily is preached to help people understand the readings and how to apply them to their own lives. Homilies are always given on weekends and frequently given at weekday Masses. They are preached only by clergymen.
C. Profession of Faith (Creed). After hearing Scripture and homily, the people’s formal assent of faith is said. The Nicene Creed, written in A.D. 325 at the First Council of Nicaea and A.D.381 at the First Council of Constantinople, or the Apostles’ Creed is recited by all. We proclaim our belief in the Trinity and Christ’s death and resurrection for our eternal life.
D. Prayer of the Faithful (General Intercessions). Our faith is to be believed and lived for others, even by praying for them. We now intercede for various people and their needs, to which we respond, “Lord, hear our prayer.”
PARTS OF THE MASS Week 3 of 4
III. The Liturgy of the Eucharist
A. Preparation of the Gifts (Offertory). Here the gifts, the bread and wine given by God and worked by human hands, are brought to the altar. The collection, the people’s gift to God, is taken up.
B. Prayer Over the Gifts. The priest prays over the bread and wine, asking God’s blessing. Then drips some water into the wine, quietly saying, “By the mystery of this water and wine may we be made partakers of his divinity who has deigned to become partaker of our humanity.” He then washes his hands at the Lavabo (Latin, “I will wash”), asking, “Lord, wash away my iniquities; cleanse my from all my sins.” We all now ask God to accept our worship.
Eucharistic Prayer. The most solemn part of the Mass.The Preface is the Thanksgiving (Greek, eucharistia, “thanks”). It is followed by the Acclamation (Sanctus, Latin, “Holy”) and the Hosanna (Hebrew, “O, save us”). The people now kneel for the Epiclesis, (Greek, “calling down upon”). At the Consecration, the most important part of the Mass, the priest repeats Jesus’ words, “This is my body,” and “This is the cup of my blood.”Now God transforms the bread and wine into the body and blood, soul and divinity, of Jesus Christ. Jesus becomes really present in this Eucharist, uniquely coming to us this day upon this altar. The bell is frequently rung at the Consecration. The people recite the Mystery of Faith. The priest remembers Christ’s life, death and resurrection in the Anamnesis (Greek, “remembrance”).
PARTS OF THE MASS Week 4 of 4
III. The Liturgy of the Eucharist – Continued
C. Eucharistic Prayer, continued
The Eucharist is a sacrifice and so requires an Offering. Jesus continually offers himself to the Father and we offer ourselves in union with Jesus to God. The priest then, with the Intercessions, asks the Father to bless us all – living and dead – and to mercifully bring us to heaven. The eucharistic prayer ends with the Final Doxology (Greek, “glorious speech”) summarizing the preceding by glorifying God through Christ. est The people heartily agree with their great “Amen.”
D. The Communion Rite. Prepares the people with the Lord’s Prayer and the Rite of Peace, an exchange of a sign of peace. Now the Breaking of the Bread symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body on the cross. A particle of host is dropped into the chalice to symbolize the reunion of Christ’s body and blood in the resurrection. Communion begins with the priest exclaiming, “This is the Lamb of God…” Kneeling, the people respond, “Lord, I am not worthy…” The priest now receives communion, then distributes communion to the faithful. Upon hearing “the body of Christ,” we reply, “Amen,” confessing our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We return to our pew to intone our own Prayer after Communion.
IV. The Concluding Rites
A. Greeting. The priest again greets the people with “The Lord be with you,” to which everyone responds, “And with your spirit.”
B. Blessing. The priest now gives a simple or solemn blessing to the people, concluding with the sign of the cross over the people who respond with “Amen.”
C. Dismissal. This dismissal actually gives the Mass its name. “Go, the Mass is ended,” in Latin, Ite missa est, means literally “Go, it has been sent.” This sending forth becomes the name for this whole worship service.
D. The Veneration of the Altar. Before departing the priest kisses the altar to honor the place where Christ came in the Eucharist.
Exeunt (Latin, “they exit”).
Finally, I share words from a priest in charge of a high school near the Washington Capitol Building, with advice on communicating with people of different opinions and views than you. I’ve paraphrased his words of advice and those he shared from St. Ignatius.
“St. Ignatius suggested that we always try to put the most positive interpretation on the views of a person who thinks differently from us.
So when you encounter a person who thinks differently from you, St. Ignatius would encourage you to choose to believe that a person who, on the surface seems so different from you, usually desires many of the same things that you do.
Our hope is that we will help grow our youth into adults who are willing to openly and critically engage the world around them using the ideals of Christ as their guide, to search together rather than to impose, to respect rather than to vilify, and, above all things, to engage the world using the ideals of Christ as their guide for the betterment of all.”
