Monday, March 13, 2017 Brother priests, deacons, pastoral ministers and ministers of song, As we are now a month from the celebration of the Paschal Mysteries, I offer a few thoughts to assist you in your final preparations. First and foremost, read the instructions provided in the Roman Missal. So often, I hear that we need to be creative and engaging where if we simply did what is offered as part of our patrimony, according to what is provided, we and our assemblies would be richly blessed. What I offer below, gives some concrete expression to some of these rubric, reflecting our long established practices. Please try to keep in mind the structure of the Triduum. The three days of the Triduum are Sunday, Saturday, and Friday. Good Friday has a vigil, which we celebrate liturgically as the Evening Mass of the Lord s Supper on Holy Thursday evening. This seventy-two hour period is the most important celebration of our entire liturgical calendar; it begins on Holy Thursday evening and concludes with Vespers (Evening Prayer) on Easter Sunday. The Triduum is actually one liturgy over three days. We may go home and come back again, but we do not actually begin and end our daily celebrations. You will notice that Holy Thursday begins with the Sign of the Cross and that a blessing does not conclude the gathering until the end of The Easter Vigil. The silence of our entrance and exit on Good Friday accentuates this point. We are not to add devotional services during these gatherings or to celebrate the Stations of the Cross during the Triduum. Confessions should be halted. Confessions of those who are not baptized should not be heard. Weddings and convalidations are not to be celebrated. Funerals which must be celebrated on Saturday, are not to include the celebration of the Eucharist. Again, this practice is forbidden. If one of us steps out, so to speak, it makes it difficult for the rest of us to defend this ancient tradition. I invite you to reference the following piece as you sort through the many books and rituals that are required for the Triduum. Not only do the latter pages provide clear direction, but they outline the order of services for what is required in the preparation of worship aids.
Please cut and paste the following: http://www.odw.org/portals/199/lpa%20lent%20and%20easter%202017%20year%20a.pdf With all of the liturgies, please let the symbols speak for themselves. Do them big and do not explain them. Yours in His Service, Michael Béchard (Rev.) Director of Liturgy
Mass of the Lord s Supper Thursday, April 13, 2017 RECEPTION OF THE HOLY OILS Having burned or buried all of last year s oils and having cleaned the vessels and stocks, new oils are gathered at the Mass of Chrism and then presented to the Church at the beginning of Holy Thursday. Please consider the following from our Episcopal Conference as described in The National Bulletin on Liturgy, CCCB, Volume 35, Number 171. The circular letter on the Easter feasts states: The holy oils can be brought to the individual parishes before the celebration of the Evening Mass of the Lord s Supper, or at some other suitable time. This can be a means of catechizing the faithful about the use and effects of the holy oils and chrism in Christian life. Placing this action at the opening of the Holy Thursday evening liturgy is an effective way of beginning the parish celebration of the Triduum. The oils, in containers that are sufficiently large to be visible, are carried forward in the entrance procession. After the sing of the cross, greeting and presider s introduction, those carrying the oils present them to the assembly. The priest addresses the assembly in these or similar words: My brothers and sisters, we have completed our Lenten observance and now begun the solemn celebration of the Easter feast. On these great days it is our duty to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ in whom we have salvation, life and resurrection. These oils we receive tonight were blessed and consecrated at the Chrism Mass by N., our bishop, for use throughout the year. With them the sick will be anointed, those awaiting the water of rebirth will be strengthened, and those who are baptized and confirmed will share the mission of Christ, the Anointed One. The mixture of oil and fragrant perfume will anoint the confirmandi, the presybter s hands and the bishop s head, the altar and walls of the house of the church.
By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, who fills these holy oils with life and grace, the saving work of Jesus Christ is continued in the church. The person carrying the vessel of oil of the sick faces the assembly and holds up the vessel. The cantor sings: Behold the oil of the sick: receive God s grace and healing. All respond: Thanks be to God. The person carrying the vessel of the oil of catechumens faces the assembly and hold up the vessel. The cantor sing: Behold the oil of catechumens: receive god s strength and wisdom. All respond: Thanks be to God. The person carrying the vessel of the sacred chrism faces the assembly and holds the vessel up. The cantor sings: Behold the sacred chrism: give thanks, O priestly people. The people respond: Thanks be to God. WASHING OF THE FEET The Holy Father, in a letter dated 20 December 2015 has adjusted the rubrics for the Mass of the Lord s Supper (Holy Thursday). In short, the rubric allows for us to wash the feet of women and girls. This has been a contentious rubric in many communities for many years and many have chosen to do so without official permission or direction. Please make every attempt to strike a balance between men and women, old and young, so as to reflect the diversity of our Church. RESERVATION OF THE SACRAMENT Since the Council of Trent, the Church has taught that the faithful should be able to commune from the sacrifice offered as they are gathered. Stated another way, having hundreds of hosts in stored in tabernacles is a grave abuse. This season, may be an opportunity to right this wrong. My suggestion is quite simple and fully in keeping with the mind of the Church: Consume what is reserved in your tabernacle on the morning of Holy Thursday. Everything. Consecrate new hosts on Holy Thursday with enough for that celebration and for the celebration of Good Friday.
At the end of Good Friday, keep only what is required for Viaticum and consume the rest. Begin anew at the Easter Vigil. In addition, do not forget to consecrate hosts on Holy Thursday for those who are gluten intolerant or who have Celiac Disease. For those who cannot consume any gluten, please consider consecrating a small cruet of wine, so that people with this affliction might be able to share in the Eucharist at Good Friday. The fullest of the sign is best expressed when we consume under the forms of the Eucharistic Bread and the Eucharistic Cup. This is true every Sunday but especially true of the Triduum. STRIPPING OF THE ALTAR The churches should be stripped at the end of Holy Thursday. This fasting of the eyes might include such things as statues and should include all plants and flowers. Altar clothes and tabernacle veils should be removed. Candle sticks should be carried away. As we gather on Good Friday, there should be a clear sense of loss and emptiness as we anticipate the joy of Easter. Many churches, may have already begun the practice of veiling statues on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, but not sooner. Good Friday Friday, April 14, 2017 Only one Cross should be used for the veneration, as this contributes to the full symbolism of the rite. It should be a cross, not a crucifix, and it should be of sufficient size and beauty. One cross speaks to how we were saved and how we are one in Christ. Multiple crosses work against this symbolism. Veneration takes place in the midst of the liturgy. It should never be done as people are leaving the church. Ever. One or other of the forms found in the Roman rite may be followed. The rite should be carried out with the splendor worthy of the mystery of our salvation. Both the invitation pronounced at the unveiling of the Cross and the people s response should be sung. The cross is to be presented to each of the faithful for their adoration. If, because of the large number of people, it is not possible for all to approach individually, the Priest, after some of the clergy and faithful have adored, takes the Cross and, standing in the middle before the altar, invites the people in a few words to adore the Holy Cross
and afterwards holds the Cross elevated higher for a brief time, for the faithful to adore in silence (Roman Missal 19) Ideally, there is one service on Good Friday. The traditional time being 3:00 pm. If for pastoral need, there needs to be a celebration for children at an earlier time, the format should follow the same pattern as the afternoon service. It should not be substituted with a play, skit or reenactment of the passion. Be comfortable with silence on this day. Encourage silence this day. Easter Vigil Saturday, April 15, 2017 Twilight dictates that we should begin the Easter Vigil close to 9:00 pm. Otherwise the sense of keeping vigil or the more primitive symbol of Christ conquering the darkness is lost. The Vigil should not be celebrated at the same time as the regular Saturday evening mass and it should be not be celebrated while the sun is still up. If you are anticipating celebrating any earlier than 9:00 pm, permission should be sought. Have a big fire on the church property. Process with the candle. Let the rich symbols we have speak for themselves. The entire celebration of the Easter Vigil takes place at night. It should not begin before nightfall; it should end before daybreak on Sunday. This rule is to be taken according to its strictest sense. Reprehensible are those abuses and practices that have crept into many places in violation of this ruling, whereby the Easter Vigil is celebrated at the same time of day that it is customary to celebrate anticipated Sunday Masses (Circular Letter Concerning the Preparation and Celebration of the Easter Feasts, no. 78. Congregation for Divine Worship, January 16, 1988, quoting the Roman Missal). The paschal candle is a symbol for Christ, the light of glory... scattering the darkness of our hearts and minds (RM, Easter Vigil). It is to be a genuine candle, and its design and size should be in proportion to the sanctuary in which it will be placed. Wax candles, as they shrink throughout the year, are preferred to oil. With the shrinking candle, we experience "death" and a new candle allows us to celebrate "new life." A new candle should be used every year and should be marked at the beginning of the liturgy as prescribed in the missal.
Easter Sunday Sunday, April 16, 2017 Please, please, please sing the sequence. There are few sequences that have been maintained since the reforms of Vatican Council II. They are there for a reason and are very instructive. Singing the sequence, should allow for a briefer homily in which the primary reason for our faith might be summed up celebrated.