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Ritual Notes for Holy Week and Easter

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Ritual Notes for Holy Week and Easter Ritual Notes for Holy Week and Easter The days of Holy Week from Monday to Thursday inclusive, have precedence over all other celebrations. It is not fitting that baptisms or confirmations be celebrated on these days since they have their natural place in the Easter Vigil. CHRISM MASS------Color White On Thursday March 26 our Diocese will celebrate the Chrism Mass in the Cathedral at 7 pm. All priests are encouraged to concelebrate this Mass with Bishop Finn. The new Oils will be blessed and the Sacred Chrism will be consecrated. The new oils will be available for pick up after Mass. All the Faithful are also invited to attend this special Mass. The old oils should be burned, either in the Fire for the Easter Vigil or separately. The Sacred Triduum-------- During this most Sacred and Holy time only the prescribed liturgical celebrations may be celebrated. Under no circumstances may a funeral Mass be celebrated on these days. The body may be buried on any day but no Memorial, no funeral Masses are permitted on these days. If a funeral must be celebrated during the Triduum, a Funeral Service Outside of Mass (cf. Order of Christian Funerals, no. 271) takes the place of the Funeral Mass. The Church encourages the Faithful to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. It is a good custom for Parishes to pray publicly Morning Prayer on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. All Masses without an assembly are forbidden on Holy Thursday. NO Mass is celebrated after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper until the Mass of the Easter Vigil. On Good Friday Holy Communion may only be given at the Liturgy for Good Friday or as viaticum. On Holy Saturday Holy Communion may only be given at the Easter Vigil or only as viaticum. Confession may and should be heard as pastoral needs warrant on any of these days. HOLY THURSDAY---- Color is White Where pastoral considerations require it, the local Ordinary may permit another Mass to be celebrated in churches and oratories in the evening, and in the case of true necessity, even in the morning, but only for those faithful who cannot otherwise participate in the evening Mass. Care should nevertheless be taken to ensure that celebrations of this kind do not take place for the benefit of private persons or of small groups, and that they are not to the detriment of the main Mass. According to the ancient tradition of the Church, all Masses without the participation of the people are on this day forbidden (Paschalis Solemnitatis, n. 47) Some decorations of flowers may be used in moderation. It is proper to use up to six candles at the Altar. The Blessed Sacrament is to be removed from the main body of the Church prior to the beginning of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and the Tabernacle is left emptied and its door is to be left open. All new bread is to be consecrated at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and enough is to be consecrated to cover Communion of the faithful for the Good Friday Liturgy. Holy Communion may only be distributed during the Liturgy, but may be brought to the sick. All Priests are reminded that Homemade Altar Breads are forbidden and may not be used under any conditions. It should be noted that the whole tone of this Liturgy changes after the singing of the Gloria to a much more somber and solemn mood. The choices of music used and how they are presented should reflect this. Concerning the ceremony of the washing of feet; This is an optional ritual that is not required although it is strongly encouraged. The norms and rubrics of the Third Typical Edition of the Roman Missal for use in the Dioceses of the United States of America and the updated General Instruction of the Roman Missal of July of 2011 must be fully and completely adhered to and followed. Of particular note are the following: 1. Only priests are to perform the ceremonial washing. They may be assisted with the pitcher, bowl and towel by deacons and servers. 2. Only the feet are to be washed. 3. The rubric in the Third Typical Edition of the Roman Missal for use in the Dioceses of the United States of America clearly states that the “men who have been chosen are led by the ministers to seats prepared in a suitable place.” Therefore, men and only men may have their feet washed during this liturgy. [Although it has been widely reported that since his election, Pope Francis has chosen to include women in this optional ritual, nevertheless, it must be remembered that his celebrations of the Washing of Feet on Holy Thursday have taken place in particular locales and not in St. Peter’s or St. John Lateran. Therefore until such time as Pope Francis as Supreme Legislator chooses to change the present rubrics, the existing liturgical law must be followed.] It is once again important to recall that the Washing of Feet is an optional part of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and may, therefore, be omitted. The faithful should be encouraged to continue adoration before the Blessed Sacrament for a suitable length of time during the night in Repository in prayer until Midnight. ALL adoration ends at midnight. For Adoration Chapels--- Adoration must end prior to the beginning of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and may not resume until after the Mass of the Easter Vigil. The Sacred Host used in these instances MUST be consumed prior to the celebration of the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper and a new host consecrated at a Mass celebrated at or after the Easter Vigil Mass. Adoration may resume following the Mass of the Easter Vigil. For those places which use bells, the bells should be rung with the singing of the Gloria and then fall silent until the Gloria of the Easter Vigil. A wooden clacker may be used in place of the bells for the Mass and procession to the Repository, if desired. The reception of the holy oils may take place before the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday or on another day after the celebration of the Chrism Mass. Please note that the prior practice of receiving the new Holy Oils within the Mass of the Lord's Supper is not provided for in the Third Typical Edition of the Roman Missal for use in the Dioceses of the United States of America. After the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Altar is to be stripped, all holy water is to be removed, and all votive candles are to be extinguished. The Sanctuary should be as bare as possible with all decorations, plants and the like removed. The only lights and decoration should be at the Altar of Repose. GOOD FRIDAY----------Color is Red Today begins the paschal fast, which if possible should continue until the Mass of the Easter Vigil. This should be a day of deep prayer. This should be both a somber and solemn day as the whole Church is in mourning. Tenebrae may be celebrated, i.e., the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer. There should be only one Celebration of the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, unless the Bishop has given other permission. The Church should remain bare. The main Tabernacle remains empty. Once public adoration at the altar of repose the night before has finished, the Blessed Sacrament is removed to a secure private location. It is fitting to have any Crosses in the Church removed or veiled in Purple. Confessions may be heard. Only the Main Celebrant is to wear a Chasuble and only the main Deacon[s] vest in Dalmatic. Any other clergy vest in alb or choir dress with Red Stoles. The Passion of the Lord is proclaimed as on Passion Sunday. NO incense or candles are to be used. Only a Priest may properly preside at the Good Friday Liturgy----a Deacon may not preside at this Service. Only one cross is to be used for the veneration, as this contributes to the full symbolism of the rite. See the Missal for options for the veneration. After the celebration, the altar is stripped, the cross remaining, however, with candles so that the faithful may spend some time in adoration. It is most appropriate for the Stations of the Cross to be celebrated on this day. HOLY SATURDAY-------Color is White Morning Prayer may be publicly celebrated. Confessions may be heard. The paschal fast continues, if possible. This is the day of preparation. It is fitting for images of Christ crucified or laying in the tomb or an image of the sorrowful Virgin Mary to be placed in the church for the veneration of the faithful prior to the celebration of the Easter Vigil. The entire celebration of this, the mother of all vigils is to take place at night. This year any time after 8pm. The Easter Vigil is not to be celebrated at the time of day that it is customary to celebrate anticipated Sunday Masses. There are no exceptions to this rule. A priest who receives a validly baptized Christian into full communion with the Catholic Church by law has the faculty of confirming the candidate within the rite of reception. [RCIA, 481] The faculty to confirm a baptized Roman Catholic must be requested of the Bishop in writing. Nine readings are assigned to the Easter Vigil: seven from the Hebrew Scriptures, two from the New Testament.
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