What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

A question via e-mail:

With the common occurrence of white vestments at funerals and a corresponding color funeral pall, I wondered about the practice of a black funeral pall for the OF. While black vestments can be used for funerals in the OF, can the funeral pall also be black as it was in the EF? Is the connection between the white funeral pall and the white garment worn at baptism something that might prevent the use of a black funeral pall?

 

Yes… we must remember that before the post-Conciliar innovations the pall, if one was used, was always black, as were the draperies for a catafalque.

I do not believe in the new rite the color of the pall is prescribed.  I have seen various palls, most white, but some of other colors, of elaborate fabrics, brocade, etc. 

The idea behind white is that the last "clothing" of the body echoes the first "clothing" with the white baptismal garment in the rite of baptism. 

However, I haven’t seen anywhere – maybe I simply missed it – anything that prescribes that the color of the pall must be white in the Novus Ordo.

I assume a black pall could be used in the newer funeral rites.

This comes via Facebook from a priest reader:

What can you tell me about the use of the amice over the surplice for deacon chaplains and Assisting Priests? The AP at my first Mass wore the amice that way.

There isn’t really too much to say.

There are a few occasions wherein there may be an assistant priest, such as when a bishop pontificates or for the first three solemn Masses of a newly ordained priest.  The assistant does certain things with, for example, the book and especially in the case of the newly ordained, makes sure he doesn’t make a grave mistake.

In this screen capture you can see an assistant priest to the left, in the cope.



Again… the AP is on the left, though he has his cope properly closed over his knees so that you cannot see the cassock.  The deacon "chaplains" sitting with the Cardinal in this shot have their surplices.





He dresses in his cassock, with a surplice (or rochette if can wear one).  He put on the amice over the surplice and then the cope.  I think the idea is that it is he not quite a sacred minister in the sense that the celebrant and deacon and subdeacon are.  He is sort of in between being an MC and a sacred minister.  The amice?  Dunno… that’s just the way it is.

You might be interested to know that in olden times, in processions, priests and deacons used to wear the vestment of their rank, chasuble or dalmatic, but over the surplice, not over an alb, also with the amice over the surplice.

From Facebook:

Dear Fr. Z,

The priest that celebrates de EF in Buenos Aires, has decided today to do it versus populum quoting a work of Card. Ratzinger that says that the cross must be the focal point or liturgical east. He also says that the rubrics of JXXIII’s missal doesn’t prescribe to celebrate the mass "ad orientem". Is this all right? What can we say to him?
Please, forgive my poor english and thank you very much!

No, there is nothing that requires the TLM (EF) to be celebrated ad orientem.  In Roman Basilicas it was celebrated versus populum because of the way the altar was situated in the sanctuary: on the model of San Pietro, where the celebrant stood at the main altar so as to face the East.  In the ancient Basilica of St. Peter, the people would be directed to turn around also to face the East during the action of the Mass.  So… celebration of Holy Mass to the liturgical East is important in the Roman way of seeing things.

However, nothing specifically prescribes ad orientem worship… though in my opinion it is superior. 

The other thing to consider, and this is important, the sensibilities of the people in the congregation should be considered.  If the people would be upset by an versus populum Mass with the EF, then it probably wouldn’t be a good idea.   There is no sense in doing that merely as a novelty or for shock value, or even because of the priest’s own preference.   The TLM and ad orientem are closely connected.

From a reader:

My wife and I are recent converts. Our family is increasingly drawn to the beauty and transcendence of the EF. I have approached our parochial vicar and gently inquired about the possibility of having a EF mass. He is young and seems very orthodox but has no interest. He told us that it is understood in that those who want the EF mass need to go to one of the two parishes that offer it. (We’re very lucky to have two parishes within 15 minutes drive that offer the EF mass – one on Sunday and the other on Monday.)

My question is: Should we press on and ask our pastor or attend mass at one of the other parishes?

First, I am very glad that you have places to go.

At the same time I am concerned about the idea that "people should go to ‘those places’".   This is a problem that has bugged me for a while: we mustn’t create ghettos. 

Summorum Pontificum should be implemented wherever there is desire.  That is the point of Summorum Pontificum.

So… I think that priests everywhere should be encouraged to learn and celebrate the older form of Mass everywhere.

So… support the places which have been established.  But push to expand.

Everyone benefits.

A question from a reader:

Fr. Z,

Thanks for your great blog.  Our strongly orthodox priest at first declined to baptize our expected baby using the E.F. because of his lack of ability in Latin.  He said he would check with the liturgy 
director of the diocese to see if he could celebrate it in English.
  
Somewhat surprisingly, the answer came back in the affirmative.  

Though a second choice, my wife and I intend to pursue this.  However, we have been unable to locate an authorized translation of the E.F. baptism in English. 

I am told it was permitted before the Novus Ordo was created. 

Have you any advice for me?

Yes, you can have a baptism in the older, traditional form mostly in English.

My understanding is that most everything from the older rite can be done in English, though the blessing of salt, the two exorcisms, the Ephpheta, the In odorem suavitatis, the anointing with the oil of catechumens, the form of baptism, and the anointing with the oil of Sacred Chrism should be in Latin.

The best book for this would be the volume called  COLLECTIO RITUUM which shouldn’t be hard to find at all.  Many older priests will still have a copy, many sacristies will still have it on some shelf.  It wasn’t rare and still is not.

A question from a priest:

I have been moved to [a] parish where I have every third week without a daily mass. I would like to say a low mass on these days, but I’m sure I will get resistance from my pastor, who is a hippie from the ‘70’s. The Motu Proprio specifies that I need not get permission from the Holy See or the Ordinary. Does this mean also my local pastoral boss?

Thanks for any help you can give me,

Fr. ___

 

Reverend and Dear Father: this is what Summorum Pontificum says… rather… what Pope Benedict, the Vicar of Christ, the Roman Pontiff, the Legislator says in Summorum Pontificum.

 

Art. 2.  In Masses celebrated without the people, any priest whosoever of the Latin Rite, whether secular of religious, can use either the Missale Romanum issued in 1962 by Bl. John XXIII, or the Missale Romanum promulgated in 1970 by the Supreme Pontiff Paul VI, and indeed on any day whatsoever except during the Sacred Triduum.  For such a celebration according to one or the other Missal, a priest does not need permission, neither from the Apostolic See nor from his Ordinary.

 

I think it is pretty clear that if the Pope says priests don’t need permission from the Apostolic See or the local bishop… then he doesn’t need permission from the local pastor. 

Of course there are practical issues to be considered. 

Will the pastor of the parish or the local bishop crucify you for doing what is your right?  

You could have a Pyrrhic victory over this… be aware.  At least in the short term.

If you are willing to take the heat for what you want to do, you have the right to do it.

Also, remember that according to Summorum Pontificum pastors cannot not respond to requests made from groups of people in the parish. 

YOU, Father, are in the parish also….  if you get my drift.  You could be a part of a "stable group".

From a priest:

Fr. Z.

Do you know what the traditional color chasuble is for priests to be buried in (i.e. not necessarily what is done now, but what was most often done in the past)? 

I need to write out my will and funeral directions for the chancery files and want to be sure to do things right!

Priests are traditionally buried in purple.

According to the old Rituale Romanum clerics should be dressed if possible in cassock and the apparel appropriate to his rank also with the tonsure and biretta.  

13. Sacerdos quidem super talarem vestem, amictu, alba, cingulo, manipulo, stola et casula seu planeta coloris violacei sit indutus.  [Titulus VII, Caput I De exequiis]

Priests usually vest the body.

For my part, I have a purple Roman planeta (Italian pianeta) given to me years ago which will be my burial vestment.  It is not usable for Mass, in my opinion, because it had been left exposed to the sun for a while, so the back is badly faded in part.  But it is otherwise in perfectly good shape.



So… priests should do everyone a favor set aside the proper garb against the time.

I had a note from a priest with a question:

Dear Father,
 
I have had a TLM at my Parish, which I celebrate, every Sunday since last November and is going great. But my question is about what I see in the way The Holy Father celebrates Mass in extraordinary form with a cross and 6 candles in the altar, a seventh candle behind the cross because he is Pope. Is this to be an "expected" way of what is to be on the altar for the celebration of Mass?  (ordinary or extraordinary form?)

First, the Holy Father is saying Mass only in the Ordinary Form, so far.  But the use of the seventh candle, next to the Cross at the center of the altar, is a very old custom.

This is not just something that the Roman Pontiff does.

The seventh candle could be used for Pontifical High Mass when celebrated by an Ordinary in his diocese (or by the Pope anywhere, of course).

The seventh candle, placed in the middle and in line with the other six, should be a little higher. This pushes the crucifix a little out of line… which also emphasizes it, in my opinion. Pope Benedict is acutely sensitive to the position of the Cross during Holy Mass.

So… this is an old Mass element enriching the new Mass.

It also rather explodes the Bugnini notion that the old ways of doing things shouldn’t be assumed to be the way we ought to do things in the Novus Ordo.

So, is this to be expected?  I think so.  I think that priests who are preparing for the coming of the bishop to the parish should use the Benedictine arrangement, if they are still having Mass versus populum and be sure to add the seventh candle.

Here is a good practical question from a reader.

I have a question which you may well be able to answer, but that if you are too busy, I am pretty sure my fellow loyal readers of WDTPRS can.

What are the best practices for making the small linens for the altar? 

I am good on the basics – what’s square and what’s rectangular, white color, and linen’s pride of place, but how much elaboration is good versus when it becomes a hindrance to proper purification.  Where are the rules located?  I haven’t found much at all.  Recalling the wonderful pamphlet on the care of the linens, I am hoping for some guidance beyond common sense.    

Good question.  We do need the help of others for this.  I have never made altar linens.

Here are some observations for my vantage of using them

First, keep them simple.  Lots of elaboration, in my opinion, make them more difficult to use.  There can be some embroidery around the edges of the corporal.  Perhaps a very narrow band of lace or trim.  The same for purificators, but only at the very ends.  I would avoid doing (what ever it is called) that thing where you embroider around cut-out shapes.  Pretty, but awkward to use.  With a corporal I am always concerned that some particle will somehow fall through a hole.

Do make sure the fabric is absorbant, especially for the purificators.  I have from time to time had to use nearly liquid resistant purificators.  If a priest is diligent in purifying the chalice well, that’s pretty frustrating.  I do like linen.

Altar cloths should ideally be long enough to reach close to the ground on either side of the altar.  Remember that an altar really should have three cloths.  The two beneath don’t have to reach the the ground, but they should cover the top.  If you have an altar ad orientem and there are some contraptions designed to hold the altar cloths in place, you might think about reinforcing that side of the altar cloth.  Not necessary, but it could be helpful.

This is a bit picky, but when making purificators you might consider the width of the chalice(s) for which you are making them so that they fit nicely across the top.

Here is a shot of how a corporal is sown up.  This is one I am using now.  It was made in Italy.



Keep purificators simple.  Check the height of the chalice and the width of the cup.

Remember that altar cloths are sometimes held down by gizmos.



Palls can have some fancy work.  I don’t prefer it, but I do use it from time to time.  They are often made like a little flat bag or envelope in which you insert a stiff card.   I HATE the Italian style pall, which is just a piece of starched cloth.



And the back.



Maybe the reader with experience can chime in.

This is in my mailbox.

Fr. Z,
 
I am in the midst of a tense situation at a Catholic college, the identity of which I would prefer not to disclose.  The question facing us is: Granting that Summorum Pontificum acknowledges the rights of the faithful to request and to be given access to the usus antiquior, is there any way to derive, out of the document or any authoritative interpretations of it, that this access should primarily take the form of Masses offered on Sundays and possibly other Holy Days of obligation? 
 
I ask because there are college chaplaincies that do have the old rite, yet offer it once a week on Tuesdays at 7:30 AM, or on the 3rd Saturday of the month at 1 PM, or other such odd times.  It seems to me that a "stable group of the faithful" who legitimately desire the Extraordinary Form are inherently requesting it for Sunday because that is the Dies Domini, the high point of the Christian week.  For a pastor or chaplain to allow or celebrate the old rite other times is good, certainly, but not really the central point.
 
Would it depend on what the stable group itself explicitly requests?  I mean, if the group formally requests a Sunday Mass, is that understood to be the Mass that should be given to them in the older usage?  Or, if a pastor or chaplain responds by saying, "Well, I’m fine with a Saturday at 9:00 AM," would there be any grounds for complaint on the part of the group: "Thank you for that opportunity, but we were really looking for a way to fulfill our Sunday obligation with the old rite."?
 
Finally this comes down to a question: When, or with what circumstances, can the stable group be considered to have been granted that to which its members have a right?  I know some will say this is just a matter of prudence and practicality, but it seems to me that there has got to be some way of getting closer to an essential answer.  Otherwise, it seems either that the stable group could keep demanding all the way to asking for seven days a week, which is quite beyond what is feasible in many contexts right now, OR that the stable group could be denied even a Sunday Mass, as long as a "bone" had been tossed to them on some other day of the week or month.
 
God Bless,
 
[please withhold name]

 

These are questions for the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei and possibly the Council for Legislative Texts.

First, remember that Summorum Pontificum speaks of stable groups in the context of parishes ... parish priests, pastors, are to respond to stable groups.  Of course it makes sense that if the church isn’t a parish and there is someone other than a pastor, this should apply also.  But that is not what the document says.  Also, while it is pretty clear that a group can be very small, you have to argue that a body of students is "stable".  I think the law would provide that they have some sort of domicile, if they live there.  But I don’t quite understand the status of students at a school.  It might be that "stable" doesn’t apply.

Second, I think rather than the legal/juridical argument approach, it would be best to try to arrange this through persuasion and relentless charity.  You will probably get farther that way and quicker.  The student who want this should cheerfully wear down those in charge by a kind and good-natured constant "rapping on the judge’s door" as it were, until they relent.  

Also, it may be that the priests involved don’t know how to say the older form of Mass, or they have too much to do now.  In that case, you need to be creative and get the necessary resources for the priests, including, perhaps a priest from outside willing to come in for a while.  That may involve the bishop’s permission: keep that in mind. 

Finally, it might be a good idea to contact students and prof at other schools where this cause has already been taken up and worked through.

Clearly, the spirit of the document aims at helping many groups of people, not just those who are registered parishioners.  Hopefully a sense of charity and goodwill will prevail in your case. 

Do not neglect getting the students to pray to the guardian angels of those involved, to move them to a better position, including some fasting for their petitions.  You can also pray to St. Joseph, who is a powerful intercessor.

Better late than never to post this.

Archdiocesan Candlelight Family Rosary Procession; Friday, October 3

WORLD APOSTOLATE OF FATIMA
SAINT PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS DIOCESAN DIVISION

The annual ‘Candlelight Rosary Procession’ is fast approaching. Its purpose isto unite thousands of individuals and families in the prayer of the Rosary for the intentions of their own families and all the families of the world on first Friday, October 3rd, 2008. Gathering time begins at 6:15 p.m. on the State Capitol approach.

Beginning at 7:00 we will process down John Ireland Boulevard to the Cathedral of St. Paul, for a homily by Father Robert Altier and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

We bring all the needs of our families, our country and prayers for world peace to Our Lady and her Son Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Bring the children too, they will carry glow sticks instead of candles.

A question from a priest reader:

Hi Fr. Z.
 
Thank you for your work.  I have been a priest for sixteen months and have a desire to learn the EF, and some of my parishioners are even asking for it and would attend if I offered it.  My best friend, a priest in _, and I have plans to visit the good Fathers of St. John Cantius in Chicago for training when the time permits. 

My inquiry is this.  I am visually handicapped and find it hard to read the large OF Sacramentary on a missal stand.  The EF altar Missals I have seen have even smaller print than that, and it is usually bunched up. 

I would not be able to see those…let alone use altar cards. 

Do you know of anyone who prints a larger Missal?  Would it be tacky to print larger texts for myself and have them in a binder?  Please advise if you can.

 

I know there are some very large editions of the old Missale with larger print.  They tend very old editions, reeeally large, and I am sure very hard to find.

I think in your situation using a binder, as elegant as possible, might be a good idea.  Perhaps you could get high quality color enlarged photocopies of the whole of the Ordinary, and then add the Propers you need as you go.  I think this could be done well and it wouldn’t be tacky at all.  Also, I am sure everyone would understand why you were doing it and no one in their right mind would complain.

In Italy there are some very beautiful document "binders" for presentation of important documents.  I don’t know what things are available in the USA.  Surely some readers will know more.

I hesitate to add this, for surely a few people will freak out… but once upon a time in a WDTPRS column I joked about having a liturgical laptop Missal: Sacramentarium Cyberense Romanum.  And because you just can’t make some things up fast enogh… I must also confess that I once wound up saying Mass privately from a laptop.  My missal had grown legs and I was stuck for a couple days somewhere without any book.  It was use the laptop or not say Mass at all.  I chose the laptop.  I had no printer where I was.  I had digitally photographed the whole 1962 Missale Romanum and had it on my hard drive.  I just copied the necessary pages to a folder, numbered them in order so all I had to do with the Picture Manager was click to "turn" the "page".  It worked fairly well.  I am not saying that that is a long term solution, but it could help you at least during the learning process.

Maybe some folks here have a recommendation or two.

Thanks and persevere!

From diaconal reader:

I wonder what your opinion is. As a newly ordained permanent Deacon, I have been instructed that I may not assist with the distribution of Holy Communion or be allowed to preach at the Tridentine Mass because there is a question as to whether this is allowed. Ironically, i have been training priests in our Diocese who wish to learn the usus antiquio