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

From a reader:

I am wondering what the rule is concerning mixing both wine and water for chalices that will be used for communion under both species.  I have seen some priests only add the water to their own chalice, and other priests who add a drop of water to each individual chalice to be used for communion.  Is there a certain way to do this?

Since I pretty much never am involved with concelebration with multiple chalices, I need to open the floor up to priests who do this sort of thing more often.   On the rare occasion when I have been, I have this to attending deacons, etc.

That said, I think the GIRM only requires that the main chalice (singular), i.e., of the celebrant, must receive a small portion of water in the wine.   Nothing is said about other chalices one way or another. 

It strikes me as appropriate for water to be added to all the chalices at the time of the preparation of the celebrant’s chalice, but I don’t think that is prescribed.

Also, we must not after the consecration pour the Precious Blood from a container into chalices.  Chalices should be prepared ahead of time (cf. Redemptionis Sacramentum). 

I noticed at Bonfire of the Vanities an entry profoundly dopey idea of removing Holy Water from fonts at the entrances of churches during Lent.

I have written about this really dumb idea several times.

Empty holy water fonts during Lent… GRRRRRR!

Since Lent is in view, let us get you good folks armed against such dopiness if it is planned for your parishes.

Here is what I wrote in another entry: QUAERITUR: removing holy water during Lent

Q:  Our Sunday bulletin states that Holy Water will be removed from Ash Wednesday on during Lent to remind us that we are in a desert. What is the latest rule for removing Holy Water? It used to be done on Good Friday.

Good question! Thanks for asking this. No doubt thousands.. maybe millions of people will be subjected to all kinds of rubbish during Lent. One day I should relate the stupid things we had to endure in seminary about this very thing of sand in the holy water stoup.

Any way… This is a response from the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments about this question. Enjoy.

The emphases are mine:

    Prot. N. 569/00/L

    March 14, 2000

    Dear Father:

    This Congregation for Divine Worship has received your letter sent by fax in which you ask whether it is in accord with liturgical law to remove the Holy Water from the fonts for the duration of the season of Lent.

    This Dicastery is able to respond that the removing of Holy Water from the fonts during the season of Lent is not permitted, in particular, for two reasons:

    1. The liturgical legislation in force does not foresee this innovation, which in addition to being praeter legem is contrary to a balanced understanding of the season of Lent, which though truly being a season of penance, is also a season rich in the symbolism of water and baptism, constantly evoked in liturgical texts.

    2. The encouragement of the Church that the faithful avail themselves frequently of the [sic] of her sacraments and sacramentals is to be understood to apply also to the season of Lent. The "fast" and "abstinence" which the faithful embrace in this season does not extend to abstaining from the sacraments or sacramentals of the Church. The practice of the Church has been to empty the Holy Water fonts on the days of the Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil, and it corresponds to those days on which the Eucharist is not celebrated (i.e., Good Friday and Holy Saturday).

    Hoping that this resolves the question and with every good wish and kind regard, I am,

    Sincerely yours in Christ,
    [signed]
    Mons. Mario Marini [Later the Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, now sadly deceased.]
    Undersecretary

One of these days I will tell you about the hijinx over holy water in Lent we had in seminary, the infamous Saint Paul Seminary, in Minnesota, where I did a couple years of hard time. But that’s another story.

About the holy water thing. 

Holy water is a sacramental. 

We get the powerful theology of its use in the older ritual in the prayers for exorcism of the water and salt used and then the blessing itself.  I wrote about this in an article for the WDTPRS series and it is on this blog. 

The rite of blessing holy water, in the older ritual, is powerful stuff.  It sounds odd, nearly foreign to our modern ears, especially after over 30 years of being force fed ICEL pabulum.

Holy Water is a power weapon of the spiritual life against the attacks of the devil. 

You do believe in the existence of the Enemy, ... right? 

You know you are a soldier and pilgrim in a dangerous world, ... right? 

So why… why… why would these liturgists and priests REMOVE a tool of spiritual warfare precisely during the season of LENT when we need it the most?? 

Holy water is a sacramental. 

It is for our benefit. 

It is not a toy, or something to be abstained from, like chocolate or television.

The other day I ask for your help by means of prayers for something very important that I had lost or was stolen in the Denver Airport.  When the thing didn’t turn up, I then asked if you would also pray that the person who had it would have a change of mind and heart.

It seems your prayers have worked.

Here is the fuller explanation and update.

It was my iPhone that went missing at the airport.  The moment I realized I didn’t have it, I reported it lost.  I retraced where I had been.   I then headed off to Wyoming Catholic College for my speaking engagement and visit there. 

I called the Denver Airport again that night and again the next day.  I was told they didn’t have my phone.  On my way back through Denver yesterday I checked again.

I spent quite a bit of very nervous time changing passwords on everything I could think of that I could access from my phone.  Believe me… that is a lot of things.  Then I went into my ATT account page and suspended the phone service. 

I when I got home I therefore went straight from the airport to the store and negotiated a new phone with a bit of a discount though an early upgrade.  Still very spendy. 

When I got to my house I found a message on my answering machine from my mother, that evening, saying that Denver Airport’s Lost and Found HAD MY PHONE.  They saw her number in my recent calls and called her late in the afternoon!  By the time I learned this, the Lost and Found was closed.

When I had checked the Denver airport yesterday the morning the person I spoke with apparently didn’t actually check to see if they had it.  Very expensive for me, as that turned out! 

Thus, I called the Denver Airport Lost and Found again today and spoke with a different person who confirmed that they had my phone.  She said they could FedEx it to me on Monday if I had a FedEx number.  I do and they have given me my tracking number.  I lost the phone on the 3rd.  It was turned in on the 4th.

Therefore on Wednesday I will probably have back my not-very-old formerly-lost very-expensive paper weight after its little vacation.

Then I called the ATT store where I had spent time and money last night.  They can take my new phone back a 10% fee.

Here is what I draw from this.

First, prayers are effective.  Something moved the person to turn my phone in after some delay.  Or perhaps St. Anthony helped Lost and Found find my phone they in turn had lost.  I don’t know which it is, but I am getting my old phone back, which in purely worldly terms was very much not likely to happen.

Second, regarding the phone itself, I have now started researching some apps and options to add additional security.  I will post on this in another entry.  Ever worry about identity theft?  I have. 

Third, it pays to pray and to be persistent in prayer… and persistent in your own efforts as well.  Many problems which seem to be lost causes can be resolved by grace and elbow grease.

Fourth, asking for help helps.

Therefore I am very grateful to everyone who, in their kindness, helped me pray for the return of this thing, which could have lead to some real problems and far greater expense.

Thank you, dear readers.

The use of the sacrament of penance, reconciliation has been horribly eroded over the last few decades.

Ven. Pius XII said once that the sin of the 20th century was the loss of the sense of sin.

Surely that pertains now even more.

Here is a nice story from CNA:

Boston, Mass., Feb 3, 2010 / 03:01 am (CNA).- Seeking to promote the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Archdiocese of Boston has launched a new website about how to make a good confession. Its priests will also offer confessions in every chapel and church on Wednesdays during Lent. The website, www.TheLightIsOnForYou.org, describes how to prepare for confession with an examination of conscience. It also provides an act of contrition to recite before absolution.

Auxiliary Bishop of Boston Robert F. Hennessey recorded a video message on the website. In the video, he quotes Jesus as saying that Heaven rejoices more for one repentant sinner than for 99 that never needed to repent.

“Every time that someone returns to the Sacrament of Confession, Heaven celebrates. And that unbelievable experience of joy becomes ours when we are forgiven.”

 

Read the rest over there.

WDTPRS says kudos!

Does your diocese have a special effort to promote the sacrament of penance during Lent?

Does your parish?

Do you?

I have posted this in the past, but there are many newcomers to the blog who may find this useful.

Every time I get my throat blessed on St. Blaise Day, I get a sore throat or bronchitis.  As a matter of fact, every time I bless a car it gets in an accident.  One person whom I warned about this, and indeed was in a accident soon after, came back to me and said, "Imagine how bad it would have been if you hadn’t blessed it!" 

So, ever the optimist, I keep going back each year for a blessing of the throat.

Today is the Feast of St. Blaise, about whom we know very little.   We have only this very brief entry in the Martyrologium Romanum: Sancti Blasii, episcopi et martyris, qui pro christiano nomine Sabaste in Armenia passus est sub Licino imperatore. ... [Feast of] St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, who suffered for the name of Christ in Sabaste in Armenia under the Emperor Licinus.

That "pro Christiano nomine" probably needs to be rendered as "for the name of Christ" along the lines of rendering dies dominica or oratio dominica as, respectively, "the Lord’s Day = Sunday" or "the Lord’s Prayer".  It is entirely possible, of course, just to keep it literal and say, "for the Christian name", which would be pretty much the same thing in the balance. 

Either way, he was killed because as a Christian Blaise professed belief in Christ.

COLLECT:
Exaudi, Domine, populum tuum,
cvm beati Blasii martyris patrocinio supplicantem,
ut et temporalis vitae nos tribuas pace gaudere,
et aeternae reperire subsidium.

LITERAL TRANSLATION:
O Lord, graciously hear Your people
begging by means of the patronage of blessed martyr Blaise,
that you grant us to delight in the peace of temporal life
and obtain the protection of eternal life.

I take away from this prayer the serious message that life is dangerous.  The word subsidium means "support, assistance, aid, help, protection" and often in liturgical Latin "help".  Either way, subsidium sets up a stark contrast between the life we have now and the life to come.  Even the phrase about enjoying the peace of this life, indicates subtly how precarious everything is in this earthly existence which Catholics are accustomed to call a "vale of tears".

This is firmed up by another wonderful prayer associated with St. Blaise.  You all know about the blessing of throats on the feast of St. Blaise.  Once upon a time, in the older form of the Rituale Romanum there was a marvelous blessing for the candles used to confer the blessing of throats.  Here it is:

BLESSING OF CANDLES ON THE FEAST OF ST. BLAISE:

O God most powerful and most kind, Who didst create all the different things in the world by the Word alone, and Whose will it was that this Word by Which all things were made should become incarnate for the remaking of mankind; Thou Who art great and limitless, worthy of reverence and praise, the worker of wonders; for Whose sake the glorious Martyr and Bishop, St. Blaise, joyfully gained the palm of martyrdom, never shrinking from any kind of torture in confessing his faith in Thee; Thou Who didst give to him, amongst other gifts, the prerogative of curing by Thy power every ailment of men’s throats; humbly we beg Thee in Thy majesty not to look upon our guilt, but, pleased by his merits and prayers, in Thine awe-inspiring kindness, to bless+this wax created by Thee and to sanc+tify it, pouring into it Thy grace; so that all who in good faith shall have their throats touched by this wax may be freed from every ailment of their throats through the merit of his suffering, and, in good health and spirits, may give thanks to Thee in Thy holy Church and praise Thy glorious name, which is blessed for ever and ever.  Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee lives and reigns, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.  R. Amen.

Ah!  What a pleasure that prayer is!  Or course, the candles are to be sprinkled with holy water after the blessing.  Maybe you should print this out and take it to your parish priest "with Fr. Z’s compliments".  It might be that he doesn’t have this text and perhaps would like to (or you would like to) have your throat blessed in Latin!
 
Here is the Blessing for throats:

Per intercessionem Sancti Blasii, episcopi et martyris,
liberet te Deus a malo gutturis, et a quolibet alio malo.
In nomine Patris, et Filii +, et Spiritus Sancti.  Amen.

Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr,
may God free you from illness of the throat and from any other sort of ill.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.

I will never forget this formula.  Long ago, as a deacon, I lived at the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari, which is also dedicated to St. Blaise as co-patron.  The Barnabites there have in their possession relics of St. Blaise.  There is one in a large reliquary and one in a crystal placed on a large ring held in the fist of one hand (click the photo to see a larger image and inside the crystal).   This is what they used to bless throats on this feast.  

I was asked by the clergy there to help with blessing the throats of the people who thronged to the church that day.  As soon as I donned my surplice every other cleric actually attached to the place vanished.  I was left there for several hours.  I can’t say how many times I said that formula that day.

Here is an action shot of a priest at. San Carlo in Rome, blessing with the relic.



At the Sabine Farm, there is a relic of St. Blaise!  It is in a very old reliquary.



Here we have St. Blaise along with St. Nicholas, St. Joachim, St. Ann and, a special privilege, St. Paul, Apostle, during the Pauline Year.

St. Blaise is at the bottom.

From a reader:

Father and the deacons at my parish know that I study chant, and it has been suggested that I sing the Exultet this year. This is one of the first chants I started learning (in Latin of course) and I am very excited to do it. I have listened to your podcast and your recording (many times throughout the liturgical year), and am very familiar with it. Father mentioned he had heard of an Exultet in Latin and English, and I said I would look into it for him. I suppose he could mean the majority of the chant in one language and the exchange between deacon/priest and people in the other. Have you heard of such a thing? I pulling for it in Latin (whether I sing or not), with an English translation in a flyer/bulletin/program.

 

Exultet in two languages?  Awful idea, in my opinion.

If you are going to have some Latin, do the whole thing in Latin. 

People aren’t stupid.  They will follow in the book perfectly and pay more attention that way.

And I don’t see why the music director should be able to tell the priest what music they should use.  Who signs the paycheck?

This citation from NLM is really useful.

Bugnini’s own Consilium in 1969 offered the following instruction, consistent with the Vatican II emphasis on chant over vernacular hymnody. As printed in 1 Notitiae, 5 (1969), p. 406

That rule [permitting vernacular hymns] has been superseded. What must be sung is the Mass, its ordinary and proper, not “something,” no matter how consistent, that is imposed on the Mass. Because the liturgical service is one, it has only one countenance, one motif, one voice, the voice of the church. To continue to replace the texts of the Mass being celebrated with motets that are reverent and devout, yet out of keeping with the Mass of the day amounts to continuing an unacceptable ambiguity: it is to cheat the people. Liturgical song involves not mere melody, but words, text, thought, and the sentiments that the poetry and music contain. Thus texts must be those of the Mass, not others, and singing means singing the Mass not just singing during Mass.

Sacred music is not an add on to the liturgy.  It is liturgy.  Sacred music is pars integrans in the sacred liturgy, that is, an integral part or, better integrating part of the whole of liturgical worship.

Thus, music for Mass must be sacred and it must be artistic.  The texts sung must be sacred and relevant to the liturgy of the day.  It must be composed and performed in the best manner possible, a truly artistic way. 

Pastors and church musicians should… must… rethink the "four hymn sandwich".

Latin is not, as some claim, tooo haaard for parishes.

From a priest reader:

I’ve been thinking about the new translation of the Novus Ordo.  Suddenly, all of the old music will be out, of no use.  I wondered what to do about it, when it struck me that this is the time to teach the parish Gregorian Chant.  We will begin with the Sanctus this Lent and continue slowly making additions until the new translation comes; we’ll be prepared.  They won’t be adjusting to everything all at once; and in some sense will be very well prepared to accept the new translation!
 
I shared this with the chair of the diocesan liturgical commission, and he thought it was a wonderful idea.

I would add… start forming a schola cantorum.

I continue to muse about Latin in parish worship.  I just isn’t that hard.  People can and will take to it and Latin can facilitate a deeper kind of active participation.

I had a note from a reader who has to do with the Latin Liturgy Association in the area of Philadelphia, PA.

Weekly Compline at Mater Ecclesiae, Berlin, NJ, Beginning Tuesday, Feb.9, 2010 at 8:05 PM
Sodales:
I am very pleased to bring to your attention the notice below from LLA member John Rotundi  about weekly Compline starting up at Mater Ecclesiae Roman Catholic Church at 261 Cross Keys Road in Berlin, NJ.  For directions to the church please go to the website at www.materecclesiae.org. As you know, Mater Ecclesiae is “totally traditional” with all Masses and ceremonies in the traditional Latin form of the Roman Rite.

[...]

We will have an Orientation meeting on Sunday, February 7 following the 11:00 am Mass. This meeting will cover the general purposes and goals of this group as well as address any particular questions you may have about how to pray the Office or questions pertaining to any particular version of the Office vs. another, etc.

Also, on Tuesday, February 9 @ 8:05 pm, we will pray Compline in the Mater Ecclesiae chapel in Latin either in recitation or full chant (if we get a practice in with those interested). This will continue on every Tuesday night afterwards following my Latin classes for HFA. I shall work on compiling a Compline service booklet (a quick copy and paste job) to send out soon; however, the "Divinum Officium" book sold in the bookstore would perfectly suffice if you want something nicer and more permanent to use.

Compline for Tuesday, February 9 will utilize the regular Tuesday antiphon and psalms, Hymn "Te lucis" in the Ordinary Tone, and the Simple Tone of the Marian antiphon "Ave regina caelorum" if you would like to take a look at the text ahead of time.

Nice initiative!

 

I am slated to by at Mater Ecclesiae for a time just after this inauguration of Compline.  I will give some reports if I get any.

Perhaps there will be a change for a Philly blognic. 

As a follow up to the dynamic discussion HERE, I thought it a good idea to repost my tips for making a good confession so that you can have them in hand, before Lent begins and you can make a plan about your Lenten practices.

Fr. Z’s 20 Tips For Making A Good Confession   o{]:¬)

We should…

  1) ...examine our consciences regularly and thoroughly;
  2) ...wait our turn in line patiently;
  3) ...come at the time confessions are scheduled, not a few minutes before they are to end;
  4) ...speak distinctly but never so loudly that we might be overheard;
  5) ...state our sins clearly and briefly without rambling;
  6) ...confess all mortal sins in number and kind;
  7) ...listen carefully to the advice the priest gives;
  8) ...confess our own sins and not someone else’s;
  9) ...carefully listen to and remember the penance and be sure to understand it;
10) ...use a regular formula for confession so that it is familiar and comfortable;
11) ...never be afraid to say something "embarrassing"... just say it;
12) ...never worry that the priest thinks we are jerks…. he is usually impressed by our courage;
13) ...never fear that the priest will not keep our confession secret… he is bound by the Seal;
14) ...don’t confess "tendencies" or "struggles"... just sins;
15) ...don’t leave the confessional before the priest has finished giving absolution;
16) ...memorize an Act of Contrition;
17) ...answer the priest’s questions briefly if he asks for a clarification;
18) ...ask questions if we can’t understand what he means when he tells us something;
19) ...keep in mind that priests can have bad days just like we do;
20) ...remember that priests go to confession too … they know what we are going through.

 

From a seminarian:

I understand that in a rescript issued from the Holy See, on November 5, 1964, Paul VI granted the newly-ordained priest the privilege of offering a papal blessing on the occasion of his first Masses.

Is this still in force?

Can such a blessing still be granted at first Masses?

 

Good question. 

I am not sure.

My first impulse is to say that this probably shouldn’t be done because of the changes made to indulgences found in the Enchiridion Indulgentiarum.  The new norms replace the old norms and privileges.  In the new Enchiridion people who participate in a first Mass of a new priest can receive a plenary indulgence… which was the point of the old papal blessing.  

Yes, this is a lot more vague and far less interesting, but it is on the books now.

Perhaps someone else has found a clarification on this and can share it.

From a reader:

Does a Mass heard in a SSPX chapel fulfill the Sunday Mass obligation?

Perhaps you have answered this question before. If so, I missed it.

The 1983 Code of Canon Law, can. 1248 says:

1. "The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day." 

The Holy See has said repeatedly that attending Masses of the SSPX fulfills the obligation according to can 1248.

However, I will add that – while this strictly fulfills your obligation, I do not recommend that this be your normal way of fulfilling your obligation.  The SSPX is not yet in manifest unity with the Roman Pontiff.  The SSPX priests are suspended and have no permission from the Church to administer the sacraments.  It can happen that people who frequent their chapels can undermine their union with the local bishop and the Vicar of Christ.

I am fully aware that in many cases what is going on at your local normal parish may seem like the childish or pagan rites of a strange cult, and that what goes on at the SSPX chapel seems entirely reasonable Catholic, our sense of ecclesial unity remains important.  With very few exceptions the SSPX priests I have met have been fine men and zealous, while many liberal/heterodox priests in good standing I have known have been ignorant, arrogant, and petty.

This should spur us to earnest and frequent prayer for the success of the theological talks going on between the Holy See and SSPX and be ready to extend a welcoming hand…. especially in this Week of Christian Unity.

In this day of desktop publishing… gosh, even that is a dated term now… and the ability to produce polished videos from your laptop from things you shoot from your mobile phone, we have an obligation to use the tools of social communication and networking in the most effective ways.

A seminarian sent me a note about the following.

Here is a nice little video on YouTube about how to serve Mass.

Have a look!



Discuss.

From a reader:

I just had a quick question: If a seminarian or anyone for that matter wears an an alb at Mass is it proper to wear an amice under it? I have a cassock and surplice but the "tradition" in my diocese has been that seminarians wear albs when sitting in choir at Mass or serving or whatever.

 

For the Novus Ordo, the general rule is that street clothes should be covered.  For clerics, for sacred ministers, that sometimes requires the amice if the alb is not constructed so as to cover the collar.

If you priests or deacons in Mass vestments with their Roman collars showing, they are under-dressed.

As far as lay people are concerned, I think the rule would still apply.

But I wouldn’t want the use of an amice to lead to any sense of "clericalization" of the lay people who use them.  If there must be servers in albs, perhaps it would be better to have those albs that entirely cover the next, thus eliminating the need for an amice.

Seminarians should use proper choir dress.   But if they are forced to use albs, then use the amice if necessary to cover street clothes.

For the Usus antiquior, priests must use an amice.  Servers would be in cassock and surplice.

His omnibus scriptis: If you don’t have an amice and one isn’t available, you go ahead as best you can without it.  You are not held to the impossible.   But be responsible beforehand and make sure you have what you need.   Don’t assume these days that parishes have amices unless they also have more traditional liturgical worship.

I enjoyed this post from Stella Borealis:

Boy altar server involvement in Mass increases 500% by making rules more demanding [Do I hear an "Amen!"?]

By returning to more demanding altar server practices, two men were able to increase participation at their parish from 10 to 60.

"Altar serving at Holy Family allows boys to be more fully integrated into the Mass and gives them a chance to experience Christ’s sacrifice up close. Holy Family provides an environment that makes them feel welcome and necessary and is an excellent experience". Carson Lind, 19 year old, 7 year veteran

The need it meets

Bob and Mark, members of Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, wanted to see more boys actively involved in the Mass. They felt that being an altar server could help boys participate more fully and possibly discern a priestly vocation. Bob and Mark approached their pastor, Father Dufner, [A friend of mine for many years.] and shared with him their vision.

Where it came from

Both men had served in all-boy altar server groups as boys and remembered the experience with fondness. They wanted to share this experience with the boys in their parish.

How it works [Pay attention…]

First, the men proposed making the program only for boys. [That means that they came to the pastor with a plan.] They believed this would increase the boys’ desire to participate in the program. Father Dufner agreed. Next, the men worked on creating a more reverent atmosphere by using cassocks and surpluses and by buying uniform footwear [I once proposed that perhaps requiring crew cuts and hard polished dress shoes could help.]. Finally, the men trained the boys in the traditional roles of altar servers, but instituting cool nicknames and a system of ranks, which made them more accessible and attractive to the young boys. With these stricter guidelines, the program has seen great growth.  [Of course.]

The results

In the last seven years, it has grown from 10 participants to 60. There is a wide range of ages involved, giving older boys the chance to mentor younger ones.

Key elements

The men believe that several key elements have helped the program grow. The boys at the parish have responded well to the all-boy atmosphere, especially the extra time it has allowed them to spend with Father Dufner, both during training and outside of Mass at numerous program activities such as bowling and fishing. The boys have also been motivated by the hierarchy of ranks, along with the program’s high standards of order and discipline.  [Repeat after me: "This isn’t hard.  This isn’t hard."]

How to implement it

A good way to implement this program is to find male adult leaders who have a desire to see greater participation by boys in the Mass and encourage them to begin an altar boy program. Help these leaders to create a fun, competitive environment by instituting a system of ranks with nicknames, enforcing a strict dress code, and organizing complementary sports activities just for the altar servers. This will help motivate the boys to serve God and their church.

 

Sounds good to me.