Rubrics and change

Readers will have seen elsewhere that there have been some difficulties over the rubrics printed on the CTS Mass cards for the new translation. The main concern is regarding the rubric for the reception of Holy Communion by the laity. Another priest has told me he is unhappy because the CTS card indicates that the sign of peace is always to be included and the offertory prayers are to be always said aloud (unless there is singing of course). I like the CTS and think they are doing a great job and hope these difficulties are sorted out.

Fr Finigan mentions the Redemptorist and McCrimmon cards don`t have these problems. I ordered the McCrimmon cards when they first came out precisely because they fairly rubric free. In fact it only has two. One is an instruction to bow during the Creed during the Et incarnatus est and the other is at the end where it usefully says `Then the deacon, or the Priest himself, with hands joined and facing the people says` and the dismissal follows. ( It is strange that priest is gets a capital `P` and deacon is in lower case.) I always enjoy reminding people of the rubrics in the OF Mass which instruct the priest to face the people. I wonder what people make of them who cannot conceive that an ad orientem Mass would be intended? In such a case what else would the priest be doing but facing the people? Do they think it is there because there is a danger that the celebrant might be tempted all of a sudden to face the back of the sanctuary for the dismissal after facing the people for the rest of the Mass?!

We gave the new translation a go on Tuesday morning at St Mary`s. I intend using it on Tuesdays of July and then all the weekdays of August to get at least a core of parishioners familiar with the responses. In fact the reaction I got was could we have it twice a week to increase familiarity? I struggled greatly with the paperback interim missal which won`t lie open of course and so kept closing on me during the Mass. That will need sorting out.

Give that this is a time of change for the whole Catholic Church in this country what with the translation and the re-introduction of abstinence on Fridays I intend doing something more about ad orientem. A week past Sunday we had the First Holy Communion Mass at Ss Peter and Paul`s, Longbenton. As the children are now used to school Masses being ad orientem I weighed up the options. It may confuse the children to celebrate facing the people after having carfeully explained the advantages of ad orientem a while ago. On the other hand the parish aren`t used to it as yet and can get angry at this as they feel `excluded`. However the church was packed with the families of the communicandi many of whom had probably not been to Mass for a long time so I decided to stick to ad orientem for the offertory up to the distribution of Holy Communion. No-one made any comments and no-one appeared to be angry but I hope to talk about it this Sunday which will be the first time I`ve said the Sunday Mass in Longbenton since the First Holy Communion Mass. (At St Mary`s, Forest Hall the children are not used to regular school Masses but that will change in the new school year from September.)

Another change to which attention will have to be drawn is the new instruction for the laity`s reception of Holy Communion. For anyone who is not aware the English bishops have had an instruction included in or missals which will read:

"In the Dioceses of England and Wales Holy Communion is to be received standing, though individual members of the faithful may choose to receive Communion while kneeling. However, when they communicate standing, it is recommended that the faithful bow in reverence before receiving the sacrament."

We`ll have to look into bowing so as to be faithful to the recommendation and even it seems provide a prie dieu or something like that for those individuals who may choose to kneel as the instruction says.