Fr. Z's Blog

From a reader:

Thank you for the wonderful blog, I check it several times a day.  I have a question about the use of the Biretta in the Novus Ordo.  When can it be worn at Mass?  I wear it in procession at the moment. I’m especially curious of it’s possible use at Funeral Masses with the greeting of the body at the door of the church and at the end of the Mass at the commendation and procession out of the church.  My basic question is when should it be on and when should it be off.  I assume the answer is based on it’s use in the EF since there are no instructions for it in the NO.

The biretta can be used anytime!  And it should be!

I think your inclination is correct.  I would simply follow the rules laid down … what I call “biretiquette” … as they were in the old days, with the pre-Novus rites.  You can find all these rules in O’Connell and similar.

Remember too that during Mass you should put on your biretta, “cover”, after you sit down and “uncover” before you stand.  This is a common error… men uncover as they are standing or after… quod Deus avertat… they have already stood up!

The horror!

And do your best to avoid sitting on it if you are not used to using it.   There is nothing so disheartening as that crunching sound coming from a confused cleric on the other side of the sanctuary.

Lastly, with your right use the right hand point to cover and uncover.  Don’t use the front point.  Diocesan priests generally wear a biretta with three points, so the be sure to put the “empty” side to your left.  And… for the love of God… don’t cover with both hands.  I saw that not too long ago..

From a reader:

The Code of Canon Law (1169.3) restricts deacons to only giving blessings expressly permitted by law. The current Book of Blessings reserves very few blessing to priests only. My question: what blessings, if any, would a deacon be able to give in the former Roman Ritual.

Hmmm… good question.

My first inclination is to say you cannot use it at all… on your own.

Let’s see what Summorum Pontificum says:

Art. 9, § 1. Parochus item, omnibus bene perpensis, licentiam concedere potest utendi rituali antiquiore in administrandis sacramentis Baptismatis, Matrimonii, Poenitentiae et Unctionis Infirmorum, bono animarum id suadente.

Art. 9, § 1.  Similarly, a pastor, everything having been well thought out, can grant permission for using the older Ritual in the administration of  the sacraments of Baptism, Matrimony, Penance and Anointing of the Sick, as the good of souls suggests.

So… it a pastor of a parish tells you to use the Rituale for the sacraments, you can use it.  Keep in mind that deacons weren’t regularly baptizing or marrying in those days, and they can’t anoint at any time, of course, regardless of the book they would want to use.

I think the same would have to go for blessings as well.  But then again, deacons probably shouldn’t be doing much of that if there are priests around.

It would be nice if this were clarified by the PCED and Holy Father in the upcoming document.

In the old days, deacons could bless very few things indeed.  Now I think they can use the "Book of Blessings" for more things.  But remember that the Book of Blessings is essentially useless for blessing things.  There is a real clash of theology between the older Rituale and the new, revised book De Benedictionibus.

Your best course of action in this regard might in inaction, until you are ordained a priest.

Another question:

Father,

    What do you say about the use of glass chalices in Mass? Is this practice allowed by the Church, and if not, why?

I say that they are entirely forbidden, they may not be used, and anyone who uses them is sticking his thumb in the Church`s eye.

This is what you call a liturgical abuse. 

All sacred vessels should be made of worthy and durable materials, which are precious and not porous, for obvious reasons.  Thus, pottery and glass are not good materials for chalices.

The Congregation for Divine Worship a few years ago put out a document called Redemptionis Sacramentum concerning various liturgical abuses.  It mentions this very thing.

3. Sacred Vessels

[117.] Sacred vessels for containing the Body and Blood of the Lord must be made in strict conformity with the norms of tradition and of the liturgical books. The Bishops’ Conferences have the faculty to decide whether it is appropriate, once their decisions have been given the recognitio by the Apostolic See, for sacred vessels to be made of other solid materials as well. It is strictly required, however, that such materials be truly noble in the common estimation within a given region, so that honour will be given to the Lord by their use, and all risk of diminishing the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species in the eyes of the faithful will be avoided. Reprobated, therefore, is any practice of using for the celebration of Mass common vessels, or others lacking in quality, or devoid of all artistic merit or which are mere containers, as also other vessels made from glass, earthenware, clay, or other materials that break easily. This norm is to be applied even as regards metals and other materials that easily rust or deteriorate.

A key word here is reprobated.  This is a techincal term meaning that it is abolished, or forbidden in such a complete way that no one can appeal to custom (‘but we`ve been doing this for years now!") nor can anyone try to establish a custom by violating the law over a long period of time.

In other words…. NO GLASS CHALICES.

I got a question as a follow up to my QUAERITUR about blessings the other day.

Your blog piece is timely indeed. Thank you.
While looking at our local diocesan newspaper yesterday, there was a photograph of a Spanish Mass with the kids holding up soccer balls, cleats, shin guards with the priest blessing them? I’ve always thought blessings of “things” (farm implements, ships, buildings, etc) was permitted when these things served for the betterment of man.  Do sports equipment fall under this or is this one of the myriad “innovations”?
Thanks and may Our Lady bless you on your journey.

First of all, remember that there is a blessing in the old Rituale Romanum intended ad omnia… for whatever thing there is not a specific blessing.

I think you can bless just about anything, provided that it is not inappropriate.

I don`t have my Rituale with me, but I believe there may be a blessings for a sports field or gymnasium… someone should double check me on that.  I know there is a blessing for mountain climbing equipment, because I once adapted it (thinking fast in Latin) to bless the hardware going into someone`s knee replacement.  That was the most optimistically adaptable blessing I could find.

In my opinion sports equipment is a good thing to bless.  I don`t see problems with that.

As I said before, blessings, the sort of blessings priests can confer and invoke, should permeate our daily lives.

A question came from a reader:

Is it permissible for non-seminarian (male) altar servers to wear the Roman Collar whilst serving the altar?  I’ve heard a lot and read a lot of conflicting reports.  Besides aesthetics, MAY they wear the Collar?  The lay servers at the vatican wear them and so does that that permit all altar boys?

Thanks Father!

There is a strong temptation to say "They do it at the Vatican, so we can do it here!"  But it is true that the boys who serve in the sacristy at St. Peter’s Basilica do wear the Roman collar with their cassocks.  But they also have the privilege of wearing the color paonazza, the violet of prelates.

Also, remember that seminarians who are not deacons are "lay servers", though we can rightly classify them more closely with the clergy.

Getting to your question… yes, I think servers can wear the Roman collar with a cassock.  And the "aesthetics" is not a small reason why I say that.  The squared "military" collar is just wrong without the band behind it around the throat.  It is all of a piece, as it were.  Another reason to wear the collar is that it helps to keep the cassocks clean and in good repair.  Older servers and men should be attentive to protect the edges of the cassocks collar from being damaged against their necks.

I don’t see anything wrong with servers wearing collars, so long as they do so in the proper way.  If they are using a Roman cassock for serving a Roman priest for the Roman Rite, then dress in the Roman manner.

When in Rome, as it were…

I receive this question by e-mail:

During the Consecration of the Mass if the church bells are rung how should it be done?  We had a TLM at our Cathedral the other day; very nice.  THe bells were rung, the church bells, continuously throughout the Consecration.  I had some inquiries as to why so long?  We have another Mass in Nov. and we want to get it right.  I am speaking of the large church bells here not the small bells at the altar.

At my home parish it was the custom to toll the large bell in the tower during the consecration at the Sunday Masses.  It initially struck me that this might be a German or Austrian custom, but I have experienced this in other places as well.   Perhaps some of you will have your experiences to share.  However, back at that parish, since the church was so large and the tower so high, the tolling of the bell… the bell being struck, rather than swinging… was not intrusive.  The tolling was also fairly slow, much like the tolling of a bell for a funeral.   It worked well and it was not intrusive.  I think that could be a factor: don’t make the bell intrude on the consecration.  Be subtle.  If you want to have the bell ring at the consecrations, and it is pulled by a rope to ring, perhaps a short ring at each consecration could be best.  

Very often, less is more.
 
That is a good adage for liturgy at times.  It allows for contrast in more solemn occasions.

As far as the smaller hand bells are concerned, customs vary.  Frankly I prefer shorter rings to signal the elevation, rather than sustained ringing.  Again, less is more.  Others may have a different preference.

There was no official rule about this, as far as I am aware.

Bells are wonderful.  They should be used.

Bells are "baptized", or that is what their consecration is called.  They were simply "blessed".  The new rite for bells is rather stripped of its meaning, but the old ritual is amazing and rich.  Bells are almost like living things: they speak with a voice… thus they are also given names when they are "baptized".  Bells were used to "speak against" coming storms, and to alert people of moments of danger and of joy.  They accompany us in subtle ways through our lives, especially at turning points, such as weddings and funerals.  They connect a church to the wider world beyond.  The shadow of bell towers often define a neighborhood in some countries.  Indeed, many people felt they were in a strange land if they strayed out of sight of their villages bell tower.  While that can also define a measure of "narrowness" of imagination in some cases – in Italian when you say a person is inbued with "bell-tower-ism" it means he is narrow – it also signals being deeply attached to a place, which can be positive.

So… use bells!  Make sure they are in good repair.  Learn about them.

UPDATE:

La Smarrita of Santa Maria Maggiore …  from a comment below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03YkK3ZXKEM]