Posted on 01/23/2007 5:21:58 PM PST by NYer
Break out a pen and paper and take this True/False quiz about the Mass. Click on the "Answers" link to see the answers and their sources.
1. It is permissible for the priest to change the word 'brethren' to 'brothers and sisters' in the Mass.
2. A lector may have the liberty to change the words of the Scripture Readings by eliminating all male references.
3. A parish may change and revise words in the Creed during Mass, as long as they make note of the changes and show these changes in the Sunday missal which the public uses.
4. At the conclusion of Mass, the lector or priest may make general announcements for the information of the parish.
5. A priest may give a 'general absolution' during the penitential rite of the Mass or during a communal penance service if he chooses to do so.
6. If the priest chooses to use the rite of blessing and sprinkling, he must omit the "Lord have Mercy" and the penitential rite.
7. A Lector may use the NRSV version during U.S. Masses.
8. The priest may not omit the homily on Sundays or holy days of obligation.
9. The priest may not omit the homily at any Mass.
10. An individual who is not a priest, deacon or bishop may not give the homily at Mass.
11. Those non ordained ministers who assist in passing out Communion are properly called "Eucharistic Ministers".
12. A person who is not an ordained minister (priest, deacon or bishop) may give a 'talk' or 'reflection' in place of the homily at Mass.
13. It is permissible to omit the Creed on a Sunday or solemnity if the priest chooses to do so.
14. The "Apostles' Creed" may be used in place of the "Nicene Creed" at a Mass for children.
15. A priest must not omit washing his hands at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
16. The priest may say, "Lord, wash away our iniquities and cleanse us of our sins" (instead of 'my') in the hand-washing prior to the Eucharistic Liturgy.
17. A bell is not required to be rung during the Eucharistic Prayer.
18. At special occasions, the people may join in with the prayer:"Through him, with Him, in Him..." if the priest invites them to do so.
19. A priest may never use an unapproved Eucharistic Prayer.
20. The altar bread dough may not include ingredients other than flour and water.
21. Communion in the form of ginger bread or a sweetened cake may be used at Masses for children.
22. The Vatican has issued guidelines encouraging people to hold hands during the "Our Father".
23. The priest may omit the sign of peace during Mass if he so chooses.
24. The priest may move the sign of peace to another part of the Mass if he feels it is for the best.
25. During the sign of peace, the priest may leave the sanctuary to exchange peace with the congregation.
26. Those non-ordained ministers who assist with distributing Holy Communion are called "Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion."
27. People assisting at the altar may receive Holy Communion at the same time as the priest.
28. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion must be used at every Mass to ensure proper participation of the lay people.
29. A minister or Priest may refuse a person the right to receive the Eucharist on the tongue in the United States.
30. A priest may not refuse an altar server the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue.
31. The priest may change the words of fixed prayers in the Mass upon approval from his bishop.
32. The chalice of Precious Blood may be left on the altar for the people to pick up and share from during lightly attended Masses.
33. An individual may dip his host into the Precious Blood instead of taking the Chalice to drink.
34. Communion may be distributed to Protestants during special occasions (like weddings and funerals).
35. Communion may be given to Protestants if they are the Heads of State or other dignitaries.
36. Children must receive First Confession prior to their First Communion.
37. Precious Blood which is not consumed during Mass may be disposed of by throwing it down the sink or sacrarium.
38. A deacon or other minister may purify (clean) the vessels instead of the priest.
39. The chalice may be made of clay or silver.
40. A decorative basket may be used to hold Holy Communion.
41. A cross must be on or near the altar during Mass.
42. An image of the Resurrected Christ may be used in place of a cross on or near the altar.
43. The tabernacle may not be re-located to an out-of-the-way chapel, even if the pastor wishes to do so.
44. It is permissible for a Church to be totally bare of any images of the Saints if the pastor deems it appropriate.
45. People must always genuflect when passing in front of the Eucharist.
46. People are not required to kneel during the Consecration.
47. If there are no kneelers, the people may stand during the Consecration.
48. The priest may invite individuals to stand around the altar and hold hands during the Consecration if it is a lightly attended Mass.
49. After Communion, people are free to stand, sit or kneel.
50. Dancing may be performed during any liturgical service, especially those with children.
51. In America, blue may be used as a liturgical color during Advent or Lent instead of purple.
52. It is required that crosses be veiled from Good Friday to the Easter Vigil.
53. Women may join the 12 selected members of the parish to have their feet washed on Holy Thursday.
54. All holy water fonts must be refilled with water which was blessed at the Easter Vigil.
55. All holy water fonts must be covered during Lent.
56. While giving a homily, the priest may leave the Sanctuary and walk among the people if he so chooses.
57. During the recitation of the Creed, all are required to bow or kneel during the lines "by the power of the Holy Spirit..."
58. If improper bread and wine are used, the Consecration may be invalid.
59. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion must be of 'mature age' and 'outstanding piety".
60. The wine must have a small amount of water mixed with it in order to be properly consecrated.
No cheating! Your Guardian Angel is your witness ;-)
I am so making a copy of that and giving it to our parish priest!
38 is no longer true - the extraordinary ministers may no longer purify the vessels.
What can be done about liturgical abuses? First, know your rights. Inaestimabile Donum and Canon Law state: "The faithful have a right to a true Liturgy, which means the Liturgy desired and laid down by the Church, which has in fact indicated where adaptations may be made as called for by pastoral requirements in different places or by different groups of people. Undue experimentation, changes and creativity bewilder the faithful. The use of unauthorized texts means a loss of the necessary connection between the lex orandi and the lex credendi. The Second Vatican Council's admonition in this regard must be remembered: "No person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove or change anything in the Liturgy on his own authority." [Sacrosanctum Concilium] And Paul VI of venerable memory stated that: "Anyone who takes advantage of the reform to indulge in arbitrary experiments is wasting energy and offending the ecclesial sense."[Paul VI, address of August 22, 1973: "L'Osservatore Romano," August 23, 1973.] Canon 528 ß2: "The parish priest is to take care that the blessed Eucharist is the center of the parish assembly of the faithful. He is to strive to ensure that the faithful are nourished by the devout celebration of the sacraments, and in particular that they frequently approach the sacraments of the blessed Eucharist and penance. He is to strive to lead them to prayer, including prayer in their families, and to take a live and active part in the sacred liturgy. Under the authority of the diocesan Bishop, the parish priest must direct this liturgy in his own parish, and he is bound to be on guard against abuses."
Charitably approach your priest and, with the documents in hand from this site, explain that you require the Church's Liturgical rubrics be followed. If personal contact is difficult, try writing a letter and again include the referenced Church documents. If, after several attempts, the priest does not return to the Church's rubrics, report the priest to his Bishop. Should that fail, then find another properly celebrated Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to attend. Drive to the next diocese if you must. Isn't your worship of God worth it? If you must contact the Vatican to deal with liturgical abuse, then write to:
Cardinal Francis Arinze
Prefect - Congregation for Divine Worship
Piazza Pio XII, 10
Vatican City (Europe) 00120
Thanks for posting the updated information.
Great idea! And while you're at it, why not distribute copies to the members of the Parish Council and ... especially .... the Director for Religious Education. She (or he) should appreciate the importance of knowing our Catholic faith.
Excellent post--will bookmark it...
got only 9 wrong out of 60...
"True - a Directive issued by the Episcopal Conference of Bishops in the United States permits this practice."
Re: 38.
Since when does an Episcopal Conference have the authority to change the mandated rubrics without Rome's approval?
38. A deacon or other minister may purify (clean) the vessels instead of the priest.
Not sure I understand your question.
Great quiz! I missed 8. Bookmarking for later sharing!
Oh, this is too easy...unless you're a liberal V-II loving priest or "pastoral associate."
Can anyone tell me how this practice originated?
i think what he's saying is along the lines of an episcopal conference changing parts of the Mass without first getting an OK from Rome...
IIRC, the Episcopal Conferences can adapt parts of the Mass--but it has to be approved by Rome (which is a fairly strict process in and of itself) and any change cannot fundamentally contradict or radically change the Mass.
Simply went by what I have experienced through 21 years at an incredibly orthodox parish and scored swell. Great quiz, I'll pass it along....
bookmark for later printing. That hand holding during the Our Father really irritates me.
Spoiler (and question)
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"the people may never join in with the "Through Him, with Him, in Him..." prayer"
Or, . . . . . . . what?
" Not sure I understand your question."
My mistake.
I meant to cite "53. Women may join the 12 selected members of the parish to have their feet washed on Holy Thursday."
"53. True - a Directive issued by the Episcopal Conference of Bishops in the United States permits this practice."
Although I cannot find any such Directive, I question the Episcopal Conference's authority to change the liturgical rubrics without the approval of Rome.
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