Please choose the best answer. We want your comments, too, what you think about the placement.
Anyone can vote, but only registered and approved readers can comment. All comments on every post go into a queue.
Loading ...
Fr. Z’s Podcasts RSS Feed
About this blog…
“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
YOUR RECENT COMMENTS
- on What is Catholic teaching about “deportation”? Maybe not what some higher-ups think.: “Patrick-K notes that Fr. Totleben says “The Church teaches both that people have a right to migrate both for asylum…”
- on ROME DAY 25/01 -01: Cheeseburger: “Now I am craving a cheeseburger. Interesting to see how this will all pan out. I hope some clarity for…”
- on What is Catholic teaching about “deportation”? Maybe not what some higher-ups think.: “I find it amazing that for all of these bishop – including the Conference – that are so quick to…”
- on 23 January: St. Raymond Peñafort – surfer extraordinaire: “St Raymond pray for us. May we have your faith, fortitude and zeal! Viva Christo Rey”
- on What is Catholic teaching about “deportation”? Maybe not what some higher-ups think.: “Please correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t men who are to be ordained canonically required to be well versed…”
- on ROME DAY 25/01 -02: Chinese Food (Sichuan): “Father Z, will you be in Rome this weekend? I’m off to Rome and staying close to Trinita dei Pellegrini.…”
- on 23 January: St. Raymond Peñafort – surfer extraordinaire: “Is this more proof that Dominicans are superior to Jesuits? ; )”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1226 – “Baaaaaah!”: “Tangentially, Mr. Trump will this year be able to celebrate 40 years living in a Spanish-Revival-style home named Mar-a-Lago (with,…”
- on 23 January: St. Raymond Peñafort – surfer extraordinaire: “I have been reading your blog on my Android cell phone recently while my computer was on the fritz, and…”
- on ROME DAY 25/01 -02: Chinese Food (Sichuan): “In my late wife’s birthplace of New Jersey there are many “bring your own bottle” restaurants due to arcane liquor…”
- on What is Catholic teaching about “deportation”? Maybe not what some higher-ups think.: ““The Church teaches both that people have a right to migrate both for asylum and economic reasons.” Does it? Even…”
- on ROME DAY 25/01 -02: Chinese Food (Sichuan): ““I read on X a suggestions that the Gulf should be renamed the Gulf of Our Lady of Guadalupe.” I…”
- on What is Catholic teaching about “deportation”? Maybe not what some higher-ups think.: “Good read Father. The usual suspects are beating their breasts about Orange Man Bad.”
- on What is Catholic teaching about “deportation”? Maybe not what some higher-ups think.: “Interesting name of the Dominican father, ‘Totleben’ which literally means ‘death- life’. It sounds like he should be called Father…”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1226 – “Baaaaaah!”: “I can’t seem to comment on your latest article (https://wdtprs.com/2025/01/daily-rome-shot-1227-my-view-for-awhile-north/), and so I thought I’d leave a comment here that…”
ABORTION PILL RESCUE NETWORK
Everyone, work to get this into your parish bulletins and diocesan papers.
Federated Computer… your safe and private alternative to big biz corporations that hate us while taking our money and mining our data. Have an online presence large or small? Catholic DIOCESE? Cottage industry? See what Federated has to offer. Save money and gain peace of mind.
I am an affiliate. Click and join or at least explore! If you join, I’ll get credit.
Polls
Loading ...Donate using VENMO
GREAT BEER from Traditional Benedictine Monks in Italy
CLICK and say your daily offerings!
A Daily Prayer for Priests
NEW OPPORTUNITY – 10% off with code: FATHERZ10
Fr. Z’s VOICEMAIL
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
WDTPRS
020 8133 4535
651-447-6265
Good coffee and tea. Help monks.
I use this when I travel both in these USA and abroad. Very useful. Fast enough for Zoom. I connect my DMR (ham radio) through it. If you use my link, they give me more data. A GREAT back up.
Help support Fr. Z’s Gospel of Life work at no cost to you. Do you need a Real Estate Agent? Calling these people is the FIRST thing you should do!
They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!
This blog has to earn its keep!
PLEASE subscribe via PayPal if it is useful. Zelle and Wise are better, but PayPal is convenient.
A monthly subscription donation means I have steady income I can plan on. I put you my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I often say Holy Mass.
In view of the rapidly changing challenges I now face, I would like to add more $10/month subscribers. Will you please help?
For a one time donation...
To donate monthly I prefer Zelle because it doesn't extract fees. Use
frz AT wdtprs DOT comPLEASE RESPOND. Pretty pleeeease?
Loading ...WDTPRS POLL
Loading ...Great WINE USE COUPON CODE: fatherz10
Use my code for a discount
The parish that I regularly frequent is an FSSP apostolate. There are announcements only about half of the time, maybe a bit more; often there are simply no announcements. When the priest makes an announcement, it is invariably before the homily.
My previous parish was a relatively by-the-book novus ordo. There, announcements were after communion per the GIRM.
I don’t get to my Latin Mass parish very much, but important announcements are made via an email list. The most common announcement is for a new baby with a signup list for bringing meals to the family. More than one new baby a month is not unusual. The emails are not sent by Father, but by a handful of parishioners. There is a Sunday Bulletin, which I read every week via the Parish’s website, but some important announcements are not put there and are only made via email. Back when I attended regularly announcements were also just before the sermon.
At least one recent announcement via email was something that had to be kept secret and it appears no one leaked it. I guess there are no moles on the email list.
I also attend an FSSP church and announcements are always made after the Gospel but before the vernacular readings and sermon.
At my old NO parish the lector did them before mass.
Additional comments—
What do I think about the placement? I think that if there must be announcements during mass, it is best to put them before the homily, as this marks a natural break. At my old novus ordo parish, announcements were made according to the current rules, as I wrote above, after communion. This is by the book. But I always found this a very peculiar and disruptive place to put announcements.
To my mind, ideally announcements should entirely outside of mass, perhaps before mass starts, though I am not sure how that would work in practice. Also, it seems to me that if there is a parish bulletin, there should be no real need for about 90% of announcements. I can understand the need for an occasional announcement on an urgent or very important matter. Otherwise, just read the bulletin.
My former parish insisted on having a lay person make the announcements after communion, every Sunday Mass without fail, even if there were no announcements! On Sunday’s with no announcement, the announcement was always “announcements: please pick up a copy of the parish bulletin.” This used to kill me.
About half the time our pastor makes only a few comments before the dismissal while we’re standing. I have told my pastor that the worst thing he says at Mass is, “Please be seated” after Communion because that means we’re in for a long discussion of something(s).
Voxborealis says…’To my mind, ideally announcements should be entirely outside of mass,’
This suggests to me that the ideal place for any announcements would be before the vernacular readings, as the priest has (usually) removed the maniple,implying that there is now a period which is outside the Mass.
We attend a diocesan TLM. Our announcements are before Mass. The same announcements are distributed via an email list and FlockNote. FlockNote is great because you can send out newsletters or short messages via email or text. Texts have been only utilized for rare last-minute changes to the schedule.
Our neighboring (NO) parish has what we call “The Rite of Announcements”, which takes place just before the final blessing. Every event that could be easily found in the bulletin, website, or weekly email is read aloud. It really feels out of place considering that we still have the Body of Christ corporally present within us.
Normally one or two highlighted announcement get made before Mass, during what I would call the “welcome from the piano player”. It goes something like this:
Good morning…(pause for response) and welcome to ____ parish. We’d like to extend a warm welcome to any visitors we may have with us. Thank you for praying with us today. Know that you are always welcome and hope that you come back often. [insert highlights here]. We pray in a special way the intention of (deceased person who the Mass is offered for). We also pray for (newly deceased). My those who morn them receive God’s peace. Eternal rest…. Now, please rise and greet the people around you.
Sometimes if there is something really important (like getting your raffle tickets in today – not the Holy Day schedule). It will be done either before or after the last blessing. Special speakers, such as the bishop’s video recording for $$$ or other special events or mission $$$ will come after the sermon.
At one point, they essentially read the bulletin to us before Mass. However, now they have the computer screens up in front over the side statues so they have that info running all before Mass – provided your eyes are good enough to read it.
Personally, if announcements need to be made, I prefer them before Mass because then it at least doesn’t interrupt the flow of the Mass. After Communion should be a time for prayer and contemplation, and we don’t need to be sitting there any longer at the homily. One thing I wish they would understand is that the bulletin says Mass starts at a particular time – let’s say 7:30. That “should” be when Mass starts and announcements should happen BEFORE Mass starts.
FSSP parish, before the sermon, or occasionally directly after. In the NO it should be done (and usually is) directly after the postcommunion prayer, which I have always found awkward and disruptive.
At the ICKSP Mass which I usually attend the announcements are made before the homily.
@Littlemore—
Yes, I know well and understand the principle. But my preference would be for announcements to made outside of Mass entirely, including outside of the liminal period of the homily. Ideally, before Mass begins, as I think this works better than after Mass, when most at my parish are praying thanksgiving. Honestly, at least 90% of the time there is, in my view, no need for any announcements as such info can be placed conveniently and silently in the bulletin.
At a local TLM where I regularly assist the announcements are made before Mass by one of the priests. This is begun at the scheduled Mass time, not a few minutes before. He then reads a translation of the Epistle followed by the two non-Gospel readings of the NO for that day. (The translation of the Gospel for both the TLM Zander the NO follow the singing of the Gospel.) Then the Mass intentions are read, usually a long list, followed by a request for prayers for the sick and the dead. Finally all pray the Pater, Ave, and Requiem. It takes a good 10 minutes. IMHO it’s a bit much. I don’t know why they NO lectionary readings are read. Perhaps the bishop requires it. I’ve never experienced or heard of it being done at any other TLM, even in the same diocese. However, it does give one a little wiggle room to arrive in time for the Asperges or beginning of Mass. Very few are late for Mass.
Always before the sermon at both the TLMs in the incredibly blessed archdiocese of Portland, OR.
I agree with the above comment, that if there’s a bulletin, there should be no need for announcements outside of the absolutely most important announcements. A fine example of this is the Holy Days or feasts where a sung High Mass will additionally be offered. I also love the annual announcement where the priest promises that if we meet our goal for the archbishop’s appeal, we don’t have to watch the video. (This is the first diocese I’ve lived in where I actually donate to the appeal, and not only to avoid the video, but especially in gratitude to our wonderful Archbishop who supports our TLM community.)
In my regular parish, announcements are made after the prayer after communion and before the final blessing.
I recently attendended an Anglican Ordinariate Mass in Ottawa. The announcements there were made after the Liturgy of the Word/Mass of the Cathecumans and before the Liturgy of the Eucharist/Mass of the Faitful. I found that a bit jarring because it was so unfamiliar to me- but it has a certain logic. After all if the uninitiated are to be “dismissed” before the Liturgy of the Eucharist that is the only time they would be able to hear announcments – not that anybody was acutally dismissed.
Is it me, or is there some misunderstanding among your readers, Father Z, about the fact that the sermon technically is considered an interruption of the Mass? And so isn’t this why the priest reads the announcements, the Epistle and Gospel (in the vernacular) just before the sermon? Be that as it may, when my family formally became Catholic, the priest told us prior to our first communion to pray for 18 minutes after receiving our Lord as this was believed to be how long it takes for the host to be digested. He recommended praying to Jesus while He was within us. It is impossible to do this at a Novus Ordo Mass and I cannot fathom why they moved announcements to the end of Mass knowing full well praying after reception used to be a common practice. This also seems to me to harm one’s faith in the Real Presence.
NO Mass. Announcements are after the Collect before the final blessing. This is how I’ve seen it done everywhere I’ve assisted in our Archdiocese. It works well.
Our announcements are made prior to Mass starting, painfully. We lectors read them 3 minutes before we start. Prior to our new pastor, we (well, usually the Priest) had always read them after Communion.
People are always coming in late so they miss the announcements. Why change it? I asked Father and he said it didn’t matter. Then, no one told the organist and the singer at the Mass I’m always at. I asked Father about it and he said they’d figure it out. So I added in an announcement in the printed announcements a few minutes later explaining the change to everyone. I stopped by after Mass and the organist seemed a bit peeved that no one had informed him until I made the announcement. I apologized for what only could have be a terrible oversight.
Not sure why we had to fix something that wasn’t broken.
“OTHER”. After the Prayer After Communion but before the Blessing and Dismissal.
The above is the official position of the USCCB for the Novus Ordo:
cf. https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass
Other – it’s not just USCCB – IGMR 2002 says:
Ritus conclusionis
90. Ad ritus conclusionis pertinent:
a) breves notitiæ, si necessariæ sint;
b) salutatio et benedictio sacerdotis, quæ quibusdam diebus et occasionibus oratione super populum vel alia sollemniore formula ditatur et exprimitur;
c) dimissio populi ex parte diaconi vel sacerdotis, ut unusquisque ad opera sua bona revertatur, collaudans et benedicens Deum;
d) osculatio altaris ex parte sacerdotis et diaconi et deinde inclinatio profunda ad altare ex parte sacerdotis, diaconi, aliorumque ministrorum.
Usually at NO and Ordinariate Masses, the announcements come after the Post-Communion prayer and before the Blessing & Dismissal. I’m OK with that.
Years ago, it used to be quite common for the announcements to be made *before* the Post-Communion prayer. This used to really annoy me – grind my gears, as you say – effectively making the announcements part of the Communion Rite – for Heaven’s sake! The Post-Communion prayer is the conclusion of the Communion Rite, not a preface to the Blessing & Dismissal! This erroneous practice seems to be disappearing and those celebrants who commit this liturgical error tend to be older men.
NO parish, and the announcements are after the prayer after Communion, and before the blessing.
Our previous pastor had the announcements before Mass.
After Communion (that is, after postcommunio), because it was a Novus ordo Mass – to wit of my adoptive parish, which our FSSP apostolate is a vicariate of and where I attended because Epiphany is the chief feast of a fraternity based there which I belong to (and to show up in the parish once in a while, which is really doing a great job). The FSSP I otherwise attend would have done it before the sermon.
Dear Josephus Corvus,
One thing I wish they would understand is that the bulletin says Mass starts at a particular time – let’s say 7:30. That “should” be when Mass starts and announcements should happen BEFORE Mass starts.
That is infeasible. The very point of announcements is that they are actually heard by the people, and while it is both true that they can possibly degenerate into excessive and exhaustive rambling and that there is no really fitting place for them [*] and one has to settle for a compromise, it is also quite true that they really have to exist. The parish really is a community, however much the “synodalians” may overblow that fact.
Now, people can perfectly be exactly on time for Mass (especially family-fathers who are still looking for a parking-spot for their car while the rest of the family has been dropped off); and we do know that it is a rather common (and, if I as one also prone to it may say it, mild … which doesn’t make it okay…) vice to be a bit late… but just as it so happens not usually later than the beginning of the sermon, which is when they do the announcements at TLMs.
[* The ideal time, I guess, would be at Second Vespers, between Sacramental Benediction and the Marian Antiphon – provided of course that there are solemn Vespers with Benediction, and that the entire Mass congregation stays as long or reappears. Which is not the case.]
We get a very brief welcome just before the final blessing. Sometimes we’ll get a bonus, like a brief invitation to pick up blessed chalk. Very rarely does it last more than 30 seconds.