Tag Archives: Sacraments

How Many Intentions Per Mass?

Posted on February 17, 2019 by

I’ve written before about the Mass “for the people” (pro populo) that pastors are bound to offer on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligations for the sake of their parish(es). But at the other Masses each week, For how many intentions … Continue reading →

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Where May the Blessed Sacrament Be Reserved?

Posted on February 12, 2019 by

I’ll never forget the time, many years ago in a far-off place, when an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion who visited the sick told me about the “stash” of the Blessed Sacrament that she kept in a pyx in her … Continue reading →

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May Deacons Use the 1962 Blessings?

Posted on February 3, 2019 by

Following upon recent posts, I have received several comments and emails from deacons, asking if they may use the blessings contained in the 1962 Rituale Romanum. I have declined to post these comments or answer them privately because it is a … Continue reading →

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How to Incense the Altar

Posted on December 31, 2018 by

123. The Priest goes up to the altar and venerates it with a kiss. Then, if appropriate, he incenses the cross and the altar, walking around the latter. That’s the extent of the directions the General Instruction of the Roman Missal … Continue reading →

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A Change of Rubrics

Posted on December 30, 2018 by

The Church teaches that the faithful have the right to the liturgy celebrated according to its laws — according to the rubrics — for they express the mind of the Church and are a guarantee of the catholicity of our … Continue reading →

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Where should the priest look during Mass?

Posted on November 25, 2018 by

What is a priest supposed to do with his eyes during the celebration of Mass? The question probably seems trifling and frivolous to many, but the answer to it can greatly affect the experience of those assisting and praying at … Continue reading →

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A Meditation on One of the Requiem Chants

Posted on November 2, 2018 by

Our mid-day Mass for All Souls here at the Cathedral of St. Paul will have a simple musical accompaniment: a chant schola singing the Church’s beautiful requiem propers. In my homily, which I copy below, I reflect on a surprising … Continue reading →

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Smartphone in Confession?

Posted on October 30, 2018 by

A couple of years back, I started to notice an uncanny occurrence: often things that I had spoken about (out loud) during the day would suddenly appear in online ads (e.g., on my Facebook). It didn’t take long for me … Continue reading →

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Vesting Prayers in Three Languages

Posted on October 28, 2018 by

It used to be that a priest was required to say a prayer with each garment that he put on as he prepared for Mass – ordinarily, seven prayers total, including the initial washing of the hands (there is not … Continue reading →

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Latin-Spanish Baptism Booklet

Posted on October 20, 2018 by

Following upon my recent post, in which I provided a Latin-English participation booklet for Baptism in the Extraordinary Form, I am now pleased to provide a similar resource with Latin and Spanish. It is difficult to find the correct 1962 … Continue reading →

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Baptism Booklet for the Extraordinary Form

Posted on October 6, 2018 by

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI clarified that the older liturgical books (those approved and in use as of 1962) were never abrogated and thus could still be used. Therefore, since then, without there any longer being doubt or other hoops … Continue reading →

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Vigil of Reparation for the Scandals

Posted on September 14, 2018 by

This evening here at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, Alabama, I offered a Sung Mass (Missa Cantata) in the Extraordinary Form for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, offered for the intention of “healing and … Continue reading →

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