Wednesday Liturgy: Broadcasting the Parish Mass
ROME, DEC. 11, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: My church often has overflow crowds to the point where the doorway, halls and aisles are so filled with people that it is impossible to move. We have added extra Masses on these occasions and we also have two Masses being celebrated at the same time. Our church retained the original structure and it is used every week for Masses being celebrated simultaneously, especially on such occasions as Easter and Christmas. With the number of priests growing smaller, it seems that this problem will grow bigger. Even with the extra Masses, and Masses being celebrated simultaneously, we cannot accommodate the crowds. We have the ability to broadcast Masses to other gathering spaces on the church grounds. I am told this is not allowed. Is this true? Is there any solution we haven't considered? -- G.S., Summit, New Jersey
A: First of all, you should thank God that you have such a blessed problem as an overcrowded church and congratulate both the pastors and the parish community for their fidelity to the mission.
Regarding the possibility of broadcasting the Mass to other gathering spaces, the principal reason why it is not permitted to do so is that the nature of full liturgical participation requires some kind of physical presence in a single assembly.
Thus, from the viewpoint of full liturgical participation there would be little essential difference between a group of faithful following the Mass broadcast to the parish hall and watching midnight Mass transmitted from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
There would, of course, be some differences as the people gathered in the hall would be more active in attempting to follow and live the Mass. But this would not be enough to make them part of the concrete assembly and therefore would also be insufficient to fulfill the Sunday or holyday obligation.
Visual means may be used, however, to enhance visibility for large assemblies. Thus, giant screens used at papal Masses allow for everybody to be attentive to the celebration while maintaining the unity of the gathered community.
Adding a screen or two to a church vestibule, while hardly ideal, could at least help those who cannot see the altar. In such cases the cameras should preferably remain fixed on the sanctuary and not rove around the assembly so as to avoid causing distractions.
What to do? In the long term the solution is to either expand the present church or build a new one. Not an easy solution but, if possible, the most definitive.
The climate in your state, New Jersey, does not permit for the celebration of outdoor Masses during the major feasts of Christmas or Easter.
One possibility would be, having first received permission from the bishop, to investigate the possibility of renting a suitable venue in the area, such as a large hall or gymnasium, and use it for at least one large celebration on the major feast days so as to ease congestion in the other Masses.
This is far from an ideal solution and is certainly a temporary one. But some of the world's greatest and most beautiful churches have been built as the result of such fortunate difficulties as overcrowding, so there is no need to despair.
Q: My church often has overflow crowds to the point where the doorway, halls and aisles are so filled with people that it is impossible to move. We have added extra Masses on these occasions and we also have two Masses being celebrated at the same time. Our church retained the original structure and it is used every week for Masses being celebrated simultaneously, especially on such occasions as Easter and Christmas. With the number of priests growing smaller, it seems that this problem will grow bigger. Even with the extra Masses, and Masses being celebrated simultaneously, we cannot accommodate the crowds. We have the ability to broadcast Masses to other gathering spaces on the church grounds. I am told this is not allowed. Is this true? Is there any solution we haven't considered? -- G.S., Summit, New Jersey
A: First of all, you should thank God that you have such a blessed problem as an overcrowded church and congratulate both the pastors and the parish community for their fidelity to the mission.
Regarding the possibility of broadcasting the Mass to other gathering spaces, the principal reason why it is not permitted to do so is that the nature of full liturgical participation requires some kind of physical presence in a single assembly.
Thus, from the viewpoint of full liturgical participation there would be little essential difference between a group of faithful following the Mass broadcast to the parish hall and watching midnight Mass transmitted from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
There would, of course, be some differences as the people gathered in the hall would be more active in attempting to follow and live the Mass. But this would not be enough to make them part of the concrete assembly and therefore would also be insufficient to fulfill the Sunday or holyday obligation.
Visual means may be used, however, to enhance visibility for large assemblies. Thus, giant screens used at papal Masses allow for everybody to be attentive to the celebration while maintaining the unity of the gathered community.
Adding a screen or two to a church vestibule, while hardly ideal, could at least help those who cannot see the altar. In such cases the cameras should preferably remain fixed on the sanctuary and not rove around the assembly so as to avoid causing distractions.
What to do? In the long term the solution is to either expand the present church or build a new one. Not an easy solution but, if possible, the most definitive.
The climate in your state, New Jersey, does not permit for the celebration of outdoor Masses during the major feasts of Christmas or Easter.
One possibility would be, having first received permission from the bishop, to investigate the possibility of renting a suitable venue in the area, such as a large hall or gymnasium, and use it for at least one large celebration on the major feast days so as to ease congestion in the other Masses.
This is far from an ideal solution and is certainly a temporary one. But some of the world's greatest and most beautiful churches have been built as the result of such fortunate difficulties as overcrowding, so there is no need to despair.
posted by Chipi Buenafe at
10:55 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home