Wednesday Liturgy: Follow-up: Extraordinary Form; Book of Blessings
ROME, NOV. 16, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
After our reply on the extraordinary form and the Book of Blessings (see Nov. 2), some readers asked for further clarifications.
An Alabama reader asked: "Can a permanent deacon impart blessing on people or articles as the priest or bishop does by making the sign of the cross over them? Can he also bless water apart from baptismal water?"
A deacon, whether permanent or transitory, may carry out all those blessings not specifically reserved to a bishop or priest in the Book of Blessings. The rites open to the deacon include most blessings of people, devotional objects and also holy water.
Although the deacon may impart these blessings, he should usually defer to a priest if one is present and available. Likewise, blessings during Mass are always done by the priest.
A Mississippi reader made a request regarding Summorum Pontificum: "The extraordinary form of the Mass is celebrated weekly at a church in New Orleans. When Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament follows Mass, the priestly blessing and the last Gospel are eliminated from the Mass. Is this procedure correct?"
While I am no expert on all the intricacies of the extraordinary form, classical liturgical guides such as Fortescue-O'Connell-Reid in English and Trimelloni in Italian both describe the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass or before a procession as following the Fourth Gospel. Trimelloni states that even in those rare cases when Mass was allowed before the Blessed Sacrament exposed, the priest blessed the people as usual and not with the Blessed Sacrament (No. 437, A4).
It would appear therefore that the practice in this parish is incorrect with respect to the rubrics of the extraordinary form.
After our reply on the extraordinary form and the Book of Blessings (see Nov. 2), some readers asked for further clarifications.
An Alabama reader asked: "Can a permanent deacon impart blessing on people or articles as the priest or bishop does by making the sign of the cross over them? Can he also bless water apart from baptismal water?"
A deacon, whether permanent or transitory, may carry out all those blessings not specifically reserved to a bishop or priest in the Book of Blessings. The rites open to the deacon include most blessings of people, devotional objects and also holy water.
Although the deacon may impart these blessings, he should usually defer to a priest if one is present and available. Likewise, blessings during Mass are always done by the priest.
A Mississippi reader made a request regarding Summorum Pontificum: "The extraordinary form of the Mass is celebrated weekly at a church in New Orleans. When Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament follows Mass, the priestly blessing and the last Gospel are eliminated from the Mass. Is this procedure correct?"
While I am no expert on all the intricacies of the extraordinary form, classical liturgical guides such as Fortescue-O'Connell-Reid in English and Trimelloni in Italian both describe the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass or before a procession as following the Fourth Gospel. Trimelloni states that even in those rare cases when Mass was allowed before the Blessed Sacrament exposed, the priest blessed the people as usual and not with the Blessed Sacrament (No. 437, A4).
It would appear therefore that the practice in this parish is incorrect with respect to the rubrics of the extraordinary form.
posted by Chipi Buenafe at
11:02 AM
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