Most Reverend Bishop Robert J. Carlson
Bishop of Saginaw
Posted on 06/27/2006 12:13:50 PM PDT by NYer
Dear Fathers, Deacons, Pastoral Administrators, and Faithful of the Diocese:
Since my installation as your bishop more than one year ago, I’ve had the privilege to celebrate liturgy with many of you and have come to know you as a people of deep faith for the Gospel and a strong commitment to excellence in liturgy.
As I have said before, I am grateful to know that our diocese has benefited from the liturgical leadership of my predecessors, I affirm the rich liturgical involvement of the many lay ministers of our diocese, and I appreciate the educational opportunities in liturgical celebration provided during the past 30 years.
It is in that spirit of commitment to worship that we begin on June 25, 2006, the 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time, the implementation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) in the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw as promulgated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) [March 2003], just one short year prior to the death of Bishop Untener [March 2004].
In a previous May 3, 2006 letter to priests, deacons, and pastoral administrators, I already have directed the GIRM and Apostolic Letter Redemptionis Sacramentum [April 2004] be followed regarding the preaching of homilies at Mass and the recipe used for substantial bread for the Holy Eucharist as of June 25, 2006.
Also in that letter, I promised that a special insert would be included in a June issue of The Catholic Weekly to offer instruction and commentary about the GIRM’s implementation in the Saginaw diocese. This issue is being mailed to each registered household in the diocese, regardless of whether they subscribe to the newspaper or not. Families who have not received this mailing should contact their local parish or the diocesan Office of Liturgy at (989) 797-6665 to obtain their complimentary copy.
The directives, posted implementation document, and the educational tools for parishes were prepared by the Implementation Committee following the November Quarterly Meeting of priests, deacons, and pastoral administrators. This letter, along with that instruction and commentary, is meant to be a helpful tool in the process to implement the GIRM in the Saginaw diocese. It is understood that each parish is unique and these guidelines will require more involvement and planning in some communities than in others. For that reason, I ask parish leaders to provide for the proper catechesis during the coming months to ensure the complete implementation of the GIRM by the First Sunday of Advent, Dec. 3, 2006 with the exception of one or two areas mentioned in the commentary that have a different implementation period.
I pray that the coming months will be a time of enrichment and renewal for your lives in the areas of faith and worship as we — as a diocese — continue in our efforts to live as the Body of Christ, united with the Church in the United States, Rome, and the Saints in heaven.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Bishop Robert J. Carlson
Bishop of Saginaw
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Letter from Bishop Carlson |
The Posture of the People at Mass
The Gestures of the People at Mass
The'Act of Reverence' for the Reception of Holy Communion
The Bishop & The Assembly of the Faithful
The Diocesan Bishop as Chief Shepherd of the Mysteries of God
One of the good ones.
Unless, presumably, you're Pope Benedict XVI.
On Ash Wednesday, at Mass with the Dominicans, Benedictines, and the assembled laity at Santa Sabina, the Holy Father used the Preface for Lent IV, which is prescribed for Ash Wednesday, but joined it to Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation I, which the above directive prohibits.
I hadn't heard that text before, at least in Italian, and found it to be very moving and very appropriate. I presume the Holy Father chose it or approved its choice, at least, because he, too, thought it appropriate.
I thought the Vatican had condemned the so-called "orans" posture as usurping the priest's role.
Oooops, I just went back and checked out the televised broadcast in the CTV archives on the Vatican website.
He DID use Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation I, and he did NOT use its prescribed Preface.
Nor did he use Preface for Lent IV, he actually used Preface for Lent III:
E veramente cosa buona e giusta,
innalzare un inno a te, Padre onnimpotente,
e cantare insieme la tua lode.
Tu vuoi che ti glorifichiamo
con le opere della penitenza quaresimale,
perche la vittoria sul nostro egoisimo
ci renda disponibili alle necessita dei poveri,
a imitazione di Cristo tuo Figlio, nostro salvatore.
E noi, uniti agli Angeli e agli Arcangeli,
ai Troni e alle Dominiazioni
e all molitudine dei Cori celesti,
cantiamo con voce incessante
l'inno della tua gloria: Santo, santo, santo . . .
It is truly good and just
to raise a hymn to you, Father almighty,
and to sing together your praise.
You will that we glorify you
with the works of Lenten penitence,
that the victory over our self-centeredness
may render us available to the needs of the poor,
in imitation of Christ your Son, our Savior.
And we, united with Angels and Archangels,
and with Thrones and Dominations,
and with the multitude of the heavenly Choirs,
sing with unceasing voice
the hymn of your glory: Holy, holy, holy . . .
"The pastoral judgment … must always be applied when choosing music. Sacramental celebrations are significant moments in an individual’s life, but just as importantly they are constitutive events of the community’s life in Christ. The music selected must express the prayer of those who celebrate, while at the same time guarding against the imposition of private meanings on public rites. Individual preference is not, of itself, a sufficient principle for the choice of music in the liturgy. It must be balanced with liturgical and musical judgments and with the community’s needs. Planning is a team undertaking, involving the presider, the musicians and the assembly. [#12] "
Well, that's pretty disappointing. There's nothing in that to stop a music director from using gangster rap.
It is truly good and just
to raise a hymn to you, Father almighty,
and to sing together your praise.
You will that we glorify you
with the works of Lenten penitence,
that the victory over our self-centeredness
may render us available to the needs of the poor,
in imitation of Christ your Son, our Savior.
And we, united with Angels and Archangels,
and with Thrones and Dominations,
and with the multitude of the heavenly Choirs,
sing with unceasing voice
the hymn of your glory: Holy, holy, holy . . .
Actually, I think you'll find both versions approved by the USCCB to be closer to the Latin original than the Italian is, and nothing as horrendous as you facetiously imagine their Excellencies to have endorsed! :-)
Here is the Latin of the Third Edition of the MISSALE ROMANUM:
Vere dignum et iustum est, aequum et salutare,
nos tibi semper et ubique gratias agere:
Domine, sancte Pater, omnipotens aeterne Deus:
Qui nos per abstinentiam tibi gratias referre voluisti,
ut ipsa et nos peccatores ab insolentia mitigaret,
et, egentium proficiens alimento,
imitatores tuae benignitatis efficeret.
Et ideo, cum innumeris Angelis,
una te magnificamus laudis voce dicentes: Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus . . .
Here is the original ICEL (1974), approved by the USCCB:
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,
we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks.
You ask us to express our thanks by self-denial.
We are to master our sinfulness and conquer our pride.
We are to show to those in need your goodness to ourselves.
Now, with all the saints and angels,
we praise you for ever: Holy, holy, holy . . .
And here is the Revised ICEL of 1998, also approved by the USCCB, and subsequently not confirmed by the Holy See before the re-establishment of ICEL:
It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
You bid us show our thanks
through the practice of self-denial,
that we may curb our sinful pride
and, by sharing our bread with the hungry,
may imitate your generous love.
Now, with all the angels and saints,
we praise and magnify your glory without end: Holy, holy, holy . . .
It will be interesting to see what the new ICEL and Vox Clara come up with!
"Actually, I think you'll find both versions approved by the USCCB to be closer to the Latin original than the Italian is"
Waaal, even a blind hog finds a acorn wunst in a whal.
"and nothing as horrendous as you facetiously imagine their Excellencies to have endorsed!"
Oh, well, at least it was recognized as facetiousness, even if not, apparently, appreciated for its comic value.
Really? Do you recall when this happened? In our Maronite Church, we use the orans position when saying the "Our Father".
Frankly, I find all of these prescriptions most confusing and tiring. Some abuses are simply obvious, like liturgical dance during the Mass or the absence of a crucifix on or near the altar. Lol ... that latter one brings back anxious memories. Prior to leaving my former parish, I spent hours discussing this GIRM instruction with our pastor. We had one of those Risen Christ statues on the wall of Sanctuary but nothing to conform with the GIRM's instructions with regard to a crucifix. Recently, my pastor happened to visit my former parish (post wreckovation) and I inquired about all of the issues that drove me away. He was struck by the "small crucifix". Really... where? On the back wall of the Sanctuary. So, after all those discussions, the pastor finally caved! However, they moved the Tabernacle into a separate room that remains visible via a glass window. I told Father that on Sundays I would sit as close as I could get to the Tabernacle, seeking to be in the presence of our Lord. Now that it has been moved, I can only imagine the increased acrimony I would have experienced, had I remained there.
I never understood my former pastor's 'fear' of the Crucifix. He would bring it out during Lent and once in September when the Feast of the Holy Cross just happened to fall on a Sunday. Otherwise, it was kept hidden in a closet or locked up in a back room. Abouna, always conscious of respecting other priests, took great pains to explain 'resurrection theology' to me. Those priests like my former pastor, who practice this, place greater emphasis on the Resurrection than on the Passion. That reminded me of one conversation with the former pastor about the Crucifix. He said to me: "Jesus was only on the cross for 3 hours but is risen forever". At the time, my jaw dropped in total shock. Thanks to my current pastor, I now have a much better understanding of where the former one was coming from. Mercifully, my Abouna keeps us focused on the redemptive value of the Cross and Christ's Passion. Thank you, Lord, for delivering me to him! This is the Maronite approach.
I do know that hand-holding is a no-no. Sometimes I wind up in a fuzzy bunny parish and the people next to me try to SNATCH my hands for the Our Father. I fold my palms together and try to look like I'm praying VERY hard . . . it's just creepy to me to hold hands with perfect strangers when I'm trying to pray to God . . . .
This is one of those "gotta go" situations. With B16 at the helm, I expect more changes are on the horizon.
"Go to Hell", Belloc responded.
Try that the next time :)
Belloc was quite the character.
He recommended people do what they feel best, although he fell on the side of hands in a prayerful attitude. He did not want people grabbing elderly parishoners hands against their will, nor thinking spitefully of those who clasped hands.
We even had a discussion about this during my RCIA class. Most of us felt it was a distraction during the prayer. You are worried about your hands sweating, or wondering why the person next to you is squeezing your hand, or wondering if the opposite sex person is making up to you, etc. etc.
I vote for the prayerful hands position, and attempt to do this unlesss I thnk the person next to me will be put out.
Problem with the good parochial vicars is that they always get their own parishes!
We lost one splendid young man when he got his own parish, now we have another splendid young man (quite different - but just as splendid!) and unfortunately I think he's marked for great things (even unto a pointy hat) and won't be with us long . . . .
Our young father was a real blessing. He had studied in Rome, and was VERY traditional...wore a cassock, encouraged all to pray the Divine Office, raised money for statues, etc. And only 30 years old. We were his first parish.
Our monsigneur (who is also prety conservative) is still with us, and now we are getting a new priest who had a couple of associate positions and then got a personal leave of absence for 3 years. I have no idea why...perhaps family or personal doubts. Who knows...we haven't been told. However, he has been asigned to us so my job is to love him and accept his authority, regardless. The young priest who is leaving said being assigned to our parish was like being in Catholic Disneyland, as our members are so willing to volunteer and are traditional. I hope our new priest can be encouraged and helped in the same way.
Sometimes our job as laymen is to help these young priests of God along the road . . . and you know their prayers will benefit the parish forever . . .
Our parish is also quite traditional, and all our priests wear the cassock. I have only seen Monsignor without his cassock and collar ONCE - at the parish picnic when it was 100 degrees in the shade! He's a big ruddy Irishman, and he must have been feeling the heat!
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